Addressing Air Quality in Our Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
With the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, indoor air quality for homeowners has become more important than ever. Without proper filtration and treatment of our air conditioning units, health risks increase exponentially. With the whole world being affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (resulting in the COVID-19 disease), it is more important than ever to take control and improve the quality of the air we are breathing inside of our homes.
What Causes Poor Air Quality?
The most common causes are mold, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and the transmission of biological contaminants such as viruses and bacteria. VOCs are the chemical odors and gases transmitted into the air every day via manufactured products. The trapping of these contaminants in your home causes a high concentration buildup, which leads to poor air quality. Modern homes are built more efficiently and “tighter” than older homes, which helps reduce energy bills by eliminating cooling and heating air leakage. This does, however, create an environment where any potential unwanted chemicals, allergens, or pollutants can become trapped in your home if not addressed. To combat this, we need to do all we can to dilute the concentration of these harmful contaminants.
First, we can embrace the great outdoors. Opening our doors and windows provides our homes with a steady flow of fresh air when temperatures allow. Many newer homes are built with fresh air intakes that help to “mix in” fresh air from the outside of our homes. Another way is to make sure that we are maintaining clean filters in our air conditioning units. Proper filtration is extremely important because it protects the efficiency of your air conditioning unit, but this alone is not enough. This only addresses one-third of the issue; the other two-thirds (viruses, mold, and bacteria) pass through your filters like sand through a tennis racket.
Indoor Air Quality Treatment
The good news is that there are products that address these issues. The APCO-X is an air treatment product that can be added in conjunction with your air conditioning unit to help address viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2 VIRUS. The APCO-X is designed to treat the airborne contaminants that end up passing through your filters within your air conditioning unit.
The APCO-X was tested for its ability to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus and was found to be extremely effective. In the third-party study titled “SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization by APCO-X From Fresh-Aire-UV,” according to the study abstract, the APCO-X is designed to deactivate viral pathogens in the air inside an environment likened to typical HVAC systems and ductwork. APCO-X achieved greater than a 99.99% neutralization in testing and performed as designed in the test.
More information about APCO-X research and testing can be found here: Coronavirus Update – Fresh-Aire UV.
— Alex Jordan
Frymire Home Services
Frymire Home Services understands the importance of quality air conditioning. We believe in educating and informing our customers to help them become experts in indoor air quality. To learn more about indoor air quality, visit our website at frymire.com or call us at 972-913-2881 to schedule an appointment with one of our licensed technicians.
