Posts Tagged ‘pollen’

Spring is around the corner

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Winters are short in Florida; so many escape the harsher northern climates to enjoy our subtropical weather. With spring around the corner, it isn’t too early to start preparing for the season that accompanies it for so many: allergy season!

In just a few short weeks, pollen will be flying through our air. Hay fever, sinus infections, and many other ailments will plague the sensitive. Make your home more than the comfort zone; you can make it an allergy-free sanctuary.

Indoor air quality is a science. Bayonet employs sophisticated testing equipment that will pinpoint exactly was problems are plaguing your home’s air so we can target a specific solution. There are many different indoor air quality products that will target a few problem areas, but many homes don’t need all of the products to improve the air because it is typically a specific problem thats dragging the quality of the air you breathe down. Some of the available solutions are filtration, uv lights, duct cleaning, and humidity control.

Filtration can happen as simply as changing the filter in your return grill or at your unit. The simple, store-bought replacement filters that are an inch in thickness are among the least effective at removing airborne particulate. The reason for this is simple: to be effective, they would not allow enough air to get through them and it would result in a restriction that could freeze up your air handler. That’s not good! Most filters are placed in the return air grill and they’re quite a distance from the air handler. The motor just can pull air through the very effective filters, which nullifies their usefulness. The best and most effective filtration solutions are installed at the air handler. There are 5-inch media filters, electronic air cleaners, and PCO units that are all quite effective (for more specifics, check back in two weeks when we explore the pros and cons of each type of filter) and require little maintenance.

UV lights are installed at the coil to keep microbes and organisms from growing in that cold, damp environment. They don’t do much for the air quality. They can, when installed in the air stream, work with a filtration system to reduce the presence of organisms in the airstream, but they are truly most effective in the coil. Alone, they do not make significant improvements to air quality.

Residual dust and even dander can reside in your duct system. If your home is older than 10 years, has been previously lived in by pet owners, or seems dusty on a frequent basis, you might need a duct cleaning. Beware when shopping, cheaper is definitely not better when duct cleaning is concerned! There are many ways to clean a duct system. Some companies spray sanitize the ducts. So they aren’t really removing any particulates, they’re just cleaning them. That’s the cheap special, usually, and it is ineffective. Other companies use a beater brush, which is less than optimal and may damage duct systems but is better than the spray sanitizers. Bayonet uses a HEPA-sealed system that uses air to loosen debris and does a thorough job every time. It takes the better part of a day on most homes, but truly removes everything that’s inside your ducts! If you’ve tried everything else, this may help; don’t forget you can also have your air tested with us. Request to learn about Air Advice when you call.

An important part of quality indoor air that is often overlooked is the humidity level inside the home. Too dry and your nasal passages suffer. Too humid and it provides an environment that allows molds and mildew to form and dust mites to proliferate. Yuck! So what’s perfect? For humans, 55 percent humidity is optimal. Aim for that. If your system isn’t keeping up, don’t fret, Call Bayonet and we’ll help you find a solution.

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