How to Improve Indoor Air Quality with Your Heating System?

When it’s cold outside, your heating system does a fantastic job of keeping your home nice and cozy. Despite the warmth, the dry air makes you feel discomfort and smells musty, too. Fortunately, you can improve your home’s indoor air quality in a few ways.

Whether replacing an old filter or installing an air purifier, our technicians at Monkey Wrench have seen all the different ways of improving indoor air quality. Since 2007, we’ve helped homeowners find different ways to make the air inside their homes more comfortable without sacrificing the warm air from their heating systems.

There are five different ways of improving air quality inside your home while you’re running your heating system. Not only will this article highlight them all, but it will also give you insight into how exactly they improve your home’s air quality. 

Let’s get started!

Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality with Your Heating System

After servicing furnaces and air-source heat pumps all over Los Angeles, here are the top services that can assist with bettering the air you breathe inside your home.

• Replace air filters 
• Install air scrubber
• Maintain ductwork 
• Humidifer 
• Keep ventilation open and cleared 

You spend a large portion of your day inside your home, so it helps to take the necessary measures to improve your air quality. The first service is one you can complete on your own.

Replace Your Air Filters

Replacing your air filters is one of the easiest ways to improve your home’s air quality while still being able to run your heating system. It’s best to check your air filter monthly and replace it every one to three months, depending on how dirty it gets.

Air filters are designed to capture plenty of contaminants flowing in the air, such as dander, pollen, dust, and other free-flowing particles. These pollutants can irritate and cause allergy symptoms, which can be inconvenient to deal with while running your heating system. 

One of the best air filters for your heating system is the high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filter that can capture 99.97% of air contaminants. There are also air filters that specifically target people with allergies, asthma, and pets. 

By capturing all kinds of air contaminants, filters help improve airflow and maintain air quality. Yet, there’s another product that’s capable of purifying the air in your home.

Install an Air Scrubber

Air purification systems, like an air scrubber, are the best at improving and maintaining air quality within your home. Air scrubbers specialize in removing airborne contaminants, such as.

• Bacterial growth 
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from paint, household cleaners, and other chemicals 
• Smoke from fire and cigarettes
• Particles such as dirt, allergens, pollen, and dust 
• Pet dander
• Various odors
• Various bacteria and viruses 

These air purification systems use patented technology that releases molecules that target contaminants in the air. Once attached, air scrubber molecules break down the pollutants and eliminate any lingering orders they may have.

An air scrubber is installed near your heating system to purify any circulating air. Combining an air scrubber with a top-of-the-line air filter can produce quality air inside your home. 

You can take measures to improve air quality by filtering out contaminants, but it also helps to improve the ductwork transporting warm air from your heating system.

Maintain Ductwork 

Warm air circulates throughout your home thanks to ductwork, and keeping it in good condition is essential to protect your indoor air quality. There are different ways to maintain ductwork, including.

• Duct cleaning: Investing in quality duct cleaning every 1 to 3 years helps remove any debris attached to the inside of the ducts. A professional technician usually completes it and can also include sanitizing to eliminate any possible bacterial growth. 
• Duct sealing and replacing: Your home’s ductwork can break or become unsealed due to normal wear and tear or outside damage. However, a technician can reseal or even replace some of your ductwork.

Addressing any ductwork issues is crucial in maintaining your home’s indoor air quality. If your ductwork is broken or not fully sealed, it can release contaminants into the air. A vermin infestation or bacterial growth inside the ducts can release pollutants into the warm air circulating in your home. 

Even if you filter out any airborne particles, your home’s air quality can feel dry from the warm air coming from your heating system. In the next section, we cover how you can address that. 

Use a Humidifier

Your home can feel warm, but the air from your heating system can feel dry. Thankfully, a humidifier can address the dryness and increase the humidity enough to stay warm without dealing with the effects of dry air.  

Dry air can lead to the following effects.

• Dry sinus
• Dry mouth
• Dry skin

Running a humidifier can make it easier for you to breathe, thanks to the moisture in the air. When your home has dry air, there’s a chance it can make you cough. On the other hand, a humidifier can prevent those symptoms from occurring. 

The last tip for improving your indoor air quality is to ensure there’s enough ventilation. 

Keep Ventilation Open and Cleared

Proper ventilation maintains indoor air quality by assisting with removing pollutants and allowing fresh air to dilute any airborne contaminants inside your home. There are two ways ventilation helps your home’s indoor air quality when the furnace is running: exhaust systems and open windows.

Your kitchen and bathroom have ventilation that allows air pollutants to escape your home. On furnace systems, burning natural gas produces carbon monoxide, a deadly odor. With an exhaust system, your home can release carbon monoxide instead of letting it linger in your home. 

Opening your windows when you’re not running your heating system can help regulate airflow inside your home and allow fresh air to replace any stale air inside your home. It also allows more oxygen to enter your home, freshening indoor air quality. 

That’s How You Improve Indoor Air Quality With Your Heating System

You don’t have to reduce your home’s air quality to stay warm. It’s totally possible to maintain your indoor air quality and have warm air to protect you from the cold. Now that you’ve seen the effective methods to improve indoor air quality with your heating system, you can feel more confident running your heating system during cold weather. 

Our technicians have serviced hundreds of these systems throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, from heat pumps to furnaces. During these visits, we’ve seen how homeowners can maintain indoor air quality while running their heating systems.

If you want to have your heating system inspected, contact us using the button below. You can also book an appointment directly through our HVAC online scheduler.