Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Air Filters’

Should I Invest in More Expensive Air Filters for My AC?

Monday, August 8th, 2022

Purchasing a new air conditioner is a big investment in any home. It is critical that you do what it takes to maintain your AC.

Many factors play a role in that process, such as ensuring that you are buying high-quality air filters (and changing them often enough). The big question, though, is if there really is a difference and a benefit to those really expensive air filters. Or can you go with the least expensive options and do just fine? When it comes to air conditioning in Newberry, FL, the answer to this question is not always as clear as it may seem.

Tags: Air Filters, Newberry
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How Can I Improve My Home’s Indoor Air Quality?

Monday, May 16th, 2022

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a major topic for residential and commercial buildings today. The US Environmental Protection Agency has identified low IAQ as a significant health threat in the country, with many buildings having air that is 2 to 5 times worse than the outdoor air on average—and it can often get much worse. The source of much of the trouble is the low levels of fresh air circulation through buildings because of tight construction and heavy heat sealing designed to improve energy efficiency. In other words, the better we construct buildings, the less fresh air they get. Progress has a price.

If you’ve heard about the problems with IAQ, you may wonder how you can best protect your family’s health and improve household air quality. We can help: we’re experts in indoor air quality in Macclenny, FL and throughout North Central Florida. We have several tips for how to improve your home’s IAQ, both tasks you can do yourself and professional services we offer.

Tags: Air Filters, Air Purifiers, Duct Cleaning, Macclenny
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Better Air Quality Without Opening the Windows: Here’s How

Monday, April 18th, 2022

On a pleasant day with mild outdoor temperatures, opening the windows to your house is a wonderful way to let fresh air circulate through the rooms. Modern houses don’t “breathe” well because of the heavy insulation on them to improve energy efficiency, so letting outside air in to push out the stale air helps improve indoor air quality.

You can’t have the windows open every day, however. During heavy rains or when the heat is extreme, opening the windows will make it much harder for you to stay comfortable since it will change the temperature indoors. Keeping your house sealed up for long stretches can make indoor air quality far worse.

But you don’t have to let it be this way! With our help, you can enjoy better air quality with the windows closed and your house sealed up. We’ll explain how.

Tags: Air Filters, Air Purifiers, Duct Sealing, Newberry
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Allergy Season Will Soon be Here: Here’s How We Can Help

Monday, January 24th, 2022

Struggling with allergies? Making improvements to the air quality at home can help. We’ll explain the dangers you may be facing with your indoor air quality, as well as ways we can help you improve the situation.

Allergens

Allergens are substances that trigger allergic reactions. Allergens can be found in the air in an indoor environment. Furniture and floors also absorb allergens. Can you guess what’s in your air? It’s like a mix of bacteria, dust, mold, pollen, and volatile organic compounds—all of which are allergy triggers.

At-home allergy and asthma management begins with the air we breathe at home. Pollen and mold can trigger symptoms when people suffer from allergies. But dust and pet hair can cause the air in your home to be very poor. There is a possibility that the air quality inside your home is worse than outside. According to the EPA, indoor air pollution levels can often exceed 2 to 5 times the levels found outdoors, which is the opposite of what most people believe. Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks in the country. Most people in the US spend 90% of their time indoors, between work, home, and visiting different places. If you’re worried about air quality at home or need air conditioning in Macclenny, FL, we’re here for you.

Allergy Season

With allergy season fast approaching, it is absolutely essential to keep the indoor air quality up to mark, especially since many children have been home-bound during the school year. The allergy season typically begins in the spring and lasts until fall. However, different allergens appear at different times of the year. In the springtime, tree pollen is the most common allergen, followed by weeds and grasses. May is the worst for allergy sufferers because trees, grass, and weeds all pump out allergens at the same time. This marks the beginning of peak allergy season, which lasts through July. Children and adults alike should avoid being exposed to allergens as much as possible. Avoid being outside when there is a high pollen count.

Getting Control of Your Indoor Air Quality

It’s more important now than ever to maintain healthy indoor air quality. Getting rid of allergens and irritants from your home is the best way to improve your air quality. Lowering humidity also minimizes mold and dust mite growth. A central air conditioner reduces humidity, too. You can now schedule an indoor air quality test with our team at Touchstone and we’ll help you find solutions that will make the upcoming allergy season more bearable.

We offer help installing air filters, air purifiers, and UV germicidal lights, all of which target specific allergens. We’ll find the right combination of indoor air quality devices to give your house the healthiest air possible.

Whether you need help with your indoor air quality or want to start your journey towards cleaner and healthier indoor air, our team of indoor air quality experts is standing by to help.

Call Touchstone Heating & Air Inc 24/7 for exceptional customer service!

Tags: Air Filters, Air Purifiers, Macclenny
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Bettering Winter Indoor Air Quality

Monday, December 2nd, 2019

Making it through winter in comfort here in North Central Florida is rarely a problem—at least when it comes to keeping warm. Low temperatures are rare, and heating systems don’t have to stretch hard to get the job done.

But there’s another aspect to comfort that can become trouble during our winters, and that’s the quality of the air in our homes. Because our houses are usually well-sealed against the outdoor air (making it easier to stay warm, even without the heater running), there’s little chance of fresh air currents to sweep out the stale indoor air and its pollutants. Your house may end up with stuffy air filled with dust, lint, germs, chemicals, and other unwelcome particles.

However, you have ways to improve your air quality during winter. Our technicians offer indoor air quality services that can make your air quality as pleasant as your indoor temperatures.

Tags: Air Filters, Air Purifiers, Duct Cleaning, Gainesville
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Tips to Keep Your Indoor Air Quality High This Summer

Monday, July 3rd, 2017

Keeping cool and comfortable is certainly important during the summer months. However, it’s far from the only thing you need to worry about when it comes to your indoor climate. Indoor air quality has a substantial impact on both health and comfort levels. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most ignored factors by homeowners. If you want to stay and comfortable as healthy as possible during the summer season, make sure that you improve your indoor air quality by following these tips.

Tags: Air Filters, Duct Cleaning, Gainseville
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The Most Important Thing You Need to Know About Whole-House Air Filters

Monday, February 13th, 2017

The indoor air quality in your home is probably quite a bit worse than you think it is. Sure, you may not be hacking and coughing every minute you spend inside, but that doesn’t mean that your air quality is as good as it could be. Poor air quality has substantial impact on the health and comfort of the home’s occupants. It can cause all kinds of issues, from allergy attacks, to the flu, to bouts of asthma. These issues are typically the result of exposure to microscopic contaminants. Common household air contaminants include, but are not limited to, dust, pollen, dander, viruses, bacteria, and mold spores. It’s a good idea to install a whole-house air filter to address these contaminants and improve your air quality. Before you do that, though, there are some things that you need to account for.

Tags: Air Filters, Gainesville, MERV
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3 Air Purifier Types That Can Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Monday, April 27th, 2015

The air in your home may look empty, but that doesn’t mean that it is. Actually, the average home’s indoor air is filled with millions upon millions of microscopic particles, many of which can be harmful. Dust, pollen, germs, dander, mites, and mold spores are just a few of the airborne contaminants commonly found in homes. These can cause inflamed sinuses, coughing, sneezing, and watery eyes, especially in allergy sufferers.

Tags: Air Filters, Air Purifiers, Indoor Air Quality
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The Differences Between Air Filters and Air Purifiers

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

Air filtration can do a great deal to keep the spores and allergens of our humid climate in check, as well as making your Lake City, FL home a more pleasant place to be in general. Air filters and air purifiers are both connected to your home HVAC system, and both concern themselves with the quality of your indoor air. Beyond their basic function, however, they’re very different pieces of equipment. Which one you use – and the reasons why – tie into the specific circumstances of your home. Here’s a brief rundown of the differences between air filters and air purifiers.

For starters, a certain type of air filter is a completely necessary part of your existing HVAC system. You could technically run it without them, but you certainly wouldn’t want to. Air passes through the filter when your system runs, trapping dust, dirt and other particles in the process. This helps keep the system clean and prevent dust from building up on its components. These air filters are designed to be replaced after a few months (though some of them are washable and can be reused after they are clean). You can also add additional mechanical air filters to your HVAC system to improve your air quality. These come in different MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) ratings depending on the size of particles you want removed, and trap the particles as the air in your ducts passes through them.

Air purifiers, on the other hand, are a little different. These are usually electrically powered and are designed to collect particles differently. Instead of trapping dust and debris in the filter, they use a charged ionization chamber to give pollutants an electrical charge, then the particles accumulate on collector plates with the opposite charge. Purifiers are not a standard part of most HVAC systems, but they can be installed in most existing systems as a way of further purifying your air.

The two are basically different levels of treating the same problem. You’ll always need at least one air filter, but if you want to augment it with the installation of an air purifier, that’s up to you. For more on the differences between air filters and air purifiers, or to schedule an installation session, call upon Touchstone Heating and Air Inc. We operate in Lake City, FL, air filtration is a part of our service, and we’re dedicated to your complete satisfaction. Give us a call today!

Tags: Air Filters, Air Purifiers, Indoor Air Quality, Lake City
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