News / Green
Clean Air Ducts Creates Better Buildings and Healthier Occupants
An air duct system in a home or office provides recirculation of not only air, but particles that float in the air. These particles consist of dead skin cells (humans and pets) fragments, pollen, carpet fibers, fiberglass fibers, carbon based particulate, mold, bacteria, etc….
Pollution levels are often higher indoors than outside. The EPA estimates that the indoor levels of many pollutants are 2—5 times higher, and on occasion, 100 times higher than outdoor levels.
According to the EPA, most Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors. No wonder people are concerned with the quality of the air we breathe when inside buildings. Pollution levels are often higher indoors than outside. The EPA estimates that the indoor levels of many pollutants are 2—5 times higher, and on occasion, 100 times higher than outdoor levels. Because of this, the EPA ranks indoor air as one of the top five environmental threats to human health. Where do all these contaminants come from?
Airborne Contaminants:
An air duct system in a home or office provides recirculation of not only air, but particles that float in the air. These particles consist of dead skin cells (humans and pets) fragments, pollen, carpet fibers, fiberglass fibers, carbon based particulate, mold, bacteria, etc…. Once build-up occurs in the dark, temperate and moist environments of an air handler and associated ductwork the risk of mold/bacteria growth increases exponentially.
Every time the fan motor turns on for heat or cooling, it agitates a portion of the contaminates on the surface sending them back into the breathing zone of the office or home. Your HVAC system is designed to change the air every 15 minutes.
For example: a 3000 square foot home or office with 8 foot ceiling has 24,000 cubic feet of air. Every hour 96,000 cubic feet that can become potentially displaced with airborne containments.
Indoor environmental studies show that a typical indoor environment has as many as 850 mold spores per cubic meter, 20 pollen spores per cubic meter and 30,000 opaque particles per cubic meter. This is an alarming number considering that we spend 90% of our time indoors. With the alternating high and low humidity conditions which regularly occur in air conditioning air handler and associated ducts during air conditioner operation, mold and bacteria will grow, spread, produce spores and distribute the spores throughout a home or office. Mold and bacteria contamination in air conditioning system can pose serious problems.
Occupant Symptoms:
Occupant symptoms relating to poor indoor air quality (IAQ) may include: sneezing, wheezing, headaches, lethargic, respiratory irritation, eye irritation, coughing, asthmatic episode, etc…Many times the foreign allergens causing allergy type symptoms are a direct result of the invaded HVAC system.
Therapeutic Benefits of HVAC Cleaning:
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLB) “it is desirable to identify and remove common allergens and modify the home or office to reduce the level of ubiquitous (common) allergens.” Cleaning out the accumulation of nutrient rich material in your air ducts is an essential strategy for maintaining good indoor air quality in your home or offices providing marked therapeutic benefit for the home and/or office occupants.
The professional staff at Building Remediation Sciences a division of Pure Air Control Services has performed cleaning of HVAC systems for over 24 years encompassing over 10,000 facilities in over 500 million square feet in over four countries including the US. The firm is NADCA certified and has provided professional cleaning for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), General Services Administration (GSA), Kings Bay Naval Base, Walt Disney World, Carrier Air Conditioning, among many others.
Contact Cy Garner at 1-800-422-7873 ext 804 for a free estimate or for more information on professional duct cleaning services.
