Could Your Home Have Bad Indoor Air?
December 5, 2017
There’s a good chance that bad indoor air quality affects your home in Nashville without you being aware of it. The common signs of poor indoor air quality are easily overlooked, but what you don’t see can harm your family’s health, increase your home energy costs, and adversely affect the lifespan of your HVAC system. An HVAC contractor can evaluate your indoor air, and recommend appropriate solutions as needed. Sometimes, a professional duct cleaning is all that’s needed, while other homeowners might prefer a whole-house air filtration system.
Stubborn Mold Growth
The health of your home’s air isn’t solely a question of whether it contains airborne contaminants. Humidity is one of the main aspects of indoor air quality. If your home smells like bleach because you’ve had to scrub moldy areas frequently, then your home is probably too humid. This means your HVAC system isn’t functioning like it should. An HVAC contractor can pinpoint the problem and repair it for you.
Dirty Air Registers
When you turn on the heat for the first time, take a close look at the air registers. Neglected HVAC systems may have puffs of dust and dirt coming out of the air registers and vents. This is a sign that your ducts need to be professionally cleaned out.
Stale or Smelly Air
Have you ever noticed how the air in some homes seems stale or vaguely smelly? Lingering odors can be a sign of poor indoor air quality. If you can’t attribute the unpleasant odor to anything specific, it may be caused by dirty air filters, dusty air ducts, airborne contaminates, or excessively high humidity levels.
Persistent Symptoms
Seasonal allergies are often to blame for persistent symptoms, particularly if they seem to develop at about the same time every year. But in some cases, poor indoor air quality is solely to blame for stubborn health issues, such as the following:
- Itchy or watery eyes
- Frequent headaches
- Runny nose
- Lingering coughing or wheezing
- Skin irritation
- Nausea
Even if your symptoms are caused by allergies or asthma, improving the quality of your indoor air could help manage your health condition.