Do you suffer from unexplained indoor allergies? Do they become worse when you’re forced to wait out the winter inside? If so, your air ducts may be the culprit behind your mysterious symptoms. Unfortunately, all manner of dust, microbes, and other health-harming particles can accumulate inside your ducts over time, and if you don’t have them cleaned, the buildup may be substantial.
At Steve’s Plumbing and Heating, we know just how dirty ductwork can be, especially in areas where homeowners must spend several months per year indoors. That’s why, to help you protect your health, we offer high-quality air purification, which removes those harmful particles from the air you and your family regularly breathe. How exactly do dirty ducts affect your health, and how can air purification help? Let’s take a look.
How Can Dirty Ducts Make You Sick?
● Dust Mites Can Trigger Allergies
Some experts estimate that the average home accumulates somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 pounds of dust each year—and what does dust inevitably attract? You guessed it: dust mites.
Dust mites are microscopic bugs that feed on the skin particles and other substances present in the dust within your ductwork. Their feces and exoskeletons can trigger severe allergy symptoms in sensitive individuals and mild respiratory problems in those less prone to allergies. Because up to 19,000 dust mites can live on just a single gram of dust, if your ducts are dirty, you’ve probably got millions of these tiny bugs lurking in your home.
● Mold and Microbes Can Cause Health Issues
Did you know mold accumulation within your ductwork can trigger unexplained health symptoms, such as respiratory issues, skin reactions, and even cognitive problems? It may sound alarming, but it’s true. If you don’t have regular, professional duct cleaning, and you experience unexplained allergies or illnesses, mold growth may be to blame.
If your ducts are dirty, they can be a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, too. Each time your furnace powers on, it can force health-harming bacteria through your ducts and out into your home’s ambient air. When you and your family spend substantial time indoors, your chances of inhaling this bacteria rise significantly.
● Chemicals and Respiratory Issues
Researchers have detected 45 toxic chemicals lurking within indoor dust, and 10 of those chemicals are present in 90% of homes throughout the United States. So, if you have dust in your home, you almost certainly have toxic chemicals, too. Even if you do your best to keep your home a toxin-free zone, there’s very little you can do about the fact that your HVAC system may be pulling in toxins from the outdoor air. These chemicals can trigger allergy symptoms and illness, including a condition known as sick building syndrome.
● Airborne Particles and Allergy Symptoms
If your ductwork contains any dust or particle accumulation, each time your HVAC system cycles on, it propels particles into the air you breathe. When you inhale these particles, they can trigger a variety of bothersome symptoms, including sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, breathing problems, and skin rashes, among others.
How Does Air Purification Help Your Symptoms?
You might have a standard HVAC filter installed, but that’s only a basic line of defense against airborne particles that can trigger allergy symptoms. To ensure your home contains the purest air possible, a high-quality air purification system is a necessary addition to your existing HVAC filter.
Your HVAC filter is only designed to remove particles that measure between 3 and 10 micrometers in diameter. While the filter is effective against particles that fall within that size range, it does very little to trap anything smaller, such as chemicals, bacteria, and other microbes. Since these types of particles are more likely to trigger allergies and sickness, it’s critical that you filter these substances out of your home’s ambient air as well.
Air purification systems—HEPA filters, specifically—are designed to capture 99.97% of particles that measure 0.3 micrometers or larger. Moreover, they often come equipped with UV light, which adds another layer of protection against harmful bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. If you’re trying to rid your indoor air of the most health-harming particles it contains, air purification is the only surefire way to achieve that.
Steve’s Plumbing & Heating: Central Wisconsin’s Air Purification Experts
At Steve’s Plumbing & Heating, we know how critical it is that your indoor air is as pure as possible, especially when you’re forced to spend month after month indoors during winter. To that end, we specialize in installing high-quality air purification systems that complement your existing HVAC system and ductwork design. When you work with us, we’ll make sure you and your family enjoy pure, breathable, high-quality indoor air. Want to learn more about our air purification and HVAC services? Contact our team today! Or, feel free to fill out this form to request your service estimate.