Your home is supposed to be a sanctuary – a safe space. But without proper HVAC maintenance, your home can make you sick. A home or commercial property can come down with what is sometimes referred to as “sick building syndrome.” How can you be sure you’re keeping your home and your family healthy?
Indoor air quality is directly connected with home and resident health. One cause of a home with dirty air is dirty air ducts. Annual cleanings and maintenance by a professional company are part of a homeowner’s HVAC care checklist. But yearly upkeep isn’t always a priority or in the budget. Lack of maintenance causes an accumulation of harmful airborne contaminants that in turn enter our lungs.
If you’ve been feeling symptoms similar to allergies, then there may be dust, debris, or even mold building up in your pipes and ducts. Gold Medal Service offers annual maintenance, professional air duct cleanings, and indoor air quality services. We’re here to tell you about how your home can make you sick, and give you solutions to poor indoor air quality, a common health issue in America’s tightly insulated homes.
AirTight Homes
What do we mean by “airtight homes”? Modern homes, concerned with being energy-efficient, are built to keep your air-conditioned air inside and the outside air out. This might be great for your heating and cooling bill and comfort level, but not so great for your respiratory health. That is, if the HVAC unit is not properly and regularly cleaned and inspected.
If there are things lurking in the system, such as mold and other contaminants, then they are trapped in your home, re-circulated through your air ducts over and over again. The issue of indoor air quality and what we can do to keep the air we breathe in our homes safe is relatively new.
People have always been concerned with the environment outdoors and the pollution of air when we are on the go. Indoor air, however, is often many times more polluted than the air outdoors. Keeping your air ducts cleaned and your system maintained goes a long way to preventing indoor air pollution.
Health symptoms caused by dirty air ducts
If you think of air ducts as the lungs of the home, it gives you a proper visual of their purpose. They take in what’s around them, and push it back out into the home. Then, we take what is pushed out into our own bodies and lungs. That’s all well and good, if the air is healthy. If not, then respiratory issues, especially for people with pre-existing asthma and allergies, will be irritated or exacerbated by the indoor air.
Besides complications with nose and throat, headaches and even dizziness are reported, especially if there is mold. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms in the home, call a professional for immediate HVAC inspection and air duct cleaning. The problem is much simpler to cure than the symptoms.
Main symptoms include:
- Sinus Problems
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Respiratory Infections
- Headaches
Why Duct Cleaning is Important
If it has been more than a year since you have had HVAC maintenance and cleaning, then it is time to book an appointment. The systems in our home need upkeep to perform their duty in a healthy way. Every system in the home, from electrical and plumbing to heating and air conditioning needs to be treated with care.
If we want a long lifespan for our costly HVAC equipment, then its air ducts must be clean. The same goes for our own health and happiness. If we want a long, healthy life, we need to maintain our agility and bodies with exercise, food, and clean water and air.
Reasons duct cleaning is important:
- Energy-efficiency for heating and cooling system – A clean system can function at full performance, using less energy to achieve the same temperature and comfort.
- Lower monthly utility costs – A system that is energy efficient is cost-effective.
- Longer equipment lifespan – A well-cleaned and maintained system will live up to its warranty, and keep you from costly early replacement and repairs.
- Reduction in repair costs – Better maintenance equals fewer repairs over time.
- Healthy lungs, healthy family – Nobody wants to breathe in polluted air, especially when they are indoors! Ensure your family and home is healthy with air duct care.
What can I do?
- Annual professional HVAC inspections and air duct cleanings
- Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter
- Less carpet, less dust, and debris
- Take off your shoes and don’t track in outdoor allergens
- Sign up for a home maintenance plan and air filter deliveries
For more information on Indoor Air Quality services in NJ, contact Gold Medal Service: 1 (732) 638-4317.
Our live, 24/7 call center is there for you day and night.