Improving Your Indoor Air Quality During Covid-19

During the beginning of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, it was believed that transmissions were primarily through person-to-person contact and contaminated surfaces. However, as more and more research has been done, there is now evidence that the virus can remain airborne for long periods of time. This means that proper ventilation and airflow within your home, through your heating and cooling system and other means, are increasingly critical to your home health, by helping keep the air you breathe clean and moving. While this alone cannot eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19, it’s likely to help reduce the spread via airborne transmission by ensuring a continuous supply of clean, filtered air circulating into your home. In addition, proper ventilation and airflow can reduce your chances of contracting other diseases such as the common cold or the flu during the present flu season. 

Ventilation

Ventilation is one of the most important factors to consider when it comes to indoor air quality. For HVAC service contractors, ventilation is the movement of fresh air into a conditioned space, either through natural or artificial means. The reason this is important is air that does not move tends to accumulate pollutants and other contaminants that can then enter your lungs or body. Proper ventilation allows clean air to move into a space, and stale air to be removed, typically with the introduction of outside air as well. This continuous exchange provides better indoor air quality by ensuring that contaminants, pathogens, and other irritants in the air are removed. There are a variety of steps you can take to increase ventilation in your home. 

  • Whenever possible try to open windows or screened doors when the weather permits
  • Use a bathroom fan when the bathroom is in use, especially during/after showering to help prevent moisture buildup.
  • If your home has a window air conditioner with an outdoor air intake or vent, try to use it whenever possible.
  • If your heating and cooling system is equipped with an outside air intake, make sure it’s open.

If you are unsure of the specifics of your heating and cooling system, consult your manual or contact the professionals at A/C Masters to learn more about what your system can do. 

Airflow

We talk about airflow and its importance in the home and heating and cooling system health all the time. Circulating clean air throughout your home while removing stale, contaminated air requires your system to have proper airflow.  If you don’t have proper airflow, then your indoor air quality and HVAC system can suffer. Follow these steps to ensure proper airflow within your home: 

  • Check all vents and registers and make sure they are open and clear
  • Turn on ceiling fans or other fans regularly (such as box fans)
  • Change your filters every 30 days or so to promote filtration 
  • If you are concerned about dirty ductwork, check your ducts, and consider having them cleaned by a professional

To ensure proper ventilation and airflow, have your system cleaned and maintained regularly so it can continue to function as it should and keep your home’s air circulating and comfortable.

To schedule a tune-up or learn more about our Service Agreement program contact A/C Masters at (757) 898-2894!

We know that these are difficult times and that everyone is doing their best to stay safe and healthy as our community continues to deal with the ongoing threat of COVID-19. That’s why we believe it is important for all of our customers to know and understand how airflow and ventilation play an important role in their home and family health. What’s more, the effects of insufficient airflow and ventilation aren’t isolated to your home. As we continue to practice social distancing, it is important to remember to avoid areas that combine high amounts of foot traffic with poor ventilation and airflow, because these areas may increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 by allowing contaminated air to linger or by circulating it to other parts of the enclosure. When we share a building, we also share the air, so it is important for everyone to be aware of the effects and benefits of proper airflow and ventilation.

Stay safe and thank you for being a valued customer.

Scroll to Top