While it may make sense to slip into your home to escape outdoor allergens such as hay fever, your indoor air isn’t usually pristine. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the concentration of pollutants inside a home can be almost 100 times as high as the air outside. This has an impact on resident health, but it’s also important to know how indoor air quality affects the HVAC system in your home.
IAQ’s Role in Heating and Cooling
Your HVAC system is completely focused on air: heating air, cooling air, and circulating air through your home. So it makes sense that the quality of air passing through the system would impact its performance. Here are some examples of how:
- Air conditioners and heat pumps transfer heat between your indoor air and the outdoor air. To do this, they need to efficiently pull heat into an evaporator and expel it from a condenser. When dust, dirt and other particulates from polluted indoor air gather on these coils, they act as insulators, preventing heat transfer and lowering the efficiency of your unit.
- Dust buildups, obstructions, and mold, mildew or bacterial colonies which grow in ducts have a number of problematic effects on an HVAC system. For one, they can continually introduce more unhealthy pollutants into your air. They can also contribute to clogged vents and restricted airflow, which causes more strain on the HVAC fan motor.
- When pollutants circulate, the air filter in your HVAC system becomes clogged. A clogged air filter prevents air from flowing into and out of the HVAC system, meaning that the system won’t heat or cool your home efficiently. The fan motor also has to work harder to compensate for this obstruction and may wear out or break prematurely.
Indoor air quality can be controlled in a number of ways, from making sure you have adequate ventilation to installing home air cleaner, humidifier or dehumidifier. To learn more about how indoor air quality affects the HVAC system in your Raleigh area home, don’t hesitate to contact Air Experts today!
Image Provided by Shutterstock.com
