DB Heating & Cooling, Inc. Blog : Archive for the ‘Indoor Air Quality’ Category

Woodcliff Lake, NJ Indoor Air Quality Tip: What are UV Germicidal Lights

Monday, January 28th, 2013

At DB Heating and Cooling, we get a lot of questions about UV (ultraviolet) germicidal lights and how they can improve indoor air quality in Woodcliff Lake, NJ area homes.  Basically, these lights destroy harmful microorganisms in the ductwork and other components of your heating and air conditioning system. This keeps any airborne pathogens from spreading throughout your home.  Here’s how they work:

UV germicidal lights are also called UVGI systems, and they use an ultraviolet light to destroy the DNA of harmful organisms, thereby killing them and rendering them incapable of reproducing at the same time. While UV germicidal lights are Ideal for medical facilities, office buildings, hotels, and schools, they can also be used in residential applications. UVGI systems are a cost-effective way to improve indoor air quality, and they can be installed with most existing heating and cooling systems.

UV germicidal lights can destroy pollutants that the air cleaners don’t target, but when used alongside air cleaners, UV lamps can provide even better protection against bacteria, viruses, and toxic mold spores. If you have known issues with moisture control or mold growth in your home, UV lights can improve indoor air quality by killing new mold growth; however, the moisture problem will need to be remedied to get the full effect.

If you think you might benefit from a UV germicidal light installation, call one of our Woodcliff Lake, NJ indoor air quality experts. We can answer all of your questions and address any concerns you may have about your indoor air quality. Call DB Heating and Cooling any time to set up a consultation!

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How Indoor Air Quality Can Suffer In the Winter: Bergen County Heating Guide

Monday, January 21st, 2013

During the winter here in New Jersey, it can get bitterly cold. Most of us close up our house as tightly as possible to keep as much heat in as possible. While this is a great way to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of your home, it can cause the air quality in your home to suffer. At DB Heating & Cooling, Inc, we offer comprehensive indoor air quality installation, repair and maintenance in Bergen County. We wanted to let our customers know some of the ways that air quality can suffer during the winter and an air filtering or air purification system can help.

Winter Air Quality Concerns

Shutting up your home during the winter can help keep more warmth inside. But it can also restrict the supply of fresh air into your home. This leaves your home’s heating system to just recirculate stale air in your home. This can cause contaminants to build up in your home’s air.

Common Household Contaminants in the Winter

The winter is typically a very dry season. Many people suffer from dry skin and nasal passages. But there are certain air contaminants that can start to increase in the dry winter air.

  • Dust – Dust is mostly comprised of dead skin cells. During winter your skin will dry out and so will that of any pets that you might have. This can increase dust levels throughout your home.
  • Pet dander – When your pet’s skin starts to dry out, it can release more dander into the air. This can increase allergic reactions during the winter.
  • Insect droppings – Cockroach and dust mite droppings are huge allergens for certain people. When the air dries out, their droppings can start to enter your air supply.
  • Gas and smoke – During the winter, there can also be a build-up of gas fumes, combustion gases, smoke particles and other fumes that can be harmful.

Benefits of Home Air Filtration

On average, people spend most of their time indoors. With so much time spent in our homes, it would make sense that the air quality in our homes should be a priority. In fact, the EPA estimates that indoor air quality is one of the top five leading threats to respiratory health in the United States. Some of the benefits of indoor air filtering are reduced reaction to allergies, reduced dust levels,  and much more.

If you’re interested in learning more about indoor air quality in Bergen County, contact DB Heating and Cooling.

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Waldwick HVAC Guide: Plants & Indoor Air Quality

Monday, July 30th, 2012

In elementary school, we were taught about how useful plants can be. They remove carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen, which is great because it is the exact opposite of our respiratory process. They also clean the air in the process, like natural air pollution scrubbers, improving the quality of the air around them.

Given this, it’s not surprising that people in Waldwick have sought to harness the respiratory power of plants to improve air quality in their homes. One study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1980s even identified the best plants for improving indoor air quality.

This seems like great news for people who suffer from asthma or allergies, or who just want a natural way to purify the air in their homes. However, plants are not without their drawbacks. It is not a simple as to just bring a plant into the home. A plant is really an entire ecosystem, with many other organisms latched on for dear life. There are bacteria in the soil, for one, and there may be bugs or fungi in the soil or on the plant that you can’t even see.

Most of these are harmless, but not always. The fungus can be a problem, for example, if the spores get into the air. This can make allergies and asthma worse, not better.

That doesn’t mean you have to toss out that nice spider plant or Boston fern in the garbage, however. After all, it is probably doing a great job of filtering out some inorganic pollutants, it’s increasing the oxygen concentration of the room and it looks nice. Instead of getting rid of it, just give it a partner.

Adding an air cleaner like a fan with a filter to your Waldwick HVAC system can help purge the organic gunk that may be coming from the plant, while the plant is taking care of the other stuff. The result is cleaner, better air, which can be a relief to asthma and allergy sufferers. For more ideas of how to improve your home, give DB Heating & Cooling a call!

 

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Waldwick Indoor Air Quality Tips: Improving Indoor Air Quality with UV Germicidal Lights?

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Ultraviolet germicidal lights improve indoor air quality in your Waldwick home by killing the harmful bacteria, viruses, and toxic mold that can cause respiratory problems and other health concerns. These microorganisms spread by releasing airborne spores containing the genetic material used to create a new organism. UV lights use a wavelength of ultraviolet light to destroy the organism’s DNA, which takes away their reproductive capabilities and also kills them.

UV germicidal lights are fairly inexpensive and can be installed to work with your existing forced air HVAC system. They are typically used in tandem with either an electronic or mechanical air cleaner. While air cleaners can filter pollen and other irritants, UV germicidal lights destroy the viruses and mold spores once these pollutants have been trapped by the air cleaner. After the air has been filtered through your HVAC, it will circulate more easily through system and increase the efficiency of the unit. In addition, UV lights are useful in killing hidden mold growth, which can only be detected by special thermal imaging equipment.

Homeowners with particularly chronic allergy problems or extremely poor indoor air quality choose to install both types of air cleaners, in addition to a UV light, for the ultimate protection from indoor air pollutants—from bacteria to pet dander.  If your home lacks adequate ventilation, or if you are unable to control the source of common pollutants, you might benefit greatly by installing UV germicidal lights. Poor indoor air circulation can exacerbate the spread of harmful microorganisms, so make sure you have proper ventilation if you don’t have UV lights in your home.

UV germicidal lights have also been used to filter tap water because they are more reliable and easier to install than other water treatment systems. However, they are typically used to provide cleaner indoor air.

Call the indoor air quality experts at DB Heating & Cooling if you have questions or concerns about the quality of the air inside your Waldwick home.

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Hackensack HVAC Guide: Seasonal Air Quality Control

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

For people who suffer from seasonal allergies in Hackensack, air quality is a key concern. Allergens in the air cause brutal bouts of sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes and even sinus headaches. Even taking refuge indoors will often not assuage these symptoms, as indoor air is often comparable to outdoor air in terms of allergens and overall quality.

That is, unless you take care to control the seasonal air quality in your home, which can not only help ease the suffering of allergies, but also soothe asthmatics, keep out pollutants and generally promote better overall health.

How do you go about controlling the air quality in your home? To start, try these simple tips:

  1. Vacuum carpets regularly. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and invest in some allergen suppressing bags.
  2. Keep your vents clean. This is also a good maintenance practice to lengthen the life of your ventilation equipment.
  3. Dust hard surfaces and wash bed linens weekly.
  4. Install HEPA filters in your ventilation system, such as in air conditioners or other air handler units. Use a higher rated filter to keep out more allergens and pollutants.
  5. Invest in and use an air purifier. Again, make sure to get one with a HEPA filter.
  6. Have your home tested for radon and carbon monoxide. Have smoke, carbon monoxide and radon detectors working properly at all times.
  7. Use a humidifier to keep overly dry air from irritating sinus passages.
  8. Keep doors and windows closed tight, especially during allergy season(s).

By taking charge of the air quality in your Hackensack home, you also take control of a measure of your family’s health. Some of these measures require at least a bit of an investment – for example, higher rated HEPA air filters are often more expensive and need to be changed more frequently – but the benefits to your well being and that of your family are clearly well worth it.

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Humidification/Dehumidification: A Guide From Waldwick

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Most people don’t think much about the humidity in their Waldwick home unless it gets unbearably high in the summer or extremely low in the winter. However, even slightly low or high humidity levels can have a huge impact on your indoor air quality, so even if you feel comfortable most of the time, a humidifier or dehumidifier is something you should look into. Many homes have humidity problems, and even if it’s not something you notice on a regular basis, air that’s too moist or too dry can have a large impact on your family’s health and the overall quality of your indoor air.

The Risks of High and Low Humidity

There are many reasons that proper humidity in your home is so important. For one thing, air that’s too humid promotes the growth of things like mold and dust mites that are significant airborne allergens. Without enough moisture, however, mold and dust mites can’t grow, so if you keep your indoor humidity below 50%, you’ll likely never need to worry about these allergens disrupting your family’s health or causing damage to your furniture.

But, dry air isn’t much better. Once the humidity level gets below 35%, a number of negative things can happen. Dry air enhances the symptoms of asthma, colds and allergies, and it causes damage to the wood fixtures and furnishings in your home. Even if it doesn’t do so much damage, dry air is simply uncomfortable, causing dried out skin, eyes, and hair.

Why Humidity Control Matters

Even if you have a state of the art air quality system installed in your home, humidity is very much something you need to be concerned about. Air that’s too moist or too dry can actually make it more difficult for indoor air cleaners and filters to get those contaminants out. In effect, poor humidity control makes every aspect of your air quality worse.

So if you want to be sure you’re getting the most possible out of your indoor air cleaner, the best thing you can do is put in a good humidification system as well. And when you’ve done that, you may even find that you can turn down the heat and air conditioning as well. Properly humidified air makes home heating and cooling more efficient, saving you both money on your monthly energy bill and wear and tear on your system. No matter how you look at it, proper humidity control is good for you and your home.

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Will My Air Conditioning Work Better with Dehumidification? A Question From Bergen County

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

There are a number of common misconceptions in Bergen County and everywhere about humidity and air conditioning and how one affects the other. In truth, humidity is a major part of the discomfort we feel when the mercury rises. It can be 78 degrees outside but feel miserable simply because the humidity is high. So, many people wonder whether a dehumidifier is a good solution to moderate heat and how it will work in tandem with an air conditioner.

Humidity and Your Air Conditioner

First, remember that air conditioning naturally lowers humidity because it cycles air through its condenser and evaporator coil. Conditioned air is naturally lower in humidity, regardless of what’s going on outside. So, if it is hot outside and humid, an air conditioner alone is very effective. On the other hand, a dehumidifier is useful is when the temperature isn’t that high but the humidity is.

Dehumidification not only lowers the relative humidity in your home, it reduces the need for cooling because you will feel more comfortable. Not only that, but a dehumidifier costs significantly less to run. So, when the temperature outside isn’t that high, there is no need to use thousands of watts per day of electricity just to stay comfortable.

This also reduces the overall wear on your air conditioner. Since it doesn’t need to run 24 hours a day to reduce humidity, wear and tear on the device is reduced and you save a tremendous amount of money on repairs and eventual replacement costs.

When to Use a Dehumidifier Alone

Generally, the Department of Energy recommends setting your air conditioner to 78 degrees and using a combination of a dehumidifier and fans to stay cool while it is off. If the temperature rises above that level, the air conditioner will turn on and supplement your dehumidifier. Consider too that a dehumidifier will reduce the burden placed on your air conditioner to pull humidity from the air. Humid air takes more energy to cool than dry air. Despite the fact that dehumidifiers will often raise the air temperature by 1-2 degrees, they save energy and make you more comfortable.

So, if you’re looking for a way to reduce your energy bill and enhance the longevity of your air conditioner, look no further than a quality dehumidifier.

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