If you were invited to choose five elements that you think would help you stay healthier at home or at work, what would you select?
If “HVAC maintenance” did not make your top five list, you are definitely not alone!
In fact, even though our furnace and air conditioning systems are responsible for providing and, to some degree, cleaning up the air we breathe, we rarely think of them as a health aid.
In this post, we talk about the role your HVAC system can play in helping you, your family or your workers stay healthy all year long.
Health Impact of a Poorly Maintained HVAC System
As Healthcare Facilities Today explains, proper and consistent HVAC maintenance may be the most essential player in the game of commercial indoor air quality.
Of course, having clean, oxygenated, toxin-free indoor air is important everywhere you go.
At home, impure air can disrupt your sleep, bring on allergies, weaken your immune system’s protective abilities and make you feel just awful in the balance.
At work, toxic indoor air can dampen your creativity, slow down your mental function, bring on headaches and drowsiness, cause irritability and increase worker sick days.
In institutions where clean air is particularly critical, such as research laboratories and hospitals, poor quality indoor air can literally take lives.
HVAC Technicians Named As “First Line of Defense” Against IAQ Health Issues
If ever there was an unsung hero in our modern society, it might just be the HVAC technician.
Today’s best and brightest HVAC professionals are highly educated, extensively trained, credentialed and licensed to be able to install, repair and service multiple configurations of HVAC systems for all makes, models, shapes and sizes.
This is why, in FacilitiesNet, HVAC technicians are cited as the “first line of defense” against poor indoor air quality in commercial and industrial settings.
Furthermore, the most important contribution an HVAC technician can make to safeguarding and improving the health of commercial and industrial workers is a simple routine preventative HVAC inspection and maintenance.
For most homeowners, this type of preventative inspection and maintenance service is generally performed annually. For older HVAC systems, it is sometimes wise to schedule semi-annual inspections to make sure major repairs or fire hazards are not brewing.
For hospitals, laboratories, industrial facilities and similar enterprises, the service may be done as often as quarterly, with more frequently air handler, air filter and air duct audits as needed.
Commercial entities that follow this type of strict HVAC preventative maintenance protocol are also likely to find favor with oversight organizations like OSHA and the EPA.
Health Impact of Regular HVAC Tune-Ups
Airborne toxins can impact health in mild or deadly ways. At one end of the spectrum, airborne pollen, pet dander or dust mites may trigger allergies or asthma attacks.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, continual exposure to recirculating airborne pollutants and toxins can contribute to more serious long-term health conditions like cancer, lung damage and kidney disease, as well as birth defects and developmental delays in infants and young children.
Other Perks of Regular HVAC Inspections & Maintenance
Improving indoor air quality to improve personal health may be the most compelling reason to schedule consistent HVAC inspections and maintenance service, but it is far from the only perk you receive when you make this type of routine maintenance an annual priority.
Over time, you may find your manufacturer’s warranty, your wallet and your stress levels are also benefitting from at least once-annual HVAC inspections and service.
1. Keep your new HVAC system in warranty
If you have an HVAC system that is still under warranty, you may be surprised when you read the fine print to discover that scheduling periodic routine HVAC inspections and preventative maintenance tune-ups is a requirement for using your warranty.
2. Save on energy costs
A clean and well-maintained HVAC system isn’t going to need to pull as much power to do the same job and will thus help you save money on the weighty seasonal energy costs in summer and winter.
3. Save on repair bills
When you make time for a preventative maintenance inspection and tune-up, your HVAC technician has the opportunity to make small adjustments and repairs to prevent future major repair jobs. If there is a major repair brewing or your HVAC system is nearing the end of its useful life, this also gives you the opportunity to plan ahead and budget toward that need.
4. Extend the life of your HVAC system
Speaking of useful life, did you know that scheduling annual HVAC inspections and tune-ups can actually help your HVAC units last longer? Less wear and tear on your system always works out to equal more longevity.
5. Reduce the risk of a fire
Every year, thousands of homes and businesses across Canada are impacted by one of the most terrifying things that can ever happen—fire.
Often, these fires are started by sparking, leaking, malfunctioning equipment. Sometimes, that equipment may be the HVAC system.
There are many ways that a poorly maintained or neglected HVAC system can trigger a fire. From flammable debris allowed to collect on or around the unit to degraded circuitry to inroads made by burrowing insects or gnawing rodents, only a hands-on visual inspection and tune-up can detect small issues that may turn into a devastating fire.
6. Promote better sleep
Would you like to get more and better sleep at night? Statistics show as many as 98 percent of adults surveyed feel like clean, oxygenated air is essential to sleep quality!
Get in Touch
When was the last time your home or workplace HVAC unit was inspected, cleaned and tuned up? If it has been more than a year or you aren’t sure, we can help!
Contact us online or give us a call at 905-549-4616.