The infamous “allergy season” in the United States usually begins in February during early spring and lasts through the humid, hot summer season. This is when people start to experience the worst cases of stuffy nose, endless rounds of sneezing, and ear congestion.
What are the potential triggers for allergies? Some would say pollen, and some would say peanuts. But did you know that your home’s AC could also be a potential trigger?
It may not be common. However, the usual allergens like microbial contaminants and other allergens could enter through the AC.
So what exactly is in the air conditioner that makes you feeling itchy and sneezy? Read on to know more!
What Are Allergens?
Any substance that has the ability to trigger your allergies to cause a reaction is defined as an allergy. The most common allergens that affect people every day are pollen, dust, pet dander, and so on.
However, anything and everything can trigger an allergic reaction.
Seasonal allergies that occur through the summer are mostly caused by pollen. However, if your allergy exists all year-round, there is a chance your allergy might be caused by animal dandle, mites, and molds.
The only way to effectively manage your allergies is by keeping your indoors clear of the allergens.
What Are The Common Indoor Allergens?
If you are more of a couch potato who loves staying in but still has allergic reactions frequently, there is a good chance you are getting triggered by the following indoor allergens.
- Hair
- Feathers
- Fur
- Houseplants
- Dust
- Dirt
- Mold spores
- Pollen
- Pet rodents
- Animal dander (from both dogs and cats)
- Dust mites
- Cockroaches
- Fabrics
- Microorganism
What Are The Signs Of Seasonal Allergies?
The most prominent signs of seasonal allergies include:
- Sneezing
- Watery eyes
- Runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Sore throat
- Postnasal drip
- Wheezing
- Eczema
- Seasonal dermatitis (a condition where you experience severe rashes when your skin comes in direct contact with the allergen)
- Allergy attack (where your eyes are itchy and your face is swollen)
How Does Your Air Conditioner Affect Your Allergies?
By now, you should be aware of all the potential allergy triggers and allergy reactions.
You can try a million ways to keep your home free of these allergens, but if you have an AC at home, there will always be a way for the allergens to enter.
This is because the air inside your house usually passes through a heating/cooling system, and this happens almost 5 to 7 times every day. Therefore, there is always a good chance of you coming into contact with the allergens.
By breathing the air in, you can experience a wild bout of sneezing, coughing, and other typical allergic reactions.
What Are The Common Allergens That Pass Through The Air Conditioning Unit?
Even though all types of allergens can spread through your air conditioning unit, there are a few specific allergens that affect people the most. They are as listed below:
Pollen
As mentioned before, pollen is the most common allergen, especially during the season of allergies. It is a finely powdered element that is produced by trees, flowers, and grass that spread through all spring and summer.
Since they are an extremely fine powder-like substance, they can easily slip through the crack of the AC’s filters and get distributed to all the other rooms as well.
Dust mites
In simple terms, these are insect-like pests that are not visible to the naked eye, thanks to their microscopic size. If you are prone to asthma attacks, dust mites can trigger very mild to severe allergic reactions.
These pests usually thrive in fabric, including carpets, pillows, curtains, blankets, and so on.
Pet Dander
Be it a cat or a dog, if you have a furry little friend at home, you can suffer allergic reactions caused by pet dander.
Pet dander consists of small amounts of animal fur with tiny specks of dead and dry animal skin.
Mold
Mold and mildew usually release harmful toxins that can flare up your allergies and take them to a whole new level.
These fungi grow in warm, humid conditions like pipes, windows, AC’s, heating units, and so on. However, you can also find these growing under your carpets and other fabric upholstery.
Why Do You Need Good Air Filters?
The good news is that most air conditioning units today come with air filters. While traditional air filters or poor-quality air filters will keep your house hot or cool, they will not do a great job of keeping out harmful allergens and other similar contaminants.
Listed below are a few good air filters that you can install in your air conditioning unit using air conditioning repair companies near me.
Pleated Air Filters
These types of air filters are the most common filters found in air conditioners today.
These filters are made of a folded media, usually made with high-quality polyester or cotton material.
By pleating the media, you will be giving more surface area for the air filters while maintaining continuous airflow. Most people who are susceptible to mold and mildew allergies use pleated air filters because they can easily capture microscopic particles and also do not support the growth of bacteria.
Electrostatic Filters
Unlike other air filters, this model is a washable panel used in all modern air conditioning units.
Made with thin paper fibers or self-charging cotton material, the electrostatic filter can attract every indoor impurity and can trap allergens like dust, dust, and other debris.
Moreover, these filters also have a high MERV rating that makes them extremely effective in trapping indoor allergens.
HEPA Filters
High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters (also known as HEPA filters) have a stunning capability of trapping and eliminating 99.97% of all indoor allergens that are larger than 0.3 microns.
This includes pollen, dust, mold, and bacteria.
How To Maintain Your Air Conditioner
Whether you want to buy a brand new air conditioning unit or have an old unit, the air filter will not perform well without the proper maintenance.
Therefore, when you are in the process of installing a high-quality air filter, you will also have to talk to the HVAC service to see what are the steps you need to take to keep your air filter as clean as a whistle.
Practice Cleaning Your Air Ducts Regularly
When you have first purchased a new AC, your air filter will be free of dust and dirt. However, over time, these filters can collect dust, pollen, and other contaminants that can cause allergies.
In order to clean this, you will need an experienced HVAC technician for AC service. Make sure to have them cleaned once every three years and perform HVAC maintenance regularly.
Clean The Area Around Your AC
To keep airborne contaminants at bay, you will need to regularly clean the area around your unit as well. This will help keep both outdoor and indoor allergies away from your home.
Change Your Air Filter
Even the fanciest air filter will be useless if it frequently gets clogged up with nasty air contaminants.
Therefore, it is best advised to clean out your air filter once every 60 days. This should be done even more regularly (once every 30 days) if you have furry friends running inside your living room.
Wrapping Up
In order to keep your home and living space free of allergens, you will need a high-quality air conditioning unit. That’s why our team of experienced HVAC technicians at Dial1Plumbing provides perfect solutions to provide air conditioning repair for clean filtered air inside your house.
If you think it is time for a monthly AC unit check-up, reach out to our team of professional HVAC technicians and bid adieu to all your allergy flare-ups!