In the first half of this series, we explored the reasons why Indoor Air Quality is such a major health issue and listed the different types of indoor air pollution, explaining their profound impact on our health.
Now, we at Kettering-Oakwood Heating & Air will go over some of the products and services we offer throughout the Greater Miami Valley. Our goal is to help homeowners identify indoor air pollution and promote better Indoor Air Quality because it has such a major impact on our health, well-being, mood and energy levels.
The following list details some of the more popular products and services we have available:
The iWave-R
The iWave-R is an air purification system that is growing in popularity because of its increasing usefulness. The iWave-R is an innovative and yet reasonably priced application that we can install inside any AC system that uses an air duct system. The iWave-R targets outgoing air as it passes over the system’s ion generator, which effectively purifies the air. Before the air is circulated into your home, the iWave-R kills the airborne pathogens, viruses, bacteria, mold, and allergens. Additionally, it removes any other types of particles, on top of odors and smoke. Overall, it gives you superior indoor air quality without any byproducts.
Working with a one-of-a-kind technology, the iWave-R replicates the way nature purifies the air. Nature uses pressure and energy to clean the air with things like lightning, waterfalls, and ocean waves that break up airborne molecules to produce clean and healthy breathing conditions. The difference between nature’s method and the iWaveR’s technology is that nature produces harmful ozone gases as byproducts, the iWave’R does not.
We can install the iWave-R within the air ducts of any AC system as long as it’s not bigger than six tons. Once it’s inside your air ducts, the iWave-R is good to go. It won’t require any maintenance or replacement parts and it cleans itself.
Humidifiers
Humidifiers blow moisture into the air in your home, which raises your indoor humidity level based on your needs. This is very useful when the air you’re breathing is too dry, or if you are trying to prevent problems associated with dry air in the cold weather like static electricity in your home. If you’re looking to prevent dry cracking in furniture and paint, you might want to consider getting a humidifier. A lot of homeowners use them and find they are helpful in promoting indoor air quality when excessively dry air causes health issues. As an added bonus, homeowners are happy to find one of the added perks of a humidifier is the savings in monthly energy costs.
Dehumidifiers
Living in Ohio, most of us know all-too-well how humid the air can get during the hottest months of summer. In those times, when the truly hot and humid weather arrives, it’s been known to send a lot of residents back inside in search of cool shelter in their summer sanctuaries in the AC. But what if it’s too humid inside? If you have ever felt too much moisture in the air in a hot house, and smelled that musty scent of high indoor humidity, you understand the importance of using a dehumidifier. Health officials say homeowners should try to keep a relative indoor humidity level of between 30 to 50 percent. When it rises above 50 percent, it will make you feel uncomfortable and make the air unhealthy to breathe. Moreover, high humidity can hinder your air conditioning system’s function and worsen asthma and allergy symptoms. Meanwhile, high humidity provides mold and mildew the ideal environment to thrive in, which can cause health issues for even a person who’s healthy. Getting a whole-home dehumidifier is a great way to help the air quality in your home if you struggle maintaining humidity levels. Dehumidifiers are reasonably priced upgrades that help a lot with you and your family’s health and comfort.
Thermostats
Modern thermostats are vastly different than what people had a generation ago. A far cry from the old hockey-puck-looking dial up on the wall people remember seeing growing up, today’s smart thermostats appear futuristic. In addition to their fancy designs and digital touchscreen displays, a homeowner can modify the temperature settings on one of these thermostats from any location with their smartphone.
Also, getting a smart thermostat allows you to do a lot more than control just your HVAC systems. These thermostats are compatible with humidifiers, air purifiers, dehumidifiers, ventilation systems and most IAQ products. Because they continue to improve, most of the thermostats being sold on the market these days are smart thermostats, and many have Wi-Fi. They are made to help you save energy by cutting down energy costs and energy wasting.
Homeowners who decide on getting a thermostat upgrade are pleased with the improved efficiency, added convenience and even temperature consistency throughout their home.
They help you save money on energy bills while enabling your HVAC system to perform at its optimal efficiency. On top of all that, the improvement to your indoor air quality ensures better health and wellness for everyone in your home.
Of the top brands of thermostats, we promote these three: Honeywell, Nest and Ecobee.
Air Filter Upgrade
Getting an upgrade to your HVAC systems’ air filters is a great way to ensure better indoor air quality. However, homeowners should try to understand: Not every air filter is created equal.
Before we begin, we should remind you that you should be replacing your air filter frequently in order for it to be helpful.
Having said that, if you’re thinking of ways to improve your indoor air quality, you should know that those generic washable fiberglass air filters barely improve your HVAC system’s function and they do little to nothing to improve the air quality in a home. We advise homeowners to consider an air filter that has a higher MERV rating, or simply a thicker air filter. The four-inch thick air filters are far superior to the cheap one-inch air filters used all too often in homes.
The MERV rating (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value), rates air filters on a scale of 1 to 16, with 16 being the highest rated filter. It’s important for homeowners to know here that the thickest ones are NOT meant for home HVAC systems. Residential systems typically aren’t able to use an air filter with a rating above 13 on the MERV scale. If you don’t know the MERV rating needs of your system, you should get in touch with the system’s manufacturer or the company that installed it.
UV Lights
In the old days, the only thing residents could do to improve Indoor Air Quality revolved around the use of air filtration, ventilation, and humidity control. Although these innovations were helpful in a lot of ways for many years, they didn’t do anything to address airborne biological threats like viruses, mold, bacteria and fungi, all of which one could describe as the deadly “dark side” of household air pollution.
In recent decades, however, it is as if someone turned on the “lights.”
The UV Lights to be exact.
Installing Ultra Violet lamps in your HVAC system will give you an extra level of protection from these living and ultra-hazardous indoor air pollutants. In the wake of COVID-19, UV Lights are a particularly useful method used by hospitals. If you are susceptible to allergens and other hazardous organic particles, having UV lamps installed will go a long way in eradicating these allergens, germs and other airborne bugs from your home. When the air flows under these lights, the ultra-violet rays successfully kill these pollutants, immediately neutralizing the air.
Professional Air Duct Cleaning
For those looking to keep their home’s air quality safe, ensure strong and steady airflow and remove certain odors from their home, our professional air duct cleaning service is something worth looking into.
An HVAC system’s air ducts is responsible for all the heated and cooled air as it comes out of the system and gets transported into all the rooms. Because of this, it is helpful to make sure your treated air comes out as clean as possible without picking anything up along the way or running into blockage. This means you should make sure your air ducts are clean and free of dirt and waste accumulation. The professional duct cleaning service we provide will reach all the way into and through your ductwork. We remove dirt, dust and grime that gets stuck inside on the walls of your air ducts. This helps to remove allergens and it clears away any unpleasant smells lingering in your home that might be coming from your ductwork. One of the main reasons this service is important is because homeowners can’t see inside of their ductwork. The stuff that builds up inside eventually finds its way out and into the air you breathe.
AFFORDABLE INDOOR AIR QUALITY SERVICES IN WESTERVILLE!
We at Kettering-Oakwood Heating & Air care about your home comfort, and strive to provide the best possible customer service at the most affordable prices in all our endeavors. However, just as important as your comfort, if not more important, is the health, well-being and safety of you and your loved ones. As we mentioned earlier in this series, indoor air pollution has a major negative effect on your health and well-being. We hope this information is helpful in getting you to think about your air quality, and if necessary, making your home a healthier place to live. If you want to learn more about any of these products and services, for prices, or to schedule an appointment, please call us today at 937-502-3842 or Click Here to set up an appointment now.
We’d love to hear from you, and love even more to help you out!
Indoor Air Quality 101: Part 1
