An air conditioning system not only makes your Autaugaville, Alabama, home cool but it also filters the air and helps people with asthma breathe easier. Keeping your air conditioner clean and optimizing it with regular maintenance can help prevent asthma attacks.
Common Asthma Triggers
Asthma patients have sensitive airways that react to triggers that produce symptoms like wheezing, coughing and runny noses. Though these asthma triggers vary with people, some of the most common are dust particles, pests, chemical odors, volatile organic compound, smoke, pet dander, bacteria and mold. Since most can become airborne and are inhaled, it’s important to keep the indoor air quality clean and healthy.
Exposure to irritants and allergens that are in your indoor air not only worsens existing asthma but can also cause asthma in children and other susceptible people.
Asthma and Air Conditioning – What’s the Connection?
When the indoor unit of your air conditioning system pulls in the room air for cooling, the air is forced through a filter. This process removes dust particles and several other asthma triggers from the air. Air conditioners also bring down the level of humidity in your home. Lower humidity, or less moisture, inhibits the growth of mold and algae. Air conditioners thus contribute to a great extent in keeping the indoor air environment healthy for asthma sufferers.
Regular AC Maintenance Can Prevent Asthma Attacks
Lack of proper maintenance can substantially bring down the operating efficiency of your AC and put you at the risk of an asthma attack. In order to ensure that all components of your air conditioning equipment are functioning smoothly, you should call in an experienced technician for inspection at least once a year. Additionally, if you notice any problem in your machine, it’s advisable to get it repaired immediately. Issues like unusual noise, frequent on-off cycling, inconsistent cooling and unusually high energy bills are indicators that your machine needs a repair.
Change Your Air Conditioner Filter Regularly
A clogged and dirty filter won’t remove dust and allergens from the air. It also lets the dirt reach other components of the unit, which further deteriorates the quality of air your AC supplies. When people with asthma breathe this air in, it worsens their asthma symptoms.
You should check and replace your air conditioner filter at least once a month, especially during the summer. For best results, go for a high-quality pleated filter. However, make sure the new filter is compatible with your machine.
Clean Your AC Drain Line
The drain line of your AC is the place where mold, algae and bacteria love to live. Whenever you replace your AC filter, take some time to clean the drain line as well. This will substantially help people with asthma and respiratory problems.
Control the Indoor Humidity
High humidity makes you feel hotter by a few degrees than the actual room temperature. For asthma sufferers, especially children, it can easily irritate and restrict the air passage, triggering asthma attacks. Furthermore, high humidity also causes condensation on walls and windows, creating a favorable environment for mold growth.
Relative humidity in your Alabama home should be between 40 and 50 percent. Though your air conditioner reduces humidity to some extent, consider installing a whole-home dehumidifier for rapid and more efficient dehumidification.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
Smoke and VOCs coming out of regular household products like cooking oil, detergents, pesticides and air fresheners make the indoor air more polluted than the air outside. Lack of ventilation further increases the presence of allergens in the indoor environment.
Though an AC unit filters the dust particles from the air, most of the bacteria, pathogens and microbes easily manage to get through, owing to their very small size. To make the indoor air quality suitable for asthmatic family members, supplement your air conditioner with UV lamps and air purifiers.
Our experienced team at Air Conditioning by Luquire can help you maintain your HVAC system and improve your indoor air quality at a reasonable cost. Call us today at 334-230-5870.
Image provided by Shutterstock
