If you notice your health deteriorating or your symptoms becoming more severe in your Auburn, California, home, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning or HVAC system could be the culprit. You may not know this, but without regular tune-ups and at least twice-yearly maintenance service, your HVAC system could experience problems that reduce your indoor air quality and result in the development or worsening of allergy symptoms and other health conditions. Here, Spoor's Heating & Air Conditioning discusses four ways your HVAC system can negatively affect your health and well-being.
Do you have concerns about the quality of your indoor air? Call our HVAC repair company today to request indoor air quality services for healthy, clean, and fresh air that helps keep you healthy and symptom-free, no matter the season!
Poor Indoor Air Quality
Perhaps the most significant way your HVAC system could affect your health is poor indoor air quality. Systems that are poorly maintained, inefficient, old, worn out, and unrepaired typically produce conditioned air of poor quality, resulting in effects on the health of those breathing in the air. Indoor air quality, or IAQ, is the quality of the air both inside and around residential and commercial structures and buildings.
IAQ can be determined based on several factors, and should your IAQ be low or poor, you can develop severe health effects, recurring system breakdowns, higher monthly utility costs, and the need to replace your HVAC system before the end of its expected functional lifespan. Poor indoor air quality can result in cancer, headaches, shortness of breath, sore or swollen throat, sinus issues, dizziness or lightheadedness, irritated mucous membranes, constant fatigue, coughing, sneezing, worsening allergy symptoms, flu-like symptoms, and heart disease, among other symptoms.
Increased Indoor Humidity Levels
Your HVAC system does more than just cool or heats your indoor air. It also helps regulate and control how humid the conditioned air is. If your indoor air is too dry and there is not enough moisture in the air, you might find yourself feeling itchy and uncomfortable. Without adequate humidity in the air, your skin will begin to feel itchy and dry. However, if your indoor air has an excess of humidity, it can create a damp indoor environment where you can find it feels harder to breathe normally, you have increased and more severe allergy symptoms and mold and mildew grow and spread. Like the outdoor environment, your indoor environment requires a certain level of homeostasis and balance to function properly.
Growth Of Mold & Mildew
Speaking of mold and mildew, indoor environments that are warm and damp with humidity levels that are too high make an ideal breeding ground. A residential or commercial building that is too moist or damp can create the right environment for mold and mildew growth and spread, as can a poorly maintained or faulty HVAC system. Beyond the unsightly appearance of mold, mold levels that are too high in any indoor environment can result in the development or worsening of allergy symptoms and breathing difficulties.
This can be particularly dangerous for individuals with severe breathing issues, asthma, lower immune systems, and other conditions made worse by increased levels of mold and mildew. Regular HVAC maintenance and tune-ups can help combat the presence of mold and mildew to keep your home dry and your air quality high!
Drastic Changes In Temperature
What does the conditioned air in your home or commercial structure feel like? Does the indoor temperature go from feeling boiling hot to icy cold in just a matter of hours? Are you tired of dealing with drastic changes to the temperature of your indoor air and the health consequences it produces? If your indoor temperature rises and drops frequently on a regular basis, this is a clear sign of a problem with your HVAC system.
Not only are these inconsistencies uncomfortable, but these swings in temperature can put additional stress on your body and immune system, increasing your risk of becoming infected with colds, cases of flu, and even heat stroke. The best way to avoid these health consequences and to improve the consistency and reliability of your indoor temperature is with regular HVAC maintenance and prompt repairs whenever they are required. Call Spoor's Heating & Air Conditioning to get started!