Unfortunately, fall is prime time for allergies in the Los Angeles area, as a variety of weeds release their pollen in the fall to produce more weeds in the following year. If you suffer from fall allergies, taking a step in bettering your indoor air quality can greatly reduce your symptoms.
Using the proper air filter for your HVAC system can provide you with the air quality that you need to breathe comfortably.
Your allergies are much more than just the obvious runny nose, sniffling and sneezing. When you are going through a round of symptoms, what is actually happening is your body’s immune system is trying to protect you from allergens.
With prolonged or repetitive exposure to allergens, the time it takes for your body to respond and the amount of irritants needed to trigger that response can both decrease. These decreases will increase how often and possibly how severely you experience your allergy symptoms.
Proper air filtration can aid in alleviating your fall allergies by cleaning up the indoor air quality. Generally, air filters rated from MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) 7 to 12 are effective in removing most of not only the pollen we experience in our area, but even smaller particles that may be contaminating your indoor air quality.
High efficiency particulate air filters, known as HEPA filters, contribute to enhanced air quality by trapping most airborne allergens. HEPA filters can capture nearly 100 percent of particles in the air, including pollen, mold spores, dust and pet dander. Although HEPA technology is top rated for trapping allergens, few homes have HVAC systems that can accommodate them due to the density of the filters. Special modifications to the systems must be made so that air flow is not reduced. If you want HEPA filtration, your best bet may be a portable air cleaner that has a HEPA filter; these can be moved from room to room as needed.
Around the Clock Heating and Air Conditioning can provide you with the assistance that you need to learn more about air filtration. Since 1967, we’ve furnished the Los Angeles area with HVAC services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about fall allergies and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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