Whether or not you are a college basketball fan, March Madness hits us all. When it comes to basketball, most of us fill out brackets and watch the underdogs and favorites duke it out for supremacy. New heroes arise and teams fall by the wayside.
In a weird way, Spring is kind of like that too. In some places, flowers and plants are blooming and bursting back into life after a hard winter. In others, the flowers are falling. While the worst thing that happens with basketball is a busted bracket, the madness can hit air quality really hard.
Pollen counts and pollutants can become a big part of the morning news. All of these causes HVAC March madness as well, making your system work in overdrive. Doing our best to reduce pollution this time of year can help our air quality, both indoors and out.
Carpool if You Can
One of the biggest contributors to air quality that most of are utilizing every day is our car. Outside of hybrids, our cars put out plenty of emissions into the air that can exacerbate air quality concerns.
If possible, carpooling can reduce the number of cars on the road and minimize emissions in the air. While this may seem like it only will help outdoor air quality, it can also help your HVAC system as well.
The dirtier the outdoor air is, the easier it is for these pollutants to seep into your HVAC system, making it work harder to keep your indoor air quality high.
Stop Smoking Inside
This may seem like an obvious one but smoking indoors is terrible for your indoor air quality. While smoking isn’t a healthy habit at all for your lungs, making sure you smoke outside only can have a substantial impact on your air quality.
When you smoke inside, the smoke has nowhere to go but into your HVAC system. This means that all the pollutants and secondhand smoke tax your HVAC system, making it work harder to try and filter the air to give you a good indoor air quality.
It could also create issues deeper in your HVAC system, including your air vents, which could require even further cleaning and repair.
Keep Your Dehumidifier Clean
There is one bit of maintenance that isn’t very hard but it can have a big impact on your indoor air quality. As our seasons change, our dehumidifying systems often kick into overdrive, pulling moisture out of the air.
If left unchecked, dehumidifiers can fill up, stopping their function, or develop mold and other pollutants which can start seeping into your air.
Staying on top of the dehumidifier can be hard to remember but can have big results when it comes to keeping your air clean. Setting a reminder on your phone can remind you to stay on top of this task and keep everything running smoothly. While lots of things can go mad during March, your HVAC system shouldn’t be one of them.
Don’t let your HVAC suffer the consequences because you are watching your chances of winning your March Madness office pool slip away. If you have any questions about your indoor air quality or for servicing your HVAC system, please call one of our experts at Honest Abe’s Home Services at (573) 286-7540.
