How Your Reliable AC Repair Company Can Help You Prevent Dust Mites | Lewisville, TX
If you have an air conditioner at your home, you may understand the critical role the filters play in ensuring that your home has great indoor air quality. The IAQ directly impacts the level of comfort in your home. Hence, you want to ensure that you have good indoor air quality. Unfortunately, contaminants such as dust mites threaten that. Have you realized a sudden uptick in allergy cases at your Lewisville, TX home or office? That is a sign that indoor air quality has taken a toll. Are you sneezing, coughing, wheezing, or have teary eyes every time you are at your home? You should have an AC repair company inspect your AC to determine if there are contaminants like mold. Continue reading to clarify doubts about dust mites and how your technician can help you deal with them.
Dust Mite? What Are They?
Dust mites are tiny, microscopic bugs that are relatives of spiders and ticks. They eat skin cells that people shed and thrive in humid, warm environments. They could hide, thrive and breed in your upholstered furniture, bedding, and carpeting. They are among the leading reasons for the high number of home allergies. But how can an AC repair company help deal with dust mites? Well, as you will see later, there are several steps that your AC repair technician can help with to keep them at bay. But before then:
What Are Issues Caused by Dust Mites?
The main effect of duct and dust mites is an allergic reaction. Signs that dust mites infest your home include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and coughing. Pollen, mold, and pet dander can also trigger these allergies. But where will they come from? These contaminants find their way into your home via the air ducts and are a sign that you should replace the filters or have an AC repair company clean the air ducts.
Preventing Dust Mites
You could be asking yourself, how can I protect my family and myself from the accumulation of dust mites at my home and subsequent effects? Well, worry no more. Together with your reliable AC repair company in Lewisville, TX, there are several steps you can take to prevent any accumulation of these dust mites at your home, including:
Regularly Changing HVAC Filters
The role of air filters is filtering or removing contaminants from the air. These contaminants include grime, debris, and dust from the perspective before it is distributed throughout your home. by the very nature of their work, the filters become clogged with dirt. When this happens, the system will work harder to blow air, resulting in higher energy consumption, increased wear and tear, and reduced indoor air quality. The clogging creates favorable conditions for the growth of dust mites. It is for this reason that your reliable AC repair company will advise you to replace your filters after every 1-3 months or even less if you have pets.
Upgrading Filter Type
What is your air filter’s MERV rating? You might want to confirm with your AC repair company during the next repair visit if you don’t know. To effectively combat or prevent dust mites, it is recommended that you install an air filter that has a higher MERV rating. The current MERV ratings start from 1, being the lowest, to as high as 16. If the air filter has a MERV rating of 13-16, it is perfect for catching those allergen particles. Due to the difficulty of airflow through certain designs with criss-cross patterns, they will also block airflow and cause problems. Additionally, some less expensive filters are constructed from cardboard, which might restrict airflow.
You also should consider the filter density when choosing an air filter. For instance, a media filter, called a four-inch filter, will be more effective than a one-inch filter against smells and particles. In contrast, a high MERV-rated air filter with a density greater than one inch will limit airflow and increase static pressure. Static pressure develops when air filters and ducts have resistance to airflow. Static pressure is typically caused by filters that are clogged with debris. Hence, consult your technician before choosing an air filter.
HVAC Maintenance
Air conditioning service from a reliable AC repair company is essential in ensuring that the heating and cooling system works efficiently. The preventative maintenance includes cleaning the air ducts and coils, replacing the filters, and unclogging the drain pan. This ensures that the grime, pollen, dust, and mold don’t impact indoor air quality. Some of these services will help reduce allergens and dust mites in your indoor air.
Regulating Humidity Level
The other factor that could contribute to the increase in dust mites in your home is high humidity. As explained above, these contaminants thrive in hot, humid environments. Hence, you might notice an accumulation during the summer. High humidity also increases other allergens like mold, pests, and mildew. Although your air conditioner also helps regulate the indoor humidity levels, if the moisture levels are too high, you should call an AC repair company in Lewisville, TX, and have them install a whole-home dehumidifier. However, since too low humidity also results in various issues, it is good to have the technicians set the dehumidifier and AC to the recommended humidity levels.
Duct Cleaning
When was the last time you had a duct cleaning service? If you cannot recall and an AC repair company hasn’t inspected the air ducts recently, you should immediately call a technician for an inspection and cleaning. Depending on the location of your home, you can clean your ducts after every two years. Professional duct cleaning will improve the IAQ, facilitate a cleaner home, and enhance HVAC performance.
Prevent Dust Mite Infestation with Routine HVAC Maintenance
You must protect your home from dust mites as they harm your health. Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas for an air conditioning service to keep the dust mites at bay.
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