Springtime brings significant suffering if you or someone in your Dallas, GA home has allergies. With trees and plants in full bloom, itchy eyes, sneezing, and runny noses are never far behind. The good news is that you can turn your home into a safe space for allergy sufferers. Your HVAC system holds some of the keys to doing it. With that in mind, here are seven ways to use your HVAC to combat allergies.
1. Replace Air Filters Often
The simplest thing you can do to help your HVAC system combat your allergies is to replace its air filter frequently. On average, most HVAC air filters need replacement after 90 days of use. During allergy season, however, increasing the replacement frequency can help. You should replace your HVAC air filter monthly and look for signs of reduced allergy symptoms. If you experience an improvement, try changing your filter every two months. The idea is to find the longest possible filter change interval that still produces noticeable allergy symptom improvement. Once you find that interval, stick to that replacement schedule every allergy season.
2. Upgrade Your HVAC Air Filter
Changing your HVAC air filter more frequently should reduce your allergy symptoms. However, a standard HVAC air filter isn’t well-suited to trapping most allergens. So, you should also consider upgrading your filter for better performance. To do that, you’ll need to gather some information. When you next remove your HVAC filter, look for its dimensions and MERV rating. You’ll find it printed on one of the filter’s edges. MERV is a rating system indicating the types of particles a filter can capture. Most HVACs come with filters with a MERV rating of 8.
For better allergen removal, you can upgrade your HVAC air filter to one with a MERV rating as high as 13. Those will trap a high percentage of pollen, pet dander, and mold from your home’s air as it passes through your HVAC. However, be sure not to install a filter with a MERV rating higher than 13. Beyond that, you could hamper airflow through your HVAC, harming its efficiency and your comfort. Also, take care to purchase a replacement filter with the exact dimensions as the one it replaces to ensure a proper fit.
3. Install an Extended Media Filter
You may not know it, but your HVAC’s air filter isn’t there to improve your home’s air quality. While it certainly does that, especially when you use a high-MERV filter, its real job is keeping your HVAC’s internal components clean. That’s why you can only upgrade the filter so far before it starts harming your HVAC’s function.
You can install an extended media filter for superior filtration without adversely affecting your HVAC. To do this, you’ll need one of our HVAC technicians to fit your HVAC ductwork with a filter box. They allow for thicker air filters that capture greater percentages of allergens from the air passing through your ductwork. The extra thickness means more filter surface area. As a result, the filter weave can be much finer without harming airflow.
4. Clean Your Registers and Vents Monthly
No matter how well your HVAC filters out dust and allergens from your home’s air, it will never capture them all. As a result, you will always see a buildup of those contaminants on your HVAC’s vents and registers. You should clean your vents and registers monthly to prevent those things from returning to your home’s air. You can accomplish the job with any low-VOC multi-surface cleaner and a soft cloth. However, you can go a step further for deeper cleanings.
Periodically, you should unscrew the fasteners holding your vents and registers and remove them. Then, take the grilles to the nearest sink and clean them thoroughly with soap and water. Don’t use anything abrasive, as it could damage the finish on the grilles. When done, dry the grilles with a soft cloth and reinstall them. A deep cleaning removes accumulated dust and allergens from the inside and outside of your registers and vents.
5. Schedule an HVAC Maintenance Appointment
We previously mentioned that your HVAC filter keeps dust and dirt out of your HVAC. However, your HVAC’s internal components will eventually accumulate dust and dirt that escapes the filter. To deal with that, having your HVAC professionally maintained is essential, ideally twice yearly. Schedule a maintenance appointment before each heating and cooling season.
During each maintenance visit, our technician will thoroughly clean your HVAC’s blower fan, evaporator, and condenser coil. That will keep any accumulated dust, dirt, and allergens from recirculating through your home when you use your HVAC. Additionally, it will help ensure your HVAC’s continued efficiency and preserve its dehumidification capacity.
6. Have Your Ductwork Professionally Cleaned
The inside of your HVAC isn’t the only place that could hide accumulated dust, dirt, and allergens. Your home’s ductwork is also likely harboring significant quantities of pollutants. That’s why air quality experts recommend homeowners have their ductwork cleaned at least every three years. That’s often enough to prevent your ductwork from spoiling all your other allergy-fighting efforts.
Professional ductwork cleaning begins with sealing all your ductwork’s vents and other openings. Then, our technician connects a high-powered vacuum to your ducts to generate negative pressure inside them. That alone will dislodge much of the dust and dirt in the ducts. However, for more complete cleaning, our technician will also use specialized brushes to scour the inner walls of your ductwork.
7. Install a Whole-House Air Purifier
Finally, if you or anyone in your home is extremely sensitive to allergens, you may need to augment your HVAC’s air-cleaning ability. You can do it by installing a whole-house air purifier. They get installed in line with your HVAC ductwork and work alongside your HVAC to remove pollutants from your home’s air. Some whole-home air purifiers also have built-in blower fans that let them operate independently of your HVAC. That can ensure you still have the cleanest possible air, even when you don’t use your HVAC.
Multiple filtration options are available, ranging from electrostatic filters to HEPA filters and UV air sanitizers. Our indoor air quality experts can help you choose the system best suited to your needs and install it immediately. It’s worth noting that whole-home air purifiers can also extend your HVAC’s lifespan, making them even more worth investing in.
Your Trusted Indoor Air Quality Experts
Since 1985, Precision Heating & Air has been the go-to indoor air quality specialist Dallas homeowners trust most. We’re a family-owned and operated company with over 60 years of industry experience. We hire only NATE-certified HVAC technicians with specialized training in indoor air quality. Plus, we offer full warranties on all products we carry to ensure your complete 100% satisfaction. Those are some of the reasons why we have such a long list of glowing customer testimonials. We offer expert services that include repair, installation, and HVAC maintenance.
So, if you’re interested in indoor air quality services to help your HVAC combat allergens in Dallas, contact Precision Heating & Air today!
