How to Prevent Viruses from Spreading in Your HVAC System

The recent COVID-19 crisis has compelled every household to take their cleaning and sanitation practices seriously. Each family has gone as far as disinfecting their houses using cleaning solutions with anti-microbial properties. Those who have gone out of the home have also disinfected themselves before getting in, and along with this is to practice frequent hand washing and other safety protocols.

Despite all these, have you ever wondered if the novel coronavirus can be transmitted via your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system? There’s no sufficient evidence yet supporting that the virus is more likely to spread in your system and affect the whole household. Yet, the possibility of it happening is still there. 

If you want to keep your property safe amid this pandemic, here’s how you can prevent the spread of the virus from affecting your HVAC system:

1. Install advanced filters with high efficiency 

As the name suggests, HVAC filters are meant to filter out dust, pollen, pet dander, and other small particles from the home’s air. These particles get trapped in this component and prevent them from being circulated at home. The ultimate purpose of this is to foster quality air circulation and promote good health. However, because of the novel coronavirus, it makes sense to invest in highly efficient filters. This is because they are more advanced and can trap more debris to keep your home’s air clean.

2. Invest in UV technology for your HVAC

Did you know that UV technology is designed and used to eliminate microorganisms? For instance, the UV system utilizes ultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill viruses and bacteria. For this reason, it’s best to invest in this technology to keep your HVAC free of any microbes, such as the novel coronavirus. When looking to clean and sanitize a home, including your heating and cooling systems, using this technology will make all the difference in protecting your family’s health.

3. Set high humidity and proper ventilation

According to recent research on the impact of humidity on the novel coronavirus and disease control, increasing indoor humidity levels actually help deactivate the virus. This is because an increased level moisturizes your mucous membranes to help your body fight the virus. Also, adding air moisture is more likely to destroy the virus’s outer membrane and stop the droplets from staying in the air. For this reason, installing humidification technology and having proper ventilation at home can boost your HVAC system efficiency!

4. Clean and sanitize your heating and cooling systems

Cleaning and sanitation are all the more crucial during the global pandemic. To be on the safe side, you must get a regular HVAC cleaning and disinfection to ensure that each component is free of any viruses. Whether it’s about your air conditioning unit or furnace, they must all be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. At the end of the day, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Conclusion

At this point, we’ve covered four mitigation strategies to combat the COVID-19 spread in your HVAC system. As outlined above, all it takes is to install higher efficiency filters, invest in UV technology, set high humidity and proper ventilation, and clean and sanitize your heating and cooling units. With all these in place, you can prevent the virus from circulating at home and impacting the whole household via your HVAC system.

We provide heating and air conditioning services in Edmonton, such as HVAC repair, replacement, and even installation. If you’re looking for HVAC maintenance, connect with us today to get a free quote!