Spring brings lots of great things. Allergy season isn’t one of them. Luckily, there are ways you can use your HVAC system to reduce the allergens in your home. Just follow these allergy tips:
1. Clean dust and grime off your air return and supply vents. As air passes through your vents, it deposits some of the dust and allergens in your home onto the vents. If the allergens stay on your vents, they’ll be picked up as more air passes through and get redistributed throughout the house. One way to stop the cycle is to clean the vents before the allergens are picked up again.
Cleaning your vents is simple. Most of the time, you can simply wipe them off with a dust rag or use your vacuum hose to remove dust. If your vents are particularly grimy, you may be able to remove them for a more thorough cleaning. Use soapy water to soak them, then use a rag or brush to scrub them. Allow them to dry before replacing them.
2. Make sure you have a high-quality filter. As air is pulled into your HVAC system to be heated or cooled, it usually passes through a filter. A good filter will catch many of the allergens in your air. For most whole-house systems, your filter will have a MERV rating between 5 and 13, with a minimum of 8 being preferable. If you go much higher than a 13, the filter will block too much air flow, making your system less efficient.
3. Clean or replace your filter regularly. No matter what the rating, a filter is only as good as it is clean. A dirty filter blocks air flow and lets more allergens back into your home. Check your filter at least once a month to see if it needs to be cleaned or replaced. Disposable filters can last up to three months under good conditions but may need to be replaced more often, especially during allergy season.
For more allergy tips and HVAC advice for your Yuma area home, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about allergy season tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.
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