Your indoor air quality can have a significant impact on your comfort—and even on your health! Let Action Furnace walk you through why air quality matters and how you can take steps to improve it in your home, including adding a whole-home humidifier and more.
...
A lot of us don’t think about our indoor air quality (IAQ) very often. However, poor indoor air quality can significantly impact your comfort—and even your health—so it’s worth taking steps to keep the air in your home as fresh and clear as possible
Action Furnace provides state-of-the-art indoor air quality solutions for Albertans, so we know all about why IAQ matters and what options you have for improving it in your home. Below, we explain IAQ in more detail and show you what you can do to make yours better.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality In:
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters
Indoor air quality can directly impact the way the air in your home tastes and feels. When your home has high IAQ, the air you breathe probably seems fresh and clear. You might experience less congestion and even have more energy during your daily routines.
But poor IAQ can have noticeable negative effects. We’ve listed some of those below—if you’re experiencing any of the following, it might be time to look for an indoor air quality solution.
Signs of Poor IAQ
- Stale tasting air
- Congestion
- Odd tastes and smells
- Visible particles floating in the air (more noticeable as they pass through light)
Potential Health Effects of Poor IAQ
- Dryness and irritation of your eyes, throat, and skin.
- Fatigue.
- Headaches.
- Nausea.
- Allergies.
- Dizziness.
- Coughing & sneezing.
- Breathing problems.
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, please visit your doctor. They’ll be able to give you expert advice on whether your symptoms are the result of an air quality issue, after which our team can help.
What Causes Poor Air Quality?
Indoor air pollution lowers IAQ, but this is a broad definition that can include a few different kinds of contaminants. These typically fall into one of a few different categories:
Particulares (Dust, Smoke, Etc.)
Dust is pretty common in most homes. However, excessive amounts of dust can cause respiratory conditions, and may even lead to a higher risk of developing serious illnesses—including some cancers.
Odours & VOCs
Odours are often a signifier of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) floating in your air. VOCs are chemicals released into the air from a variety of different sources, including:
- Paints
- Varnish
- Cleaning chemicals
- Cosmetic products
- Fuel (often from gas-powered appliances or vehicles parked in connected garages)
Mould
Even though Alberta has a pretty dry climate, this doesn’t mean mould can’t grow in your ducts and registers. Mould can—and often does—grow if your home has an abundance of moisture in the air (i.e. higher humidity).
Mould can also be caused by plumbing issues or problems with blockages in your ductwork. This prevents moisture from being circulated adequately out of your home.
Tools You Can Use to Improve Your IAQ
Action Furnace offers several air quality products designed to integrate seamlessly with your HVAC system. These include:
Humidifiers
Humidifiers control the amount of moisture in your home’s air—helping you avoid dry or clammy skin while mitigating the risks of mould growth.
Our Generalaire 5070A humidifier allows you to enjoy the benefits of having a humidifier throughout your entire home. Once it’s connected to your furnace, hot air passes through its VaporPad technology, adding moisture to your air.
With its KineticFlo water distribution system, the humidifier can effectively reach 2,500 square feet! All you have to do is replace the humidifier pad every 1 to 2 years.
Learn more about humidifiers here.
UV-C Light Systems
UV-C systems use the power of UV light to help eradicate the existence of biological contaminants that could exist in your air.
Action Furnace offers a single-lamp system that we’ll place in your home’s HVAC system where it can destroy potentially dangerous microorganisms like:
- Mould
- Spores
- Bacteria
- Viruses
Learn more about how UV light can enhance your indoor air quality here.
Air Filters & Purifiers
Air cleaners remove particulate matter from your home’s air as it passes through your HVAC ductwork.
We offer the Ecomfort Electronic Air Cleaner (AE10), the Goodman DMH900 Whole-House HEPA Air Cleaner, and the APCO-X for all of your air cleaning needs.
- The Ecomfort Electronic Air Cleaner (AE10) is a hybrid electronic air cleaner that is designed to fit into any standard furnace while adding the benefit of being 95% efficient at removing particles as little as 3 microns.
- The Goodman DMH900 Whole-House HEPA Air Cleaner is a HEPA air filter that comes with an added carbon pre-filter and germicidal UV lights. By using these 2 technologies together, the Goodman DMH900 is able to filter particles as small as 0.3 microns at 99.97% efficiency!
- The APCO-X is a UV air purification system that harnesses the power of UV light in conjunction with a carbon filter to help reduce biological contaminants floating in your air. It works by using UV light to kill microorganisms, and also uses the EverCarbon filter to help eliminate dust and volatile organic compounds like smoke, paint fumes, air fresheners, and more!
Learn more in our Ultimate Guide to Air Filtration Systems.
Get Professional Help Improving Your Home’s IAQ
Air quality is easy to improve once you take it seriously—but you’ll still need professionals to recommend and install the correct system for your home. To get help enhancing your home’s air quality, be sure to contact our team at Action Furnace. Our experienced comfort technicians will be more than happy to help you select an appropriate system to solve your air quality issues and give your household’s quality of life a boost.
Frequently Asked Questions about Indoor Air Quality
How much do Action Furnace’s indoor air quality solutions cost?
Our prices vary depending on the system you’re purchasing, but some options start as low as $510.
Why buy an integrated indoor air quality solution instead of a standalone humidifier?
Standalone humidifiers only add moisture to the air that’s immediately around them—they can’t improve the air quality all over your home, and they can also be hard to control since they’re not modulated by your home’s thermostat. Finally, it’s important to note that humidifiers are only one kind of indoor air quality solution—they’ll help with dryness, but can’t do anything to remove contaminants from your air. Investing in IAQ solutions that integrate with your HVAC system provides more comprehensive and accurate benefits.
Should I combine indoor air quality solutions?
Yes! In fact, we recommend a combination of air purifier, high-quality filter, and whole-home humidifier for the best and most noticeable improvements to air quality in your home.
Related Posts:
Air Purifier Vs. Humidifier: Which One Does Your Home Need?
Not sure what to invest in to improve indoor air quality? You’re not alone. Both air purifiers and ...
How Often Should You Clean Your Humidifier?
Looking for humidifier cleaning tips? Here's one, have you cleaned your humidifier lately?
...
Do I need a Humidifier in Alberta?
Humidity is one of those things you probably only think about when it needs adjusting. Comfortable people never talk about ho...
