 Is everyone ready for a “sunsational” season this year? The sun is shining, the weather is great and the water is beautiful. Cross your fingers… does everyone remember the season of the red tide? Red tide usually limits the quality time we spend outside and forces us indoors. It is during these long periods of time spent indoors that we start to realize the importance of our indoor air quality (IAQ).
IAQ has five main categories:Ventilation, humidity control, source removal, filtration, and purification. Ventilation is the introduction of outside air to our indoor air environment. Although it is becoming more popular for residential use it is usually reserved for commercial applications. Ventilation is not very helpful during red tide. Humidity control is just that; the ability to mechanically change our indoor humidity levels. These levels can be stabilized by the air conditioner or the addition of a dehumidification system. Proper humidity control enables us to free our indoor environment of mold, dust mites and other allergens. H/C also helps us limit the contraction and expansion of building materials such as hard wood flooring. Source removal is critical for establishing a foundation for a suitable indoor air environment. A roof leak, a ventilated attic space, leaky plumbing, dirty ductwork, an old air handler, these are all potential causes for an IAQ emergency. Before we can really improve our indoor air quality, any and all potential hazards should be identified and removed. Filtration is the most commonly used IAQ tool. Filters range from 7% to 99.97% in efficiency. The typical 1” fiberglass filter is 7% efficient at 1.5 microns in particulate size compared to HEPA filtration which is 99.97% efficient at .3 microns in particulate size. Electronic and impact are two common types of filtration. Purification is probably the most misunderstood of the IAQ tools. From a residential standpoint, purification is usually achieved by using ultraviolet light. UV light technology has been used in hospitals since the 1950’s, however it has only been used in residential applications since the 1990’s. UV light can treat air or water. Certain wave lengths of UV light have the ability to break down the genetic code of some indoor allergens such as mold, dust mites, and viruses. The most common placement of a residential UV light is in the air handler for the A/C system which shines directly on the evaporator coil. This “bathing” of the evaporator coil helps reduce mold growth and the collection of other harmful allergens. Not all UV lights are the same, specific wavelengths are used to treat specific allergens. Ultraviolet light used in conjunction with HEPA filtration is our best bet for relief from red tide. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to give us a call. |
