Action Plumbing, HVAC, & Electric

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Tag: air quality

Dirty ventilation grille shows why whole home duct cleaning is important

Whole home duct cleaning can improve the air quality in your home, allowing your HVAC system to process and distribute healthy air for your family. Over time, debris gets stuck in your home’s HVAC system, making it more costly and inefficient to run. Here are some immediate benefits to whole home duct cleaning:

Reduce Dryness, Improve Air Quality

Especially during those cold winter months in Utah, you may notice some dryness when the heat kicks on. It’s pretty common for this to contribute to sneezing and coughing, especially when you initially turn up the heat for the season. If we clean those ducts prior to turning on the air, we can reduce that unpleasant burning smell.

Clean Air Ducts to Reduce Allergens

If you have allergies, you understand the importance of a clean duct system. Home ducts trap all sorts of allergens, from dust and dust mites to dead insects and pet dander. Chemicals, build up, cigarette smoke residue, and more might hang out in your home duct system.

This is especially true if you’ve just purchased a new-to-you home. Build-up from previous residents can sit in those air ducts. If you don’t have pets due to allergies or you don’t smoke, the previous owners’ residues could cause you some serious problems.

More serious risks include mold, viruses, and bacteria. Regular air duct cleaning can significantly reduce those risks.

Save on Heating and Cooling Costs

Clean air ducts also save on your overall heating and cooling costs. Without obstructions, air flows smoothly and freely throughout your home. Overall, your air duct system will perform much better with regular cleanings—and it’ll increase the longevity of your HVAC system.

To discuss duct cleaning for your northern Utah home, or for more information on our other AC services, contact us today!

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As any homeowner or even longtime renter is likely already aware, filters are some of the most important components in your HVAC system. Your HVAC filter traps contaminants and pollutants before they make it into your breathing air, limiting their presence while also maintaining quality air flow within your system — but they will only perform this job effectively if they are changed or cleaned at the proper intervals.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, while many of our services are in larger areas like furnace installation or repair, we’re happy to help with basic maintenance areas for your day-to-day HVAC needs — including filters. One of the most common questions we’re asked by our clients in this area: How often do I need to change or clean my air filters? Here’s a general primer on this and a few related concepts to help steer you in the right direction.

Air Filter Basics and Importance

For those who are unaware, HVAC air filters are a vital part of your system for a number of reasons. First, they keep dust and dirt from being put into the air you breathe by trapping it within the filter itself — while some particles may pass through this material, the main purpose is to prevent these contaminants from reaching your lungs or having an adverse effect on anyone in the area, including family members or pets.

In addition to this, filters also play a crucial role in the functionality of your system. When a filter becomes dirty or clogged, it can hamper or even damage the quality of air flow throughout your compartment — making it harder for hot or cold air to reach desired locations. This is why it’s important to change or clean the filter frequently, which we’ll dig into further below.

How Often Should Filters Be Changed/Cleaned?

There are a few factors that will help answer this question, including your geographic location, the type of filter you have installed in your system, and the number of people using or occupying the home. These factors must also be considered alongside one another.

Generally speaking, average cleaning or changing frequency for most standard filters is about once a month. However, you may need to do this as often as once every two weeks or as infrequently as once a year depending on your situation. The best way to determine what’s right for you is to combine basic manufacturer information with your own basic inspection — is your filter clearly becoming dirty and clogged after less than a month? Or on the flip side, has your air usage been limited, and is your filter still virtually spotless despite being in place for over a month? These and similar factors will impact how often they’re changed or cleaned.

One general tip here, though: Be aggressive about changing or cleaning filters. If you’re unsure whether a filter needs a change-out, just go ahead and do it — filters aren’t that expensive in the long run, and the benefits your system will see are worth making the change a few days early in some cases.

Specific Signs Filters Need Replacement

Now, in other cases, there will be noticeable signs throughout your home and HVAC system that your filters have clogged up and require replacement (or cleaning, for multi-use models). These include:

  • Trouble heating or cooling: If your system suddenly is struggling to meet your desired temperatures, and you’ve discovered no other readily available culprit, the issue could be a dirty or clogged filter. In this case, you’ll want to inspect the system and filters to be sure.
  • Sudden noises: Strange creaking or popping sounds coming from your HVAC unit may indicate a more serious issue with the motor — but these sounds could also result from a worn-down or damaged fan assembly due to a dirty or clogged filter. Inspecting and changing your air filters regularly will help you avoid this problem in most cases.
  • Excessive dust in vents: If there is a noticeable amount of dust building up inside your ductwork or in the vents throughout your home, it may be time for a change-out — especially if you use the HVAC system frequently and there is no easily-identifiable reason for the excess dust (for example, you recently had construction work done in your home, or a similar event).
  • Unpleasant odors: If an otherwise clean and clear air filter suddenly smells strongly of chemicals or any other foul odors, it may be time for replacement — this generally indicates a chemical reaction between the elements in a dirty filter and the air surrounding it.
  • Increasing energy bills: Have your HVAC bills gone up compared to this time last year, with no other explanation? This could be a sign that your filter is dirty and reducing the efficiency of your system — requiring it to work harder, over an extended period of time, to maintain a comfortable temperature.
  • Greater frequency of respiratory symptoms: If you or anyone else in the home have begun experiencing more frequent allergy or asthma attacks, it may be time to inspect your HVAC system and filters. This is especially true if these symptoms increase in severity or duration, rather than following a normal allergy season’s schedule.

As you can see, there are a number of factors to be aware of when it comes to your HVAC filters. For more on this, or to learn about any of our HVAC or plumbing services throughout Utah, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

While a significant factor in comfort for homeowners within the heating and air realm is temperature, it’s not the only one at play. In particular, air quality has become a larger point of interest for many homeowners in recent years, with greater attention being paid to areas like air filters and related items that keep your air free of contaminants and allergens.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re proud to offer a variety of HVAC services, including several indoor air quality solutions. One such solution is known as the UV air purifier, which uses ultraviolet rays to remove contaminants from your air – let’s look at how UV air purifiers work, what UV rays do to begin with, and the elements that ensure this technology is completely safe when installed in your home.

Common Uses of UV Rays

Ultraviolet rays, which are generated naturally by the sun and sent into the atmosphere, are used in a number of applications across industries today. These include:

  • Inspections: UV rays can be used for detailed inspections of surfaces, as a number of materials react differently to UV light than standard light. Many such materials create fluorescent reflections, for instance, such as many chemical spills.
  • Disinfection: UV light is also used to disinfect various surfaces or materials, including drinking water. The light blocks bacteria from reproducing, stopping any contamination from growing.
  • Tanning and skin solutions: Those who tan may utilize tanning beds that use UV rays, though care is needed here.
  • Air purification: More below.

How a UV Air Purifier Works

While most air purifiers work by drawing in air and then trapping contaminants, pollutants and other undesirable particles, UV purifiers are slightly different. These items are made of a set of lamps that send out low-frequency UV radiation, which kills microbes and other small pollutants moving through the air.

The major benefit here compared to other purifier types is the number of contaminants covered. Traditional purifiers that draw air in may not reach areas like ductwork or other closed-off parts of the airflow system, meaning contaminants might remain – UV purifiers, by sending out UV rays to the entire space, solve this problem.

UV Purifiers Are Safe

Some might be worried about safety with UV air purifiers, and on its own this is a justifiable concern. UV rays, after all, also cause issues like sunburns and can lead to skin cancer in some cases, and homeowners do not want to be exposed to these risks. Luckily, this is not a problem at all: UV air purifiers use much lower levels of UV rays than are needed to adversely impact human health in any way. While they are able to kill various contaminants, your skin and overall health will not be impacted.

For more on UV air purifiers, or to learn about any of our HVAC or plumbing services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

In parts one and two of this multi-part blog series, we’ve gone over some of the risks associated with indoor space heaters used to complement winter heating needs. These items may help increase your heating capacity, but they come with downsides in terms of safety, health and increasing utility bills that often cancel out their benefits and then some.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, we’re here to help by providing quality HVAC services and alternatives to your heating needs, such as furnace installation and repair or our modern mini-split ductless heating systems that allow for individual temperature controls between rooms. In addition to working with our team to find the best and most efficient heating products for your needs, here are several important areas to keep an eye on that will eliminate the need for expensive, risky space heaters in your home.

Air Filters

The air filters in your HVAC system should be changed regularly throughout the year to maintain both air quality and system performance, and this is particularly vital during winter. Filters that are clogged up with dust and dirt will not only lower your air quality, but also strain the system, forcing it to work harder to perform the same level of heating – or even lowering its maximum heating capacity significantly.

Instead of rushing off for an expensive space heater if you aren’t getting enough warm air, consider whether your filters have been changed recently and if this might be contributing to the issue.

Vent Cleaning and Air Flow

Another factor that could be contributing to poor heating quality is vents that are not clean, blocking the proper air flow from making its way around the home. One way to avoid this is by cleaning your vents regularly, ensuring the system can perform as strongly as possible at all times. Blocked vents can diminish heating capacity to a larger degree than you might have considered.

Programmable Thermostat

If your home still utilizes a manual thermostat that has to be changed by hand to alter the temperature, upgrading to a programmable or smart thermostat option can do wonders for your heating. This allows you to easily change the temperature and even schedule heating periods, which both saves you money and allows you to maximize comfort when you know everyone will be home.

Professional HVAC Service

Finally, regular professional maintenance from our HVAC pros will keep your furnace and other components in peak condition. This will limit the need for any additional heating items, allowing your home’s installed system to do all the work in an efficient, affordable way.

For more on the risks associated with space heaters, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical today.

Recently in this space, we went over some of the ways you can utilize your modern HVAC system to prevent seasonal allergies, which show up during the fall season for many people (also in spring for many others). Proper basic cleaning and attention to certain minor areas will help keep your air quality high and risk exacerbating allergies, asthma or any other respiratory issues occupants may deal with.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we offer a wide range of related services, from air filters and purification to whole-home duct cleaning services. This latter area in particular speaks to one of the largest single allergen and air contaminant risks present in many homes: Dust. If you’ve been struggling with a dusty home recently, here are some of the possible culprits and what you can do about them.

Air Filter Concerns

The first area to check on if your home is too dusty is the filter in your HVAC system. This filter should be changed at least once every couple months, and more often if you live in a dusty area, have pets or experience any other high-dust risks.

If your air filters have not been changed for too long, they will fill up and clog, leading to dust being spread around the system as it runs. Not only will this increase your dust content, it will cause stress on various HVAC components that may wear down faster than usual and cost you money on repairs.

Humidity Levels

Another potential cause of high dust content in the home is a low humidity level, which is particularly common in a desert state like Utah. Air that’s too dry is susceptible to dust build-ups, and some homes may require a humidifier installed in them to help remedy this concern. At the same time, it’s important not to allow humidity to become too high, as this can lead to the formation of mold and dust mite presence.

Air Duct Issues

Are your air ducts properly sealed and functioning well? If not, you might be risking unfiltered air making its way into your home – even if your filter is in great shape, you’ll still see dust because much of the air you’re breathing is bypassing the filter altogether.

If you notice lint or dust built up ear your vent registers, this is a possible sign of leak issues. Others include rising energy bills and hot or cold spots found in the house.

Window and Door Cracks

Another leak risk that will bring dusty, unfiltered air into your home is cracks around windows, doors and other openings. Check for these and seal them as quickly as possible.

Dirt Tracking

Finally, a simple area many homeowners should consider: Make everyone take their shoes off when they enter the home, especially when it’s dry and/or windy outside. You’d be shocked how much dust in your home might be there because it was tracked in by occupants or visitors on their shoes and clothes.

For more on the potential causes of high dust content in your home and how to remedy them, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC service, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, we’re proud to offer several solutions for improving your home’s indoor air quality. From air cleaners and home humidifiers to duct cleaning, central AC repair and numerous other potential services, we’ll ensure you and your family always breathe clean, comfortable air.

When it comes to the safety areas associated with clean air, there are few areas more important than carbon monoxide prevention. This gas, which is virtually impossible to detect with normal human senses, can create major health risks when breathed in regularly. Let’s go over the risks and symptoms associated with carbon monoxide, plus the general areas you should be looking at to prevent this from ever becoming a concern in your home – plus how our HVAC professionals can help.

Carbon Monoxide Risks and Symptoms

As we noted above, carbon monoxide is very difficult to detect using our senses – impossible, in fact. It cannot be tasted, smelled or even seen within the standard human color spectrum, meaning it can be present in a room you’re breathing the air from without you even realizing it.

In a home situation, this can be extremely dangerous. Those who are continuously breathing in air mixed with carbon monoxide can see significant health risks, but another issue is the fact that their initial symptoms often appear very similar to a standard cold or flu: Things like headaches, dizziness or aching. People may not realize they have carbon monoxide poisoning until even more severe symptoms begin to show up, such as loss of consciousness, cardiorespiratory failure or even death in some extreme cases.

Safety Tips

There are several basic areas you can cover that will help prevent any risks of carbon monoxide poisoning to anyone in your home:

  • Detectors: Every floor in your home should have at least one functioning carbon monoxide detector, one with working batteries at all times. You should test these regularly to make sure they are working properly.
  • Inspections: One major benefit of HVAC inspections from our professionals? We’ll help you detect carbon monoxide leaks from equipment or poor previous installations.
  • Maintenance and upgrades: Keep up with standard HVAC maintenance, and consider upgrades to components as they age to prevent the risks of carbon monoxide leaks.
  • Cleaning: Regularly clean air passages like vents, chimneys, fireplaces and others so air can flow properly, including out of the home when needed.
  • Leak detected: In cases where your home’s carbon monoxide detector goes off and signals a leak in the home, evacuate everyone from the home right away, including pets. There’s no need to bring belongings with you, as they will not be damaged. Call the fire department first to inform them of the leak, then assess whether anyone from inside the home needs medical assistance. From here, call our HVAC pros to assess the issue.

For more on ensuring carbon monoxide doesn’t become an issue in your home, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical today.

If you’re considering finishing your home’s basement, arranging for proper heating and air components is often among your first steps. While finished basements may or may not end up containing plumbing, depending on your precise needs and desires, virtually all of them will require basic HVAC setups to make them comfortable and livable.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical, our expert team of plumbers, electricians and HVAC professionals is here to help you with any and all such services within your home. Let’s go over some basic tips on hiring the proper professionals for this kind of job, the heating and cooling areas you’ll need to consider for a finished basement, and a couple other tips to help prevent any long-term issues in the new space.

Hiring the Right Team

So why is it important to involve HVAC professionals in a basement finishing project, anyway? Well, for several reasons. One such reason is the potential need for permits, which could be the case in your area if you’re installing ductwork, getting certain pieces of new equipment or making major additions to certain parts of the system.

In addition, HVAC contractors can help with large pieces of equipment like furnaces or hot water heaters. We’ll assist you with concealing these items but not closing them off entirely, plus ensuring you meet accessibility requirements for the space.

HVAC Areas to Assess

A couple general areas to think about when it comes to a finished basement and HVAC equipment:

  • Space: Finishing a basement means adding significant extra square footage to the area of your home that requires heating and air services. This means you’ll want to take a hard look at your current equipment, such as your furnace and AC unit, to ensure they can handle this additional space. In some cases, the more efficient move will be to replace a component or upgrade the system for this reason.
  • Purpose: What will the finished basement be used for? Will it be an occasional fun space for the kids, or will someone in the home be living in the space on a daily basis? These questions will help you determine what kind of temperature control you need in the basement, including whether you might require a zoned thermostat system.

Moisture and Air Quality

Another vital area our pros will help you with is ensuring you have proper drainage, waterproofing and dehumidifying solutions present in the finished basement. Basement spaces are more prone than others in the home to moisture and condensation issues that may lead to mold or other air quality concerns, but the right simple precautions taken here will prevent these risks entirely.

For more on how our HVAC pros can help you finish your basement, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the pros at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electrical today.