Residents of Livermore, CA can experience a direct impact during wildfire season. Even when fires are many miles away, smoke can carry to your town and infiltrate your home. Luckily, there are ways that you can protect your indoor air quality during wildfire season. This will benefit your health while also protecting your HVAC system and belongings from damage.
Using High-Efficiency Filters
If you’re using a low-quality filter in your HVAC system, this can leave a lot of particulate matter circulating through your indoor air. If your unit allows, upgrade to a filter with a MERV rating between 8 and 12. MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value, which is a rating system that explains how effective a filter is when it’s in use. Residential HVAC systems aren’t usually able to handle a filter rating above 12, as it’s too restrictive. It can impede airflow and damage your system.
Activated carbon filters are a great investment during wildfire season. They can absorb smoke and chemicals, greatly improving the quality of your indoor air. This filtration is usually combined with another form of traditional filtration.
Air Purification Upgrades
Instead of just relying on your HVAC system to filter out particulate matter, you should consider investing in air purifiers and filtration upgrades. There are whole-house units that we can install directly onto your HVAC unit.
By using enhanced filtration like HEPA technology, you can often remove as much as 99.97% of the particulate matter in your house. Just be sure to keep up with routine inspections and maintenance for your equipment, which includes periodically replacing the filters.
Routine Duct Cleaning
We recommend having your ducts cleaned every three to five years. It’s wise to schedule additional cleanings after particularly bad wildfire seasons. Smoke particulates can accumulate inside of your ductwork and circulate throughout your living spaces. These particulates can also make their way onto the interior components of your HVAC system, leading to equipment strain and damage. Regular ductwork cleanings can help reduce the need for repairs and premature equipment replacement.
Adjust According to Outdoor Conditions
There are a few resources you can use to monitor the quality of the air outside of your home, including the website Airnow.gov. If you know that there’s a high prevalence of wildfire smoke in your area, keep your windows and doors closed for the time being. This can help prevent indoor air quality concerns.
Sealing Up Your Home
Even with windows and doors closed, smoke can make its way through very small holes and gaps around your house. Seal up these areas using expanding spray foam, caulk, and weatherstripping. Use exhaust fans and other ventilation equipment to remove stale air from your home.
You should also consider upgrading the insulation in your house. Insulation not only keeps conditioned air inside of your home, but it can also keep outdoor air from coming inside. You’ll notice a difference in the quality of your indoor air and your monthly utility bills.
Control Your Indoor Humidity
The relative humidity level in your home should always be between 35% and 50%. If it rises higher than that, you may experience high concentrations of contaminants in your indoor air. Humid air can easily hang on to particulate matter. You can use a whole-house dehumidifier to bring down high levels of humidity. This type of equipment works well to address the relative humidity in your entire home. Portable models can struggle to keep up with a small amount of square footage.
Consider Smart Home Upgrades
Smart technology has made it easier than ever to monitor indoor air quality. Consider purchasing smart air quality sensors that can provide you with real-time alerts when IAQ concerns present themselves. You can turn on your filtration equipment or make other changes in response to this data.
There are also smart thermostats that have built-in air quality sensors. You can use your smart device to adjust your HVAC system and filtration equipment, quickly addressing indoor air quality concerns.
Eagle Air Conditioning offers indoor air quality support to homeowners in the Livermore area. We can assist with routine inspections and maintenance of your HVAC system. We’ll ensure your equipment is working properly and protecting your IAQ. Our team addresses emergency repairs and new equipment installation as well.
Contact our knowledgeable team at Eagle Air Conditioning today for assistance in Livermore.
