Indoor Air Quality

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Indoor Air Quality - Tulsa, Ok

Indoor air can expose you to more pollutants than outdoor air. Failing to address issues with indoor air quality can lead to health problems like allergies and asthma. A good starting point for improving your home's air quality is identifying the levels of contaminants. Here are ways to test your home's air quality.

Evaluate Your Health Symptoms

Assessing any signs and symptoms you may have and your home's age and location may help narrow down the potential indoor pollutants. Seek medical attention if you believe your health issues are connected to your living environment. Your doctor will help you identify the health problems resulting from exposure to pollutants like mold, carbon monoxide, or radon.

Install an Air Quality Monitor

Purchase a monitor that measures the specific indoor pollutants you're worried about. For instance, if you live in an older house, you could get a monitor that detects carbon monoxide and radon. If you live in an area with lots of outdoor air pollution, you could buy a model that detects particulate matter.

Install Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms

Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, and it can build up to dangerous levels in a poorly ventilated space. If you own appliances such as gas furnaces, gas-burning stoves, and gas dryers, installing CO alarms on all levels of your home is crucial.

Carry Out a Radon Test

Long-term radon exposure is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Radon can seep into your home through the foundation, walls, floors, and areas around your pipes. You can use short-term radon test kits, long-term kits, or continuous tests to find out whether your home has high radon levels.

Call a Professional

You can opt for professional indoor air quality test if you fear you may have severe air-quality issues and are experiencing health problems like asthma and humidifier fever related to exposure to pollutants.

Once you identify the potential indoor air quality issues in your home, you can address them by installing an air purifier, sealing up trouble areas, improving your home's ventilation, and ensuring your HVAC system is working at peak efficiency. If you need any HVAC service or indoor air quality assessment in the Broken Arrow area, contact the experts at Air Assurance.

What Is the Best Whole House Air Purifier?

We might not have to worry much about urban smog around Broken Arrow, but dust, allergens, and harmful microbes are still common air-quality issues. By using multiple air-cleaning methods, the best whole house air purifier models help protect you from all these pollutants.

Choosing Air-Purification Methods

Some in-duct systems use a prefilter, such as a HEPA filter, to trap dust, pollen, pet dander, and other particles. Those that include an electronic ionizer catch particles too small for filters to handle. Air purifiers do more than just trap particulate pollutants, though. Many include ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) lamps that neutralize even the smallest viruses, bacteria, and mold spores. Rather than physically trapping these microbes, the light breaks them down to prevent them from reproducing. Systems that use a gas-phase air filter, such as activated carbon, absorb harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odors that slip through particulate filters and are among those that are the best whole house air purifier.

Relatively new on the market are photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) systems. These systems neutralize organic air contaminants by shining UV light at a catalyst (usually titanium dioxide), which breaks down organic pollutants in the air passing through. These systems handle both microbes and gaseous contaminants.

The Best Whole House Air Purifier Options

REME HALO In-Duct Air Purifier. Using proprietary Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy technology, this system safely oxidizes and neutralizes mold spores, bacteria, viruses, VOCs, and smoke particles. It was originally designed to correct sick-building syndrome.

D200 Dual Lamp Air Purifier. This PCO system neutralizes viruses, bacteria, and mold spores as well as VOCs. It also includes an activated carbon filter to absorb gaseous pollutants and odor-causing compounds not broken down by the PCO light.

REKO Lighting R2000 Air Purifier. This easy-to-install UVGI light system neutralizes bacteria, viruses, and mold spores but doesn't work against any other type of pollutant. If mold is your main problem, though, it's a good choice. 

If you could use some help finding the best whole house air purifier for your needs, contact us at Air Assurance.

Make Sure to Get a Quality Air Duct Cleaning

You might not think too often about the ductwork in your Broken Arrow home, but it could be affecting your indoor air quality (IAQ) and HVAC efficiency. When you have air ducts that are filled with dust or other debris, you could be breathing in these particles when your heating or cooling system is running. Learn more about quality air duct cleaning, including how it’s done, so you can have healthier indoor air and a more efficient HVAC system.

How Quality Air Duct Cleaning Works

Since your air ducts are hard to get to, it’s not a good idea to attempt to clean them on your own. While you can wipe down the outer surfaces of vents and registers on your own, you should have professional duct cleaning done. When you have this type of cleaning done, professional HVAC experts come to your home and use the right tools and equipment to remove debris from your ductwork. In some cases, this might require the removal of mold or other harmful particles. These professionals generally start by using tools to loosen dirt and other debris inside air ducts. Once this debris is loosened, they typically use a high-powered vacuum cleaner to remove it from your air ducts. This helps prevent these particles from contaminating the air inside your home.

The Importance of Quality Air Duct Cleaning

When you have professional air duct cleaning done, it’s important to ensure it’s done properly. Professional HVAC technicians should clean every component that is part of your ductwork, along with any other HVAC components that could be contributing to debris buildup in your ducts. Cleaning all of these components helps lower the risk of having contaminants or pollutants build up inside your air ducts again. This helps keep the air inside your home cleaner when your cooling or heating system is running.

If you need quality air duct cleaning for your Broken Arrow home, contact Air Assurance today. We can thoroughly clean your ductwork to help improve your IAQ.

PSO Air Conditioning Tune Up Rebate

SCHEDULE A PROFESSIONAL AC TUNE UP

Get professional preventive maintenance performed by a qualified HVAC technician. The service includes manufacturer-recommended maintenance procedures to ensure maximum furnace efficiency, lowest cost and reduced wear and tear. It also includes an up-close inspection of furnace components to detect and resolve any incipient problems now, before they become a major issue later.

For qualified service when it's time for turning on your heater, contact Air Assurance.

PSO AIR CONDITIONING TUNE UP REBATE

As a PSO account holder you could be eligible for a $75 instant rebate when you have your air conditioning system tuned up this spring and summer 2021. There are some specific qualifications to be eligible for the PSO AC Tune Up rebate that must be met, including a Pre and Post assessment of the data. Call Air Assurance for details and either way, having your air conditioning system professionally serviced is always recommended for peak performance optimization, and staying ahead of any breakdowns.

For help with residential air quality testing in your home, contact us at Air Assurance. We help keep homes comfortable, efficient, and breathable in Broken Arrow.

HVAC Tips to Prevent Spring Allergies

Spring allergies wreak havoc on millions of people across the country every year. The good news is that you can keep the discomfort at a minimum by following a few simple tips.

Schedule Annual System Maintenance

To keep your HVAC system running efficiently, which will help reduce allergens in your air, be sure to schedule annual maintenance with a qualified technician. By doing so every year, you'll also help prolong the operational life span of the equipment.

Check and Replace Filters

Filters quickly clog up during normal operation as they remove contaminants from your air. To enable the filter to help with spring allergies, check the filter once per month and either clean or replace it whenever it gets dirty.

Remove Dust and Debris from Ducts

Over time, a great deal of dust and debris will collect inside your home's air ducts. These irritants are then distributed into your air every time you turn on your HVAC system. The best way to keep this debris from re-entering the air is to schedule regular cleanings once or twice per year.

Don’t Leave Windows Open

Spring allergies often occur because people have a tendency to leave their windows open during the season because they want to let the fresh air inside. This may feel good, but by doing so, you're also letting more allergens into your air.

Clean Up the Outdoor Unit

Dirt and debris that has built up on your outdoor unit can quickly find their way into your home whenever your HVAC system is in operation. You can help prevent this by removing large debris from the outdoor unit and then washing off what's left with a hose.

By following these tips on improving indoor air quality, you'll be able to reduce the severity and frequency of spring allergies. If you're interested in learning more about how to reduce allergens or need to schedule any type of HVAC service, the professionals at Air Assurance are ready to assist you. With more than 30 years of servicing the needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas, we've earned the trust of our community.

How Dust Affects Your Indoor Air Quality

What is dust and where does it come from? In Oklahoma, most of us have to deal with pervasive dust in our homes, so it's important to know its source and not only keep it from gaining entrance, but also to control the dust that wafts inside. Controlling dust will vastly improve your indoor air quality.

What Is Dust?

Many online sources claim that dust is us -- that is, most of it is made up of shredded human skin and hair. Turns out, that's untrue. Most human skin and hair particles are washed off during showers and go down the drain. Only a small percentage of the dust in our homes is human-derived.

Most dust blows in from the outdoors, particularly in homes that are less than airtight, or where the doors or windows are kept open, or from tracking the outdoors inside on our feet or on our pets.

The other dust particles are derived from pet hair and dander, decaying insect bodies, carpet fluff and clothing and textile fibers. Some dust may be made of pollen and soot.

Controlling Dust

The best way to keep dust under control is by frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filter. Be sure to vacuum carpets, rugs, furniture and baseboards. But do be aware that vacuuming can scatter dust particles into the air, so whenever possible, clean floors, such as tile or hardwood, with a damp mop.

Your HVAC air filter can play an important role in controlling dust, but to do so effectively, it needs frequent changing. Use a good quality, polyester, pleated air filter so it can catch the smaller particles that the cheap fiberglass filters can't catch. Filters should be rated 8-12 on the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) scale.

An in-house air purification system may also help. Consult your HVAC specialist to discuss the best type for your home.

Keep doors and windows shut to keep dust out. Air seal minute cracks around doors and windows that may be allowing dust inside.

For more on preventing dust from compromising your indoor air quality, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow.

IAQ Concerns: New Flooring

New flooring sure can spiff up the looks of your home, so how it impacts your indoor air quality (IAQ) is probably the last thing you're thinking about when deciding which type of flooring to use. But the unfortunate fact is that some types of flooring create health concerns for the sensitive. Be aware of the pollutants given off by the various types of flooring, as well as the chemicals used to clean and install them.

Read on for IAQ concerns for several types of flooring.

Hardwood

Hardwood is one of the most desirable floors. It looks beautiful and is durable and easy to clean. The only health concern is from the volatile organic compounds (VOC)s that might be used to clean and polish the hardwood. Be sure to check chemical cleaners for VOC content, and substitute natural cleaners whenever possible. VOCs are gasses given off by chemicals and manufactured products that can be irritants for a host of respiratory issues.

Laminates

Laminates simulate wood but are usually made of a photographic applique layer, on top of melanine resin and fiber board. The adhesives used to install the laminates may give off VOCs, as may the laminates if cut. Some laminates emit formaldehyde.

Vinyl

Vinyl floors hold up well to foot traffic, are versatile and easy to clean. Installation usually involves VOC-laden solvents.

Carpets and rugs

Carpets and rugs add a warm interface between feet and cold, hard floors. However, they can harbor pollutants such as pet dander, dust mites, dirt and mold. Even with vacuuming and carpet washing, you never get all the pollutants out. They also can hold moisture and contribute to mold and mildew. A better choice might be a hard flooring with washable rugs.

Tile

Tile is easy to clean, and though hard, can be softened for contact with feet with washable rugs. As long as harsh chemicals aren't used for cleaning, you shouldn't have any issues with off-gassing of VOCs.

For more on IAQ concerns and new flooring, contact Air Assurance. We provide Broken Arrow with HVAC repairs, installations and maintenance.