Whether you’re dealing with the COVID-19, cold and flu season, seasonal allergies or just everyday life, improving your indoor air quality is always a good idea.

With talk of coronavirus blanketing the airwaves and so many companies claiming to have special filters and air purifiers that can kill the virus, it’s no wonder we’ve received so many calls and emails from customers looking to protect their families and employees from this scary new illness, so we wanted to pass along some information to help you separate the signal from the noise.

Let’s start with the basics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads mainly through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It may be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Noting that airborne particles play a significant role in the spread of the disease, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has released proactive guidance that addresses COVID-19 concerns with respect to the operation and maintenance of HVAC systems.

Viruses, like COVID-19, are much smaller than bacteria (roughly 100 times smaller) and other pollutants like pollen and pet dander which are the primary source of poor indoor air quality. This means that a standard HEPA filter will not remove viruses from the air. Some air purifiers can capture viruses, but they won’t destroy them so the virus will remain alive inside the filter for as long as the virus survives.

Unlike HEPA filters and traditional air purifiers, UV air purifiers installed in the HVAC system can achieve up to 99.999996% reduction on microorganisms. In fact, a very large percentage of microorganisms, including coronavirus, already have a defined UV microwatt dose for inactivation

UV air purifiers use a germicidal UV light to bathe an area of the ventilation system with high–frequency ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet radiation causes cellular disruption to any organic material moving through the ductwork, destroying its DNA and either killing the cell or rendering it inert and harmless. This process leaves behind no chemical residue and offers no danger to humans.

All-Pro Electrical & Air Conditioning, offers a variety of indoor air quality products including the APCO® whole-house air purifier which uses activated carbon and germ-killing UV-C light to remove odors, chemicals, and biological contaminants for the lifetime of your air system.

The events of the past days and weeks concerning the Coronavirus have been pretty unsettling and our HVAC team wants to do our part in keeping your community healthy and safe.

Did you know that HVAC dealers are considered essential? So our business will remain open so that we can continue to assist our community.

Your health, the health of your family, community, and our team members are our top priority. As a result of this pandemic, we will be closely following the recommendations of the CDC.

When you contact us for heating and air conditioning service, we’ll be asking about your health and the health of your family.

If entering your home is appropriate, we have developed new procedures for contact-free visits. Our technicians will wear disposable gloves, we’ll be mindful of maintaining a suggested 6-foot distance from you and your family members, and wear masks upon request and availability.

We care deeply about your health, the health of our community, and our service technicians so let’s make an agreement to protect your family as well as ours.

If we have a service technician who is not feeling well or anyone in their family who is not feeling well, then they won’t be working. In return, we ask that if you or anyone in your home is not feeling well, just let us know so we can reschedule the visit for a time when everyone is feeling better.

Our business is built on 4 pillars: Safety, Comfort, Health, and Energy Efficiency.

Right now, in our community, Health is at the forefront. Please be assured that we are here for you.

Allergies can turn your day into a nightmare of congestion, sniffling and coughing. Typical indoor allergens include mold spores, dust mites, cockroaches, pet dander, pollen from outside and house dust.

Here are 4 ways your HVAC system could be making things worse and how to deal with it.

Filters
Typical pleated filters don't catch tiny allergen particles. You'll need HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters capable of stopping 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger. To put it into perspective, dog dander is about 2.5 microns and mold spores range from 10 to 30 microns. Keep in mind that HEPA filters affect airflow and the performance of your furnace so you need to discuss this with an HVAC professional before making the change.

Filters must be changed every four months typically but if you're fighting allergies, you need to replace them more frequently. Allergens that build up on the filter can be blown through the ductwork and the longer you leave it, the worse your symptoms will get.

Humidity
High humidity can create the perfect conditions for allergens like mold and dust mites to inhabit your home. Low humidity levels can exacerbate your symptoms by drying out your nasal passage and throat.

If you have a humidifier, have it checked and serviced to ensure that it maintains the right humidity levels in your home. The ideal range is 40-50% in the summer or 30% in the winter. If you have no humidity control at all, you may want to consider adding a humidifier to your home's HVAC system.

Temperature
Certain allergens like dust mites thrive in warm temperatures and poor thermal distribution can create the ideal environment for them to thrive.

Ensure that your HVAC air distribution and controls are in working order to maintain the right temperature in your home. If you have no air conditioning, you lose the benefits of both humidity and temperature control in the summer, which can make you miserable with allergy symptoms.

Ventilation
Ventilation brings in outdoor air to reduce the level of indoor allergens in your home. It helps reduce humidity in key areas like bathrooms and the kitchen and discourages allergens from multiplying. If you have an allergy to pollen or other outdoor allergens, ventilation is still a must. Just ensure that you have the right air filter and this will mitigate the effects of outdoor allergens entering your home.

If you're concerned about your allergies and need to optimize your HVAC system, give us a call and we can help you assess and make modifications so you can breathe easy.