Tag Archives: air duct cleaning

Boost Indoor Air Quality by Conquering Household Dust

If you’re one of the 50 million Americans suffering from allergies, chances are you’re looking for ways to improve your home’s indoor air quality. Even if you don’t suffer from allergies, boosting the overall quality of your indoor air can significantly increase your daily comfort.

But conquering household dust, fibers and other common indoor air pollutants means more than just changing your air filter regularly. There are many other things you can do to improve indoor air quality and increase your HVAC system’s energy efficiency.

- Organize your closet space to make cleaning easier – You would be amazed at how many fibers your clothing can shed, especially heavy winter furs and coats. Keeping your clothes covered with garment bags, and your closet floor clear of clutter can go a long way toward improving indoor air quality.
- Vacuum cleaner performance – Suction power shouldn’t be the only thing to look for in a vacuum cleaner. You should also consider how well it agitates carpet flooring, its performance on hard surfaces, and if it has a HEPA filter.
- Use the HVAC system to help tackle dust – Vacuuming stirs up a lot of dust, which then settles in other places. You can use your HVAC system’s blower fan and air filter to weed out airborne dust and fibers. While vacuuming, set the thermostat to “fan only” and let it run for 15 minutes after you have finished vacuuming.
- Upgrade the air filter – Consider switching to an air filter that offers better filtration and a higher Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV), if you haven’t done so already.
- Give those rugs and cushions a good beating – If you want to dislodge dust that vacuuming often misses, then beating your rugs and cushions outdoors is the way to go.

Learn more about how to improve indoor air quality from the pros at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc., or give us a call at 251-476-3610 to schedule an appointment.

Spring Cleaning Includes Professional Air Duct Cleaning

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is a growing national problem caused primarily by negative pressure leaks and tight building envelopes. Without proper ventilation, a variety of harmful pollutants accumulate inside the ductwork attached to your HVAC equipment. If not adequately addressed, these contaminants continually recirculate through the system and can aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma, allergies and COPD.

Our Air Duct Cleaning Services

A professional duct cleaning service will eliminate the dirt, dust, grime, pollen and mold that build up on the interior surface of your duct network over time. The duct cleaning process also removes contaminants from critical internal equipment components including:

The plenum
Heat exchanger
Condensate drain lines and pan
The interior of the air handler
Supply and return registers
Blower, housings and motors
The evaporator coil
VAV boxes

For every air duct cleaning remediation project, we send trained technicians equipped with cameras and mirrors to accurately assess the condition of your ductwork and HVAC equipment. If the system requires cleaning, the registers are sealed with a pressure sensitive tape, and access holes are cut into the supply and return duct lines.

When the ductwork is prepped, a powerful vacuum that meets NADCA standards is attached to the installed collar. Flexible forced air whips and mechanical brushes are used to agitate and dislodge any material that is stuck to the duct wall. The system is turned on, and the ductwork is placed into a substantial negative pressure. Dander, hair, debris and other impurities are pulled out of the ductwork and deposited into a sealed container.

The Benefits of Clean Ductwork

Periodic duct cleaning provides an excellent return on investment. Some of the more important benefits include:

Improved indoor air quality
Lower HVAC maintenance costs
reduced utility bills
Fewer furnace and AC repairs
Extended equipment life

Complete IAQ Services

To learn more about duct cleaning, HVAC maintenance agreements and our complete indoor air quality services, call Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. at 251-476-3610. We can schedule a free performance evaluation for your ductwork and HVAC equipment.

Humidifiers Are Key To Better Indoor Air Quality

A healthy home requires clean, fresh indoor air. For Mobile homeowners, this involves more than just changing the HVAC filters regularly and installing an air purifier.

Humidifiers also play a key role in creating high-quality indoor air. Maintaining optimal humidity levels has a beneficial effect on health and can reduce annual heating costs.

You can easily measure indoor humidity with a hygrometer. Also called a humidity meter, this inexpensive gadget can tell you exactly what your indoor humidity level is. You can purchase a hygrometer at any drug store or a supercenter like Walmart. A healthy humidity level should between 35 and 50 percent, but for those living along the Gulf Coast, winter humidity levels are often as low as 5-15 percent.

Because humid air feels warmer than dry air, adding moisture to your living space in winter will give you greater indoor comfort, and you’ll also pay less for heat. When moisture evaporates, air feels colder. During the winter, it’s natural to turn up the thermostat when this happens, thereby increasing energy usage and jacking up utility bills. When you add moisture to the air instead, you’ll feel warmer at a lower temperature, and your energy costs will decrease as a result.

What Does Humidity Have to do With Indoor Air Quality?

Low humidity levels mean dry air. Dry air can be responsible for a variety of physical symptoms such as:

Sore throat
Itchy, flaking skin
Cracked, dry lips and hands
Dry nasal passages
Sinus problems and sinusitis

How Does Indoor Humidity Improve Air Quality?

Many airborne pollutants such as dust mites thrive in a dry environment. When you add moisture to the air, it gives these contaminants less space in which to circulate.

How Do Indoor Humidity Levels Affect Health?

There are a variety of health benefits that come with proper humidity levels. Here are just a few:

Sinuses stay healthier, especially for those with sinusitis and congestion
Reduces the potential for nosebleeds
Helps those suffering from colds and asthma by lubricating nasal passages
Can eliminate snoring caused by a dry throat
Helps skin to stay moisturized and reduces dryness on hands and lips
Helps nose hairs to trap bacteria and viruses that cause colds and flu
Reduces nasal, throat and bronchial irritation
Helps to clear up laryngitis
Helps those with respiratory problems to breathe easier

Besides keeping your Mobile, AL, home comfortable in winter, reducing energy usage and delivering a variety of health benefits, humidifiers also reduce static electricity and can keep wood surfaces from shrinking, swelling and cracking. To learn more about healthier indoor air, contact the Mobile, AL, air quality experts at Keith Air Conditioning. They’ve been helping homeowners to have greater indoor comfort since 1964, and their air quality testing service can tell you everything you need to know about the state of your indoor air.

Healthy Home Ventilation Tips

When it comes to indoor air quality and circulation, residents of Mobile and the surrounding region have more than their share of challenges. Year-round high humidity levels make warm indoor temperatures feel even more uncomfortable and provide the ideal breeding ground dust mites, mold and mildew. With the oppressively humid warm-weather season on Alabama’s Gulf Coast fast approaching, it’s time to take steps to ensure that your home has proper ventilation without exacerbating respiratory issues like asthma and allergies.

Why Home Ventilation Matters

With people spending up to 90 percent of their time indoors at home and work, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking a closer look at indoor air quality. Studies have shown that stale air inside homes is often more polluted than outdoor air in large, industrial cities. For those suffering from cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, lack of air circulation can have devastating health consequences, but a poorly ventilated home can impact otherwise healthy people too. Physical symptoms to watch for include:

Nasal congestion, sneezing or post nasal drip
Itchy, red or watery eyes
Soar throats or mouth breathing at night
Coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath

Keeping Allergens at Bay

Opening windows to allow the air to circulate offers some relief in poorly ventilated spaces but lets common allergens in Mobile like ragweed, pollen and animal dander entry into your home. To avoid exposure to allergens, Dr. Druhan Howell of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine recommends the following simple strategies:

Close windows at night whenever local pollen levels are high.
Minimize exercise between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. when pollen is typically emitted.
Keep damp environments like bathrooms and kitchens scrupulously clean.
Ensure that humidity levels in your home are properly managed.

HVAC Ventilation Solutions for a Healthy Home

From air purifiers to germ-killing ultraviolet lights, the professionals at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. offer a wide array of indoor air quality solutions that can lower indoor humidity levels and improve air circulation, including:

Using energy captured from outgoing air to precondition incoming air, energy recovery ventilators allow you to enjoy fresh air without sending energy bills soaring.
Sealing and insulating ductwork in central HVAC systems prevents pollutants and allergens from entering your home through leaks, cracks and loose connections.
An air quality analysis of your home by a skilled HVAC technician lets you know which product or service will best meet your needs.

Serving Mobile and the surrounding communities since 1964, Keith Air Conditioning professionals are experts at ventilation and resolving your air circulation problems. To learn more about how to make your home a healthier place to inhabit, please contact us today.