How Your Heating and Cooling System Affects Air Quality

A heating and cooling system is used to keep the air in a home at a comfortable temperature. These systems are designed to control the interior temperature of a home and the humidity. Heating and cooling systems remove excess moisture from the air.

The heating and cooling process should remove moisture, but if the humidity level is too high, this process can actually add more moisture to the air, causing the air quality in your home to suffer.

Today, we will look at how your heating and cooling system can affect your indoor air quality.

Here’s what you need to know:

How Heating and Cooling Systems Work

Heating and cooling systems are not created equally. Some systems have a more powerful compressor. This is the component that helps to remove moisture from the air. Other systems have a weaker compressor, and their ability to remove moisture is limited.

The type of heating and cooling system you have can play a big role in the indoor air quality of your home. If your system is a powerful one, it will be able to remove excess moisture from the air better.

How Air Quality Can Be Affected by a Heating and Cooling System

Now that we know how a heating and cooling system works, we can discuss how the system affects air quality. One of the biggest ways a heating and cooling system can cause indoor air quality problems is by adding excess moisture to the air.

If your system does not remove all the moisture from the air, it can add a layer of moisture to your home. This layer can cause mould and mildew to grow inside your home. It can also make the air feel humid and cause a damp odour inside your home.

Important Things to Watch Out For:

Leaky Ducts Can Lead to Infiltration

It’s common for leaky ducts to go unnoticed until they create a serious problem. If you spot excessive condensation, have mould growth or find water on the floor, your ducts may be leaking. These leaks can lead to infiltration. Infiltration is the flow of exterior air into your home through small cracks and leaks around your foundation.

Duct Leaks Can Cause Back-Drafting

Back-drafting is the flow of air from your heating and cooling system into your home’s living space. This can cause the air quality to suffer. If your heating and cooling system is back-drafting, it’s a problem that should be addressed quickly. Back-drafting can be dangerous for your family’s health.

When air is leaky, it will not meet the moisture and temperature needs of the home. When your heating and cooling system is back-drafting, it will draw in exterior air, and this air will be unfiltered. This is a serious hazard for your family and should be addressed immediately.

System Inefficiency Can Result in Humidity Issues

A heating and cooling system can remove a good amount of moisture from the air but be inefficient at removing that moisture from the home. This can lead to excessive humidity and cause your home to have an unpleasant odour.

The Bottom Line

The quality of your indoor air can be affected by your heating and cooling system. Whether your system is inefficient or your ducts are leaking, it’s important to have your heating and cooling system serviced. This will help prevent indoor air quality issues and promote the health and safety of your family.

If you are looking for air conditioners in Calgary and Edmonton, we can help you. At Legacy, we specialize in HVAC systems for residential new home construction. We can also do the installation and replacement of furnaces, air conditioners, air cleaners, thermostats, humidifiers, and other HVAC products! Contact us today to learn more!