Clean Air

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, air pollution has harmful effects on a person's overall health. As such, if pollution is reduced, it adds years onto a person's lifespan. If you are living in a city, like Los Angeles, with high levels of pollution, it is important to realize how clean your air is. Especially since we are spending more and more time inside. It can be very helpful to add on an existing air system. Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/22/longer_life_expectancy_is_linked_to_cleaner_air/ (last access 10/5/09.) An air filter in your air conditioning unit should be changed out or cleaned at least every three months (more than that if you are using your system often, like in the peak of summer). If your filter is not changed out, it can cause problems for your system and eventually the unit will not even turn on. There are many different types of filters. The most basic filter is a cut-to fit media filter which is made up of fibers that catch only the biggest dust (etc). particles. Then, there are filters that use carbon, or other materials to clean air. At the higher end, there are hepa and electrostatic filters that use electricity to charge particles and prevent them from entering the home. These filters will help improve your air quality of your home. This is something important to think about, especially since we have had so many fires this year. The less dust that you have in your home, the better the air quality is going to be. Just something to think about. Even if your air conditioner has an existing filter, you might want to upgrade to a better filter, just so that more particles are prevented from re-circulating in the air.

Filters!

Today we are increasingly concerned about the quality of the air we breathe. There are stricter guidelines on car emissions and everything else. However, with all this attention paid to outside air, many times we forget about the quality of the inside air. The air in our homes can be almost two times as polluted as the air outside. What can we do about it? Well, here is a simple step that can make a big difference. If you have central air and heating, you can make sure that your filter is clean. Sometimes we get service calls because a unit isn't working. One of the common 'causes' - is a filter that hasn't been changed since the family has been in the house! If your filter is so covered with grime and dust and/or dirt that air cannot pass through it - yeah, your air conditioning (or heat) will NOT work.

• So first, make sure you know WHERE your filter is located.
• Then, figure out whether your filter is washable or disposable. If you're not sure, you can always call your air conditioning technician and they should be able to walk you through how to tell.
• If your filter is washable, pull it out of the furnace and rinse it with the hose. Make sure that you get all the particles that you can see off. Also, wait until the filter is COMPLETELY dry before putting it back into the unit.
• If your filter is disposable, measure the filter (or take the old one with you) to your local hardware store. FYI and helpful tip: filters are measured by height, width and length (so you should have three numbers - ex. 25 x 14 x 1). Then just put the new filter in.

Filters should be changed about every three months. In the summer, or during periods of constant usage, some recommend that going up to being changed every month. Keeping your filters clean not only helps to keep your air system running at top efficiency, but it also tremendously helps the air quality in your home. These filters are specially designed to trap any pet hairs, dirt, dust etc. and prevent these particles from re-circulating with hot (or cooled) air.

UV lights for air cleaning

Americans are growing more conscious about healthy indoor air

and with good reason. Indoor air can be close to 100% more polluted than outdoor air - and since we spend a great deal of our lives...first indoors at schools, then indoors at work...it is important to be breathing safe air.

While larger buildings - such as those that house schools and major corporations have indoor air quality standards that are regulated by the federal government, your home can be just as polluted.

To avoid breathing contaminated air in the home, the heating and cooling industry has developed several ways of dealing with cleaning indoor air. Indoor air quality can be regulated by a couple different means. All air systems use some kind of filter to prevent the re-circulation of dust particles from the home, back into the home through the air conditioning or heating. However, there are different tiers of quality of these filters. The basic filters pretty much catch only large particles.

If the air quality in your home isn't good enough - if family members are having difficulties breathing, or you would like more protection, there are some other filter options. An electrostatic filter catches smaller dust and pollen particles because it has an electric charge running through the filter. These filters are washable, so in three months, you just wash and dry the filter and re-install it.

Filters aside, some homeowners are turning to new air system technology to prevent mold or bacteria in their systems. A popular and up-coming addition to HVAC systems are UV lights placed near the coil or in the duct-work to kill any germs and prevent mold and mildew. For the time being, the cost is a little high (as this is new technology) but the results are so encouraging that with a little more product development, these lights may be common place in houses in a couple of years.

One company, working out of Orland Park, Illinois has already began product development to kill more bacteria and more efficiently utilize the UV lights in a HVAC system. This company is also determined to make their product "green" and avoiding chemicals that might harm the environment. For these reasons, this company is quickly becoming a viable option for homeowners (or businesses looking to comply with EPA standards) to keep their home (or office space) germ free and comfortable.

Source: http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=5812 last access 3/25/09.

Your Filter

We get TONS of questions regarding filters - where to get them, where it fits in, what's it do even to can you come please change mine? So, aside from doing my own video series to explain all of them - I am not good in front of a camera - I do my best to find webpages that are pretty good at explaining things. This one: http://www.iaqsource.com/article.php/how-do-i-find-identify-measure-and-change-my-furnace-filter/?id=21 is EXCELLENT. There are diagrams, explanations, different makes and models and it has step by step instructions.

Of course, you can always contact your local HVAC contractor who installed your unit for information regarding your filter or replacing it. Don't be afraid to ask questions about your equipment. If your contractor isn't willing to take time to educate you about the expensive machine they have just put in your home, it's time to find a new contractor.

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Check out these other resources for finding a filter: http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/furnacefilters.html http://www.furnacefilters.com/ and even www.energystar.gov

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