Indoor Air Quality

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Indoor air can be 2-5 times and as much as 100 times more polluted than outside air”!

While that statistic may come as a shock to those who try their best to keep a clean home for their family, even the cleanest homes have their pollutants. In fact, a Harvard University study discovered that “100% of homes tested had toxic compounds including pesticides, cleaning compounds and chemicals found in furniture and building materials that can be the cause of asthma, allergies and other ailments.” This means that we all face a similar problem when it comes to indoor air pollution – a problem that can be fought with Indoor Air Quality products. 

At Comfort First Heating & Cooling, your good health is part of our commitment to your total comfort. Our friendly, trained air specialists provide air quality assessments that help get you and your family on the path to better respiratory health!

Level 1: Particles and Allergens 

Take a moment to look at the air around you – what do you see? You may spot some dust floating by a bright window, but most indoor air pollutants are much smaller! Just one cubic foot of air can have more than 30 million air pollutants including dust, mold spores, allergens and much more. In our homes, dust and pet dander are the usual allergen suspects, but it’s important not to forget about dust mite feces and skin flakes that swirl around your indoor air. All these allergens can have a negative effect on your health, as the American College of Allergists found “50% of all illnesses are either caused by or aggravated by polluted indoor air.”

These particles aren’t only bad for your body, but they can also wreak havoc on your HVAC system! While common store-bought air filters are great for keeping pet hair out of a system, they allow smaller particles to easily pass through and build up within your system’s coils, air filters and blower wheels which can lead to avoidable breakdowns as well as costly repairs. Issues like this cause your electric bills to grow over time as they decrease your system’s efficiency. However, there is a way to combat these particles! Products like polarized-media air filters magnetically attract small particles and bond them together through a process called electroplating. This can filter out particles and allergens smaller than one micron, keeping your equipment and your home’s air clean. Remember, if you do not have a good air filter, your lungs are forced to pick up the slack! 

Level 2: Germs & Infectious Agents 

We all know to wash our hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds and practice good hygiene in order to combat germs. However, bacteria, viruses and fungi are also in the air we breathe! These can become more concentrated indoors without exposure to the sun’s UV-rays, which kill or disable them. Luckily, we can bring mother nature’s solution into your home by installing ultra-violet lights directly into your HVAC system. As the air in your home is cycled through your system, it must pass through these UV rays which disable and kill a considerable amount of unwanted microorganisms. This process can effectively clean the air in your home around five times an hour.

These germs, especially mold, love dark and moist places. This makes your system a haven for organic growth to flourish which can clog your evaporator coil with foul-smelling odor. This odor is then blown through the air you and your family breathe, giving your home a dirty sock smell. Additionally, clogged evaporator coils can lead to clogged drain lines which can result in water damage to ceilings and rusted equipment. These damages are preventable with the use of UV lights and regular system maintenance by a professional! 

Level 3: Chemical Gases & Odors

Viruses and bacteria may be small, but VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) can be even smaller. These chemicals are known to harm humans yet they are used in our cleaning solvents, as pesticides on our food and even in our home’s building materials. Scientists have found these chemicals can linger in our indoor air for years. Formaldehyde, for example, takes about two years to off-gas. This means anytime you bring a new piece of furniture in your home or remodel a room you may be exposing your air to formaldehyde for up to two years! These gases are known to cause lung problems, headaches, nausea and the list goes on…

UVC lights can destroy these chemicals using very small wavelength rays to break them down on contact. This is a proven, natural way to combat chemical gases. This innovative technology also filters odors as they pass through your system. If you have pets in your home, you may have become nose-blind to their smell, but guests can usually notice the odor as they enter your home. With UVC lights, the smell will disappear as the odor is eliminated several times per hour. No more spraying flower-scented chemicals to mask foul odors, because they will be naturally taken care of!

Air Filtration Systems

For allergy and asthma sufferers, nothing is worse than symptoms caused by indoor allergens such as pet dander, dust, pollen, old paint, air pollution and more. So, to help you and your loved ones put an end to the coughing, wheezing and sneezing, we can perform an air quality assessment and install the latest, most advanced air filtration technologies — to new and old AC and heating units. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel when you finally start breathing cleaner, fresher-smelling, micro-filtered air!

Ultraviolet Light Technology

Ultraviolet technology is also being widely used in homes, and has been shown in studies to reduce germs, bacteria, and allergens in the air by as much as 99%. By effectively reducing these harmful agents, UV systems help you avoid illness, breathing problems, and the effects of allergies. Best of all, UV technology is affordable and relatively easy to install. So, talk to us about a UV Light Air Quality System for your air conditioning system to make your home healthier today.

Carbon Monoxide Monitoring

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas which can be released by malfunctioning heating systems…it can have life-threatening effects on humans. Without proper sensors, your home could fill with this dangerous gas without your family being aware. Comfort First Heating & Cooling cares about the safety of your family, which is why we offer top-of-the-line carbon monoxide detection systems for installation in your home. These systems detect even trace amounts of carbon monoxide gas, alerting you well before it can cause harm to you or your family.

Our Friendly Experts are Like a Breath of Fresh Air. Questions About your Indoor Air Quality Assessment? Call to Speak With our Helpful Technicians and Greatly Improve the Air you Breathe.