We are familiar with the notion that technology is a two-edged sword. Nevertheless, outside textbooks, we fail to pay heed to such statements. In reality, it’s a perplexing concept that we cannot track in our day-to-day life. Take the HVAC system as an example, you may not know, but an ill-maintained HVAC system has a toll on your family’s health. The cost of lousy HVAC maintenance is more than high electricity bills. You and your family have to pay with their health, and it’s something you cannot take lightly. Hence, let’s discuss how a poorly maintained HVAC impacts your health.
What’s A Poorly Maintained HVAC?
Before we get into the nitty gritty of how poorly maintained HVAC can make you sick. Let’s discuss what classifies as a poorly maintained HVAC in the first place. When you haven’t cleaned or replaced components of your HVAC for more than a year, the HVAC unit starts to slip into the poorly maintained zone. Poor maintenance puts your HVAC at the risk of an imminent fiasco. Everything plays a role in the impending system failure, from filthy air filters to possible refrigerant leaks.
Breeding Ground For Microbes:
A poorly maintained HVAC features dirty and clogged air filters. These are breeding grounds for microbes and spores. Eventually, these filters shed their weight by releasing microbes, spores, and dust into the air. Note that filters are meant to purify, but here they do the exact opposite, an absolute role reversal. That’s the difference regular maintenance can make. All of this translates to lower air quality and more susceptibility to allergies and respiratory illness. Your family may experience frequent asthma attacks, coughing, headaches, and itchy eyes. Lower air quality can be quite devastating for the elderly and infants.
Dehydration:
HVAC systems alter the moisture level in your home. Hence, if you don’t pay particular attention to the moisture level in your residence, you are in for a rough patch. If the moisture levels drop below 30%, you may experience dehydration symptoms, such as dry skin, itchy eyes, and cold-like symptoms. Therefore, keep the moisture level within the recommended limit of 30 to 50 percent. You may use a humidifier to help you maintain the moisture levels.
Refrigerant Leaks:
Refrigerant works best when it’s contained within pipes, and a leak can be pernicious to the health of residents. Inhaling refrigerant can cause headaches, dizziness, respiratory discomfort, and nausea. Hence, it’s better to patch up the lines as soon as you encounter the following telltale signs of a refrigerant leak:\
- Hissing sound.
- Substantially lower cooling.
- Ice on refrigerant pipes.
Conclusion:
A poorly maintained HVAC induces symptoms that are quite similar to the common cold or stress-related illness. However, once you spend some time away from the HVAC, your symptoms start to get better. On the contrary, spending more time in an HVAC conditioned environment will worsen your symptoms. Nevertheless, you won’t have to encounter them in the first place if you opt for regular HVAC maintenance from Crump A/C and Heating. Call us at (281) 533-9200 for more information.