How to Combat Back-to-School Germs with your HVAC

Your HVAC System Can Help Prevent Back-to-School Germs

Summer will be over soon for kids in Edwardsville, IL, and with the return of school comes an increased likelihood that someone in your home will be affected by a virus spread within the school community. You can avoid the hassle and time off of work or school by taking steps to increase your home’s air quality and HVAC system to combat the spread of germs.

Combating Back-to-School Germs

The majority of contagious school bugs are transmitted through the air. These airborne germs vary in size from .5 to 5 microns and can travel throughout your home using your air ducts to reach rooms your kids never even enter. To eliminate these germs you can use their favorite mode of travel against them. Here are some ways to get rid of those pesky bacteria and germs while also improving your indoor air quality with a Carrier HVAC system.

1. Replace your inefficient disposable filter with an electrostatic or higher-quality washable air filter. Hospitals and other public institutions use filters with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 14 or higher, but you could remove the majority of your home’s allergens and contaminants with a filter between 8-12 MERV; make sure you change or clean these filters every three months to keep them performing at maximum efficiency.
2. Go Ultraviolet on germs. UV light is commonly used by hospitals to disinfect equipment. Added to an already high-efficiency Carrier HVAC system, ultraviolet can kill viruses and bacteria as well as eradicate mold spores. Professional HVAC technicians, like those at B&W Heating and Cooling, can install UV light tubes within your duct system or treat your heater/air conditioner coils to keep pollutants, germs and allergens from entering your home altogether.
3. Install an air purifier in your home. Like your air furnace or air conditioner filter, an air purifier filters the air in your home, but instead of only one filter, an air purifier contains a series of them, one of which is a High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. This filter is designed to remove particulates from the air as small as 0.3 microns, bad news for the germs and allergens that get sucked into your air purifier.
4. Increase the humidity in your home. In the winter, the relative humidity often falls below 40%, making it easier for germs to travel. You can increase the humidity in your home in small increments by keeping a pot of water boiling on the stove or purchasing a table-top humidifier. You can also buy a larger humidifier from Carrier to treat your whole home.

If you want to know more about how to get keep bacteria and germs from invading your home when school starts, give B&W Heating and Cooling a call today!