Unfortunately, we Houstonians live in one of the more polluted cities in the United States. We love our trucks, SUVs and muscle cars. We also love our homes and families. Because our families are so important to us, their safety and health is a priority.
Many of us suffer from allergies and related ailments from dander, pollen and other pollutants that our immune systems struggle to fend off. What is alarming is that our immune systems are fighting off these attacks inside our own homes. A recent EPA study found that 98% of homes in the United States contain multiple harmful contaminates and pollutants. So breathing inside can be as hazardous as taking a breath outside.
How do these irritants get in the house? Well, obviously opening doors to the outside for starters. Add the steady deterioration of carpeting and glue. Then heap on the items we use in our daily lives, like hairspray, cleaning agents, fireplaces, perfumes, cooking sprays, pest control spray, etc, etc etc.
The good news is that there is an indoor filtration system that can help remove these particulates. It’s the air conditioning system in the home. The bad news is that those that use the see-through horsehair air filters will only remove the largest 3% of the those particulates. Guess what filters the rest of them out of the air?
Your lungs!
Your body should be the last line of defense. You may have seen the effects of using your own body as a filter. If you are tired of it, there are a couple of options to consider for purifying your home indoor air.
One is a media filter. A small modification in your attic is required to set up and hold a media filter that will far more effectively remove about 60% of these harmful particles in the air. Another benefit is that the filter only needs to be changed every six months. This is a very cost effective means of beefing up your indoor air quality. You can expect the attic modifications to cost about $300 to $400 and the filters themselves can range from $40 to $60 depending on the size of your air conditioner. If you don’t like crawling around your attic to change them, you might consider asking your HVAC technician to change them for you while performing your semi-annual air conditioning maintenance.
The best solution that has proven to be the most effective is a mechanical filtration system. There are various technologies available that range from ultraviolet lights to electron charged grids that attract and destroy these contaminates. All the air conditioning manufacturers sell them through your HVAC company, who can install them for you in your attic. The cost can range from $500 to $2,000 depending on the brand and company that you choose to install this system. These devices can improve your indoor air filtration to 96% efficiency. Maintenance does need to be performed at least semi-annually and some parts need to be replaced over time, but the benefits far outweigh the financial costs.
You should also know that there is a way to find out what is in your home. You can “rent” a monitor that over a few days will measure the different particle types and report the percentages that you have compared to the what the experts say is the limit for safety. Most HVAC contractors have these available. The reason that you might consider finding out what is in your home is to help determine the right filtration system that is tailor made to clean the air in your home. They are manufactured by Air Advice, and more often than not should not cost you much to rent.
Although these are difficult economic times for many of us, the simple act of breathing easy while spending time with your family can make for a better life for you and yours.