The Science Behind Air Purification: What You Need to Know

February 8, 2024

Indoor air quality is a common issue for Burbank, CA, households. Outdoor contaminants that cause problems with seasonal allergies, pollution from nearby roads and wildfires all contribute to lower air quality. Poor air quality can even impact residential heating and cooling systems. This is why it’s crucial to do all you can to make the air in your home cleaner. To do this, you’ll first need to understand your air purification options. Fortunately, for Burbank homeowners, there are more than a few available. Understanding how each system works makes it easier to choose the best ones for your particular circumstances. How Does Indoor Air Quality Work? The term indoor air quality, or IAQ, describes how the air inside a home affects the well-being of its inhabitants. Ventilation, air circulation, pollutant levels and the presence of pollutants like dust, mold or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are some of the many elements that affect IAQ. Keeping interior air quality high requires a combination of strategies, including adequate ventilation, frequent cleaning and the use of air purifiers to mitigate contaminants. What Is an Indoor Air Quality Audit? To determine how clean or dirty the air is inside your home, you need to schedule...

View Article

Read More

The Benefits of Adding UV Lights to Your HVAC System

November 8, 2022

One of the questions the technicians at may ask you when you get your HVAC system maintained, repaired, or replaced is if you want to install UV lighting. UV lights offer many benefits, including mold prevention and improved air quality. Let’s look at why you might consider installing UV lights in your HVAC system. Reduce Mold and Mildew Growth Mold needs four things to grow on a surface. They are moisture, a food source, oxygen, and temperatures between 60 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Mold growth occurs inside the air conditioner during warm weather when the AC is not in use. Water droplets will build up inside the system. The surrounding dust and warmth create the perfect environment for mold to grow. You might find mold in a dirty HVAC drain pan, in the condensate line, on the evaporator coil, or in the air ducts. Mold and mildew growth in your HVAC system can negatively impact the health and well-being of your home’s occupants. UV lights address this issue by sending out short energy wavelengths that penetrate mold, destroying the DNA inside it. This prevents mold cells from reproducing, and the mold dies off instead of replicating. Improve Air Quality UV...

View Article

Read More

Tips for Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Your Home

September 20, 2022

Carbon monoxide is a gas that is produced whenever any fuel, such as natural gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal, is burned. In combustion engines, such as cars and trucks, carbon monoxide is produced when the fuel is not burned completely. Carbon monoxide is also produced by objects that burn slowly, such as cigarettes. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and can be very dangerous. In fact, carbon monoxide poisoning kills hundreds of people in the United States every year and sends approximately 50,000 more to the hospital. Most carbon monoxide poisoning occurs in the winter because people are more likely to use fuel-burning appliances and leave their cars running in enclosed spaces such as garages. However, carbon monoxide poisoning can occur anytime and in any home. That’s why it’s important to be aware of carbon monoxide’s dangers and take steps to prevent it in your home. Installing Carbon Monoxide Detectors One of the easiest ways to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning is by installing carbon monoxide detectors in your home. These detectors sense the presence of CO and alert occupants using an alarm. There are two basic types of CO detectors: electrochemical and metal oxide. Electrochemical detectors use a chemical...

View Article

Read More

14 Best Indoor Plants to Promote Healthy Indoor Air Quality

April 18, 2022

Indoor air quality is an important theme that must be addressed in each home, especially with the increasing number of people who spend their time inside. Indoor plants are great ways for homeowners to improve the air quality of their households. The following are some of the best indoor plants that can promote healthy indoor air quality. 1. Ficus Benjamina The Ficus Benjamina is one of the most commonly used houseplants in homes. The plant grows in sunny places. It can grow up to three feet, and its leaves are dark green and glossy. This plant has very few pest problems, which makes it an ideal indoor plant that can help improve indoor air quality. 2. Peace Lily The peace lily is another popular houseplant that can help improve the indoor air quality of a home or office. The houseplant has beautiful, hanging leaves that are bright green, and it grows very fast, reaching a length of up to two feet within a year. This plant will thrive indoors with proper care, but homeowners need to know how to care for this plant properly in order not to kill the plant’s roots due to overcrowding or lack of water. 3....

View Article

Read More

How to Clean Your AC Filters in 5 Easy Steps

September 15, 2021

The filters in your HVAC system remove dirt, pollen, pet dander, and other small particles from the air as it is circulated throughout your home. The filters are designed with fibers that catch and trap these particles. Over time, the filters get full of particles and are less effective. You may notice more dust in your home, or you may suffer from symptoms similar to allergies. These are some of the signs that your AC filters need to be checked. How Do You Know When Your Filters Need to Be Cleaned? In addition to dust accumulation and physical symptoms, there are some other signs that it’s time to clean your AC filters. Less air flowing out of the vents Higher utility bills Costly repairs Unusual sounds from the AC unit indicating that it is worker harder than normal Uneven temperatures in your home Unit runs more often to maintain the same temperature setting Mold colonies in your bathroom, on window sills and walls, and on fabrics, rugs and carpeting What Types of AC Filters Can You Clean? There are two general types of AC filters that the professionals at service for homes in Burbank and surrounding areas of California: permanent...

View Article

Read More

Air purifiers vs Dehumidifiers

January 21, 2021

When it comes to improving your Burbank home’s air quality, there’s far more involved than simply changing the temperature. The purity, relative humidity, and smell of the air are other qualities that you should be concerned about. That’s why devices such as air purifiers and dehumidifiers are so useful to help improve the quality of your home’s air. Of course, before you can put these devices into action, it’s important to understand what they do. That’s why the HVAC professionals at offer this guide covering the differences between air purifiers and dehumidifiers. What Is an Air Purifier? Typically, an air purifier refers to a device that cleans the air throughout your entire home. Some air purifiers are smaller so that they can be used in a single room. No matter how large an air purifier is, though, it typically has three stages to remove the maximum amount of contaminants. The first stage of an air purifier is a HEPA-type filter. These are physical filters that have tightly wound fibers that capture a large majority of contaminants. The second stage of an air purifier utilizes activated charcoal that has a static charge. Thanks to this static charge, any small contaminants that...

View Article

Read More

What Are The World Health Organization Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality?

June 12, 2020

The World Health Organization is an agency of the United Nations that focuses on public health from an international perspective. The WHO is among the leading organizations that recognizes indoor air pollution as a major health concern for most countries. Since it’s more concentrated, indoor air pollution is often at higher levels than outdoor air pollution. This presents serious health risks not just in homes but daycare centers, schools, offices, public buildings, healthcare facilities and so forth. In order to aid residents and organizations improve the air in their indoor environments, the WHO has developed and maintains indoor air quality guidelines, which are currently presented across four publications. Four Sets of WHO IAQ Guidelines The core publication for the WHO guidelines is titled “WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter, Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide.” It was originally published in 1987, and the WHO published a second edition in 2005. All guidelines are updated on an annual basis, and subsequent editions reflect major changes to the structure and other aspects of a guide. In 2009, the WHO published “Dampness and Mould,” which focuses specifically on microbes that are byproducts of mold, fungi and bacteria. In 2010, “Selected Pollutants” was...

View Article

Read More

The Best Air Purifiers For Germs

April 15, 2020

The same thing happens every time someone gets a cold or the flu in your household. You do everything you can to avoid catching what they have. Have you ever considered how the air quality in your home can help prevent you from getting sick? Your HVAC system is an important line of defense as it circulates air through your home, hopefully removing bacteria, viruses, and other germs in the process. When is the last time you thought about your air purifier? If you are like most people, you probably only think about your air quality while you are replacing or cleaning your air filters. However, a new air purifier can actually improve the health of you and your family in your house. The following are some of the best air purifiers available today when it comes to removing unwanted germs and microorganisms from your air. Medify MA-14 This device features medical-grade purification thanks to the H13 true HEPA filter installed in it. This filter goes above and beyond the basic guidelines of filtration to remove 99.7% of the particulate from the air where it is working. This means on top of viruses and germs, the filter can help with...

View Article

Read More

11 Tips For Better Indoor Air Quality

March 19, 2020

Most people spend a disproportionate amount of time inside a building. While the outdoor air quality gets a lot of attention, what we breathe inside is often neglected. Considering how much time people spend breathing inside, the quality of that air should be of utmost importance. Consider these 11 simple tips for improving your indoor air quality: 1. Improve Your Ventilation One of the most important and easiest things to do is improve ventilation. Whether that is opening windows or turning on ventilation fans, moving old air out and drawing in fresh new air is important. This helps improve the balance of gases in the air while reducing the buildup of toxins and allergens inside. Running ventilation fans in the kitchen and bathroom is important. This cuts back on allergens in the air and helps keep humidity under control, reducing mold and mildew. 2. Change Your Filters Everyone knows that you are supposed to change your furnace filters. Doing so helps maintain the right volume of air coming from your circulation fan and reduces the strain on your furnace and air conditioner. However, regardless of how long they are supposed to last, check your filters regularly. When they get clogged,...

View Article

Read More

How To Improve Indoor Air Quality Naturally

February 5, 2020

There are several things you can do to naturally improve the air quality in your home in Thousand Oaks. Many of these cost little or nothing to accomplish. These tips will help your indoor environment’s air quality and provide relief to those with allergies. Keep It Clean Clean houses will have fewer pollutants floating around in the air. You should vacuum carpets once or twice a week using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. Hard surfaces should be mopped or wiped to remove dust and dirt. If you own or buy a microfiber mop, all you’ll need is plain water to clean these surfaces. You should put a floor mat outside every exterior door. This will reduce the number of chemicals and pollutants people track inside. If you buy a large mat, people can leave their shoes on it when entering your home. Ventilate You need good airflow to have good indoor air quality. Stagnant air should be replaced with fresh air. Leave your windows and doors open when you can. If you live in a crowded city, you may need to time this carefully so you’re not letting in dirty air. Keep Your Filters Clean You should regularly...

View Article

Read More