Douglas Cooling & Heating Blog : Archive for the ‘Indoor Air Quality’ Category

If you’re considering buying a media air cleaner to improve the indoor air quality in your Birmingham, Alabama, home, you have options. There are several makes and models of whole house and portable models available on the market.

Some homeowners struggle selecting the right fit for their needs – is a whole home model really the better option, or will a portable unit or standard furnace filter do just fine? The indoor air quality pros at Douglas Cooling & Heating discuss the pros and cons of whole house media air cleaners to help you compare this wider-coverage option against the alternatives.

What Is a Media Air Cleaner?

Media air cleaners use an advanced filter media to trap contaminants, removing them from circulation within the home. Whole home media air cleaners offer improved filtration of airborne contaminants versus a standard furnace filter. Compared to a 1-inch filter, they’re up to 40 times more efficient depending on the model. A whole home media air cleaner is installed to work directly with the home’s HVAC system, treating all air as it circulates for heating and cooling.

Pros and Cons of Whole Home Media Air Cleaners

As with any device, whole home media air cleaners have advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

• Treats the home’s entire volume of circulating air, unlike a portable air purifier that is only capable of treating air within a limited area.
• Media air cleaners that use a HEPA filter are up to 99 percent effective at trapping and removing microscopic contaminant particles, including mold spores, dust, pollen, pet dander and other common contaminants.
• Whole home media air purifiers are lower maintenance than their portable counterpart or even a standard 1-inch furnace filter, requiring just a simple filter change or cleaning one to two times per year, depending on the model.
• While portable air cleaners require electricity to operate unit fans in order to circulate air through, a whole home media air cleaner uses the HVAC system fan to cycle air through its filter media. Whole home models use no electricity and do not contribute extra noise from a dedicated unit fan.
• Filters for use with a media air cleaner offer higher MERV ratings than that of the typical 1-inch standard filter. The media air cleaner’s filter is much thicker with far more space to collect contaminants than a 1-inch filter of the same MERV rating.

Cons

• Some whole house media air cleaner models use reusable, washable filters instead of disposable filters. The need to wash the filter does increase the amount of maintenance the homeowner must perform.
• Without its own dedicated fan, a whole house media air cleaner only works to filter out airborne contaminants while the HVAC system runs unless you turn on the system fan, which increases electricity costs.
• Whole house media air cleaners aren’t appropriate for use with all residential HVAC equipment. The thickness of certain models restrict airflow through some furnaces and air handlers, which creates discomfort, excess energy consumption and more wear on the HVAC system.

Improve Indoor Air Quality with Douglas Cooling & Heating

Your home and household could experience great benefits through the installation of a whole house media air cleaner, especially if you have household members sensitive to certain allergens. Improve indoor air quality without the hassle when you choose the whole home solution versus the alternatives. Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating today to learn about the media air cleaners we offer and schedule a free estimate for installation.

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We, at Douglas Cooling & Heating pride ourselves on being part of the communities we serve. Since our opening in 2011, Douglas Cooling & Heating has established and upheld industry-leading standards and superior customer service. 

In light of COVID-19, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the policies and procedures that Douglas Cooling & Heating has in place to protect the health and safety of you, our customer, and our team. And also want to let you know we have had no team members that have traveled outside of the state within the last 14 days. 

Our Policies and Procedures

• We have added warm water and antibacterial soap in our trucks
• We have a safety kit for each tech that include face masks, rubber gloves, shoe covers
• We have limited all non-essential travel for all employees for the next 30 days
• We have limited access to our facility to company personnel only
• We have discontinued all large gathering events for the next 30 days.
• Our advanced phone system allows everyone in the call center to work remotely creating no interruption in service to our customers. 
• Our technicians are not allowed to work if they have a fever or do not feel well
• If a technician has a fever they will not be permitted to work until released by a doctor

We encourage our team members, customers, and community to:

• Dry hands with paper towels instead of cloth towels
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
• Stay home if sick or showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Cover nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing with disposable tissues and then wash hands
• Closely monitor and adapt recommendations and guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) 

I have no doubt this great state and nation will get through this and highly encourage everyone to follow local CDC guidance in the coming days.

Please know the wellness and safety of our team and customers continues to be our top priority. If you do have a service-related emergency, we encourage you to continue choosing Douglas Cooling & Heating for your heating, cooling and plumbing needs. We appreciate your loyalty and trust as a valued customer. We’re to keep you comfortable. We are still available 24/7 to assist and the office can be reached at 205-322-9090 also if for some reason you have an issue or need to speak with me directly I can be reached at 205-484-5207 anytime.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Blake Sanders
Managing Partner
Douglas Cooling & Heating
AL Lic#11120

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Winter is coming and with it an increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in residential homes. Fires and carbon monoxide poisoning are often associated with dangers during the winter months, and most people forget about these hazards during the summer. However, fires or CO leaks are just as life-threatening. Disaster can strike at any time, regardless of the season outside. If you use gas, for example, in appliances such as dryers, stoves, ovens or water heaters, you have CO-leak potential.

Carbon monoxide, a deadly gas, is colorless, odorless and tasteless, which makes it hard to detect without the help of a functional carbon monoxide detector.  Protecting your loved ones from this silent killer is one of the most important things you can do, and it is relatively simple.

A detector isn’t your only means of preventing carbon monoxide poisoning in your home. There are signs to watch for if you suspect carbon monoxide is leaking into your home and tips to help you lower your risk of poisoning. Keep your family safe when you know what to look for and how to protect them.

Where Does Carbon Monoxide Come From?

When carbon-based fuels such as gas, oil, kerosene or wood burn, produce gases. When fuel combustion or burning isn’t complete, carbon monoxide enters the air. When household appliances, such as cookers, heaters, central heating boilers, or furnaces are installed incorrectly, poorly maintained, or poorly ventilated, it can put you and your family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Hazards in the Home

Carbon monoxide poisoning can occur if you use gas appliances with poor maintenance or a bad component. In the winter, cracked heat exchangers in gas furnaces are a potential carbon monoxide hazard, as the cracks allow combustion byproducts to seep out of the formerly closed system. In good condition, these byproducts safely vent out of your home.

Even gas barbecues create a summertime carbon monoxide poisoning hazard without you realizing it. Some opt to use a gas grill in the garage during inclement weather not realizing the potential for CO seeping into the home. In the event of a power outage, backup generators can leak carbon monoxide.

The best way to keep your family safe is to check your carbon monoxide detectors and ensure your gas appliances are in good condition. 

Signs of a Carbon Monoxide HVAC Leak

Many times, CO leaks are present in a home due to a faulty heating system, such as a furnace or boiler, or other gas-fueled appliance. If there are compromised areas in your heating system, CO gas will leak into your home before completing the combustion process.

Carbon monoxide can leak from other areas in your home, besides the heating system. If you notice any of the below symptoms with your furnace or in other areas of the home, leave your home and call Douglas Cooling & Heating to see if the leak is due to a faulty heating system:

• Cracks in the combustion chamber
• Older furnaces with signs of wear and tear
• Leaky seams on furnaces and boilers
• Cracks in the exhaust piping
• A pilot light that frequently blows out
• Yellow burner flame instead of the clear blue flame
• Heavy condensation on windows where appliances are installed
• Fallen soot in fireplaces
• Stale, smelly, or stuffy air
• Brownish-yellow or sooty stains around leaking appliances
• No upward draft in a chimney flue

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms

The other red flag CO is leaking in your home is noticeable symptoms in your body or your pets. Get out of the house immediately if you notice any of the carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms below:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Extreme nausea
• Continuously fatigued
• Prolonged headaches
• Feeling weak
• Enhanced state of confusion

If anyone in your household experiences these symptoms, evacuate the home immediately and call 911.

Carbon Monoxide Safety Tips to Prevent Poisoning

Schedule regular heating maintenance in Birmingham on your equipment to prevent CO poisoning in your house. Douglas Cooling & Heating offers preventive maintenance plans affordable for any budget so you can experience peace of mind day and night.

Routine maintenance calls detect any damage and locate potential problems which lead to CO leaks. Keep your home healthy and carbon monoxide free with our help at Douglas Cooling & Heating.

Another way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning is to install CO detectors and check them periodically to verify they are working properly. Carbon monoxide detectors emit a signal alerting you when CO is present in your home.

Different detectors vary on how they sound and what sounds alert you to the amount of CO in an area. Check the batteries on your CO detector every month and perform a safety test to make sure the alarm is working correctly.

Prevent Carbon Monoxide HVAC Leaks with Help from Douglas Cooling & Heating

Douglas Cooling & Heating wants to keep your family safe whenever you use your gas heating system. Turn to our NATE-certified technicians for annual maintenance to ensure heating system components are in good working order and not a safety risk when in use. If you suspect furnace malfunctions, contact us for quick and reliable heating repair.

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Cold temperatures and poor weather force us to spend more time indoors while attempts to save HVAC energy keep airborne contaminants trapped inside. Enjoy fresher air indoors this winter when you add certain houseplants throughout your home!

Houseplants for Better HVAC Air Quality

Many do not realize this, but houseplants offer air filtration in the home. Certain plants remove harmful airborne contaminants. These pollutants cause health symptoms and poor air quality. The added filtration plants offer is especially beneficial during the winter months. Even in Birmingham, we tend to spend more time indoors. In addition, to combat heat and energy loss, we tightly seal our houses.

The air within your home is filled with harmful chemicals from various sources. These chemicals cause health effects similar to the common cold.

Toxins such as trichloroethylene, xylene, formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene cause symptoms including nausea, eye and nose irritations, sore throat, drowsiness, headaches and more.

Improve your Birmingham, AL home’s HVAC air quality when you add these hardy plants to your indoor landscape!

HVAC Air Quality Helper #1 – Bamboo Palm

Bamboo palm grows well in partial sun or shade. This common houseplant removes benzene and formaldehyde from your indoor air supply.

These toxins are responsible for causing irritations to the eyes, nose, mouth and throat as well as dizziness, increased heart rate, confusion, headaches and other symptoms.

HVAC Air Quality Helper #2 – Gerber Daisy

Big, beautiful gerber daisy cuttings are best kept in warm homes at 75 degrees or more and provide air cleaning power which removes benzene in the home.

Benzene is brought into the home from tobacco smoke, exhaust fumes from vehicles, glue and paint. It is also used in the making of many household products including synthetic fibers, dyes and medications.

HVAC Air Quality Helper #3 – Peace Lily

The peace lily is easy to maintain in the home and removes contaminants such as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide from the indoor air supply.

They are mildly toxic to people and pets, so wash your hands after handling. In addition, keep them out of the reach of pets and children.

HVAC Air Quality Helper #4 – Spider Plant

The spider plant is a common indoor plant which grows well in bright, indirect sunlight. Spider plants help your HVAC system with removal of pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde.

HVAC Air Quality Helper #5 – Mass Cane (Corn Plant)

The mass cane, or corn plant, is a variety of Dracaenas, with large yellow-green foliage. Grown as a tree or shrub, the mass cane removes of formaldehyde in the home, as well as benzene and trichloroethylene. It’s also a good idea to keep these out of pets’ reach.

HVAC Air Quality Helper #6 – Ferns

The Boston and Kimberly Queen ferns are Nephrolepis varieties which reduce indoor levels of formaldehyde and xylene.

Exposure to these toxins causes symptoms such as nose, mouth and throat irritations, dizziness, confusion, and headache. In severe cases, heart problems, liver and kidney damage, swelling in the lungs and larynx and coma occur.

Birmingham’s HVAC Source: Douglas Cooling & Heating

Boost the air quality-improving power of your houseplants with the right HVAC solutions from Douglas Cooling & Heating. We offer many products designed to help your family breathe easier all year round. We’re happy to discuss them and provide free estimates. We also offer finance options on new equipment. Contact us today for better indoor air quality!

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Let’s learn how indoor air quality improvements benefit you because you cannot underestimate the importance of good sleep. Allergy and asthma symptoms can keep you up at night. Viruses or other illnesses worsened by poor air quality can prevent your body from getting the rest it needs to heal.

Douglas Cooling & Heating offers a range of indoor air quality solutions to help you sleep better throughout the year.

Indoor Air Quality Tip #1 – Air Filter Changes

As airborne contaminants circulate through your home, your air filter traps them. When the filter becomes clogged, it no longer effectively removes contaminants.

This means more allergens are left in your home’s air supply. These allergy triggers can cause discomfort and prevent a restful night of sleep.

Always change your air filter on a regular basis. First, check with the filter manufacturer to see how often you should be changing it. In homes with high allergen levels, such as those with pets, your filter ought to change a bit more frequently.

If you have allergy or asthma sufferers in your home, upgrade to a filter with a MERV rating between 8 and 13. It will give you increased allergen removal power to reduce symptoms among your loved ones.

Indoor Air Quality Tip #2 – HVAC Tune-Ups

An HVAC system tune-up is an invaluable tool for improving indoor air quality. During an HVAC tune-up, techs clean components to eliminate dirt, dust and debris. These pollutants are easily picked up by circulating air and transported back into your living areas.

An HVAC tune-up also helps your equipment perform better, so your home will receive the air circulation it needs to keep you comfortable as you sleep. Duct obstructions, leaks and other airflow-hindering issues are found during a tune-up.

This helps you rest assured your bedrooms remain comfortable overnight.

Indoor Air Quality Products

There are many indoor air quality products to help you gain a better night’s sleep. Some of the great solutions Douglas Cooling & Heating offers include:

• Whole home humidifiers: Dry air can cause great discomfort, from itchy skin to dry nasal passages which make it difficult to sleep restfully. Whole home humidifiers work with your heating system. They add needed moisture to the air and circulate it into your living areas and bedrooms.
• Air purifiers: Air purifiers offer enhanced contaminant control to drastically reduce those frustrating allergy symptoms which keep you from sleeping peacefully. They effectively remove up to 99 percent of common allergens such as pet dander, dust and dust mites, pollen and more.
• UV lights: With cold season upon us, we all know how difficult it can be to get the sleep you need when you’re feeling ill. UV lights can help you gain a better night’s sleep by killing pathogens to prevent illness.
  
  They are installed within your HVAC system and use ultraviolet light to neutralize mold, mildew, bacteria, viruses and germs while preventing their regrowth. Keep your household healthier and prevent the discomfort of restless sleep while ill.

Rest Easy with Douglas Cooling & Heating’ Indoor Air Quality Products and Services

Ready for a better night’s sleep? Call Douglas Cooling & Heating today and find the indoor air quality solutions your home needs to create a healthy, restful environment to benefit your family.

Interested in new equipment or upgrades? Your health is important to us, as well as your comfort and safety. We provide finance options for your convenience. In addition, we offer free estimates for new HVAC and IAQ equipment, so call us today! 

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Pet Dander and Hair Cause A Dirty Furnace Filter Quicker

A homeowner with pets experiences more issues with pet hair and dander in their furnace filter. It is essential to replace your furnace filter more often to keep your home’s indoor air quality healthy. This maintenance task also helps prevent problems with your HVAC system in the future.

A furnace filter is your home’s first line of defense against common allergens and debris. However, when your furnace filter is clogged, harmful particulates pass through your heating and cooling system and into your home.

Check and Change Your Furnace Filter

Whether you have a pet in your home or not, you should check your furnace filter once a month. This prevents a clogged filter creating a negative impact on your home’s indoor air. An average filter needs to be replaced once every 2 to 3 months.

If you have a pet, it’s best to replace your filter more often. You might notice during monthly checks your filter clogs quickly, which means you need to replace it when you notice it’s dirty.

At Douglas Cooling & Heating in the Birmingham area, we also advise homeowners who smoke or who have a family member with allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions a monthly filter change is likely.

Which Furnace Filter Is Right For You

An easy way to help boost your air quality when you have indoor pets is to use a furnace filter which catches more contaminants. There are a variety of filters to choose and our NATE-certified technicians at Douglas Cooling & Heating help you determine which furnace filter works best with your current heating system. Different options are:

• Fiberglass or Synthetic Filters: These filters are the cheapest option for your furnace and are disposable. They remove larger particulates but won’t prevent all harmful contaminants from entering your ductwork.
• Pleated Filters: You will enjoy cleaner air with a pleated filter because it traps different viruses and bacteria before they enter your home. Pleated furnace filters last longer and are more efficient than fiberglass or synthetic filters.
• Polyester Filters: These furnace filters use high-quality materials to remove between 80 to 95 percent of particulates five microns in size or larger. The cost for polyester filters is higher, but they trap more contaminants without sacrificing airflow.
• Electrostatic Filters: Electrostatic furnace filters offer protection in disposable or washable filter options and use self-charging fibers to extract pollutants from your indoor air. Washable electrostatic filters offer MERV ratings between four and ten and last longer than disposable filters.
• HEPA Filters: High-efficiency particulate filters trap and remove up to 99 percent of contaminants 0.3 microns or larger in size. The downside of HEPA filters is they reduce airflow, which costs you more money on your energy bills.

A Clean Furnace Filter Means…

A clean furnace filter improves your indoor air quality. It also means fewer viruses and bacteria float through your home. This improves your overall health every day. When your air is clean inside your home you will notice fewer respiratory infections, allergy symptoms and asthma attacks.

A clean furnace filter also extends the lifespan of your heating system. A dirty filter forces your HVAC equipment to work harder to supply your home with warm temperatures.

The inside components accumulate more allergens, dust and other debris, which strains your system. The more stress your heating system experiences, the more wear and tear it endures over time.

When the furnace works harder, more energy is used. The more energy used will increase your monthly energy bill during the winter months.

Frequent checks and changes of your furnace filter allow your heating system to operate more efficiently and increase its performance. The result is a warm and comfortable environment in your home.  

Keep your indoor air quality healthy, especially if you have a pet inside your home. Know what filter works best for your current heating system and the signs it needs to be replaced. Call Douglas Cooling & Heating to schedule HVAC maintenance or repair service to replace your furnace filter.

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