You’ve probably heard of the term “indoor air quality” but if you’re unsure of what it actually refers to, here’s some common misconceptions and truths about the topic based on our expertise in the HVAC industry.

Outdoor air quality has a greater impact on your health than indoor air quality

•          Speir Heating & Air opinion: RUMOR!

How much time do you spend indoors? Likely more than you spend outdoors. Most indoor spaces will have some sort of HVAC system. HVAC systems constantly recycle air from inside the space, which, over time, will become dirty if the HVAC system is not properly cleaned or the bacteria in the air is not treated.

Poor indoor air quality can have a negative effect on your allergies

•          Speir Heating & Air opinion: FACT!

Whether you are dealing with a dirty coil or ductwork, pet allergens, high humidity, mold spores, smoke, or anything in between, poor indoor air quality can have a negative effect on your health. Itchy eyes, throat, nose, headaches, and asthma are all potential symptoms of poor IAQ.

Indoor air quality cannot be improved

•          Speir Heating & Air opinion: RUMOR!

There are many ways to address poor indoor air quality because there’s many ways it originates. Poor ventilation, pet odors and dandruff, moldy ductwork, and air-born pollutants are all potentially affecting your home’s IAQ. Changing filters, cleaning your HVAC system, and adding IAQ improving devices such as air purifiers and ionizers are all ways we treat poor IAQ!

Indoor air quality devices don’t help my respiratory health

•          Speir Heating & Air opinion: RUMOR!

We hear this a lot and understand why. Many people that have IAQ devices may not have the right device for their situation, so they don’t see the results they’re expecting to see. The device you need largely depends on what is causing poor IAQ in your home or your pre-existing health conditions. If you are sick, you need specific medication to treat the issue. The same goes for IAQ.

Bringing in outdoor air is good for HVAC systems

•          Speir Heating & Air opinion: FACT!

Adding a consistent stream of filtered, outdoor, air while exhausting stale, indoor, air can help improve IAQ. This can be accomplished with a Fresh Air Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). An added benefit is that ERV’s increase the efficiency of your HVAC system by pre-conditioning incoming air, reducing the strain on your HVAC system.

Having high quality air within your home is a choice and investment we recommend you make! There are many options to choose from and it’s important to understand what decision is best for your home. Our technicians are happy to assist you by inspecting your HVAC system’s performance, informing you of your options, and giving a personalized recommendation on how to improve your indoor air quality! From air purifiers, to dehumidifiers, to electrostatic filters, Speir Heating & Air installs an array of products to help the quality of air circulating through your home!