Does Indoor Air Quality Get Worse In Winter
Thanks to Ohio’s temperate climate throughout most of the year, we deal with high amounts of pollen and allergens during the summers here in Stark County. Between green pine tree pollen, and golden rods alone - our allergy season can be rough. All of this pollen floating around outside during the summer months is being sucked up by your outdoor AC Unit and pumped into your home. Thankfully we have HEPA filters that protect us from the majority of these allergens, but they can also build up inside of your vents - just waiting for you to shut off the outside AC unit and turn on your heat.
In the wintertime in Ohio, we like to make sure our houses are sealed as tightly as possible to keep the bitter cold from making it into our homes. This allows us to keep the cold outside and energy costs down; however, it can leave us vulnerable to sickness in the winter months - especially once humidity starts to drop.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the optimum humidity for healthy air is between 40 and 50% during the winter months. In Stark County, our humidity can drop as low as 10 to 15% during the peak of winter months. Couple this dryness with airborne contaminants stuck in the vents (like pet dander and pollen) and you have quite the perfect storm brewing to aggravate acute respiratory conditions (like the common cold) or chronic respiratory conditions (like Asthma).
Our team here at GMC Heating and Cooling believes that Indoor Air Quality (or IAQ) in Stark County is extremely important, so we decided to take a moment to outline some ways that we’ve found to help keep your IAQ where it needs to be.
Clean Regularly. Be sure to keep all areas of your home as clean as possible, especially in the winter. Dusting and frequent vacuuming will reduce airborne pollutants like mold, pollen and dust mites. Using a vacuum that comes equipped with a HEPA filter is optimal, otherwise, you’re really just blowing the dust from your carpet back into the air.
Have your Ducts Cleaned. Pollen, Pet Dander, and other contaminants can build up in your ductwork over time and decrease the quality of your indoor air. Ensure you have your air ducts inspected regularly.
Change Your Filters Regularly. HEPA Filters in an HVAC system are kind of like the infantry of your system in the fight against indoor air pollutants. Especially in the winter, when your heating unit is more than likely running constantly throughout the day. Not only do dirty filters contribute to poor IAQ, they also put additional unnecessary stress on your HVAC system as it has to fight against the pressure of a clogged filter.
Upgrade Filters. If you feel as though you (or a member of your family) has increased sensitivities to airborne pollutants, consider asking a GMC Heating and Cooling technician if it makes sense to change filters / upgrade filters to assist in protecting your in-home air quality from contamination.
Add humidity. At the beginning of this blog how we discussed the big difference between optimal humidity (40-50%) and the actual humidity (10-15%) during the winter months in Stark County. It’s not just polluted air that can cause you issues, it’s also the extreme dryness of the air in winter. Waking up with cracked lips and sore sinuses is not fun for anyone, which is why so many customers request adding humidification systems to their existing HVAC systems. These systems work by blowing moisture vapor directly into the heating ducts of your home to increase moisture content in the air, weigh down contaminants, and reduce static electricity.
The minimum effort you should put into Indoor Air Quality generally depends on the length and coldness of the winter in your local area coupled with how many people live in your home. Some other factors that may affect IAQ are whether or not people living in the home have pets, and if they are smokers or non-smokers.
If you’re reading this and realize that it might be a good idea for you to have your system inspected, or just need to ask a couple of questions, feel free to reach out to us at GMC Heating and Cooling by clicking here.
