Seasonal allergies in Napa, the flu, and the coronavirus share some common symptoms, and it can sometimes be difficult to tell which condition is causing sneezing, coughing, and other disruptive symptoms – it’s also difficult to know how to reduce your chances of suffering from those symptoms.
As of late, many people are worried that every single symptom they have could point to the flu or the coronavirus. Regardless of which malady is actually causing your discomfort, clean indoor air in Contra Costa is crucial to alleviating discomfort and diminishing your chances of falling ill to viral and bacterial infections.
Spring is the season for triggers of seasonal allergies, and symptoms can make it difficult to tell what your immune system is trying to ward off. If you find your nose running and itchy during the spring or fall, and it happens to you every year, it’s a good bet that seasonal allergies are the culprit. If it’s the middle of winter and influenza is running through your community, it’s a fair bet to assume that may be causing your symptoms. Although flu-like symptoms in warming weather may point to coronavirus, keep in mind that influenza is far more widespread. While seasonal allergy symptoms begin with your eyes and nose, influenza and the coronavirus firstly affect your entire body, especially your respiratory tract.
Can Air Purifiers and HVAC Filters Get Rid of Coronavirus?
Air purifiers are great – a standard HEPA filter is capable of trapping 99% of the germs floating around in a home, which is excellent news for those with allergies and asthma. Unfortunately, viruses like COVID-19 are much smaller than most other viruses and bacteria, which makes them much more difficult to trap.
The Coronavirus is believed to be an airborne illness, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers has offered resources to address the recent outbreak. Many manufacturers of HEPA filters are testing their products against coronavirus and so far, the results are overall promising. It’s important to keep in mind that while air purifiers and HVAC filters may be effective at reducing airborne pathogens like COVID-19 in the home, they do not kill the pathogens. Filters trap them, but the viruses won’t be killed – they will remain alive inside the filter for up to nine days.
The Key to Reducing Your Chances of Falling Ill to Coronavirus
Since COVID-19 is an airborne illness that can remain alive and active on surfaces for more than a week, it’s critical that your indoor air is run through your HVAC filter on a regular basis to trap pathogens and get them out of the air. Be sure to change your filters often, too. Even though the virus can remain active within your filters and air purifiers, taking the virus out of your home’s air supply and halting the airborne exchange is vital to maintaining a healthy indoor environment. This is beneficial not just for those trying to keep influenza and coronavirus at bay, but also for those who suffer from seasonal environmental allergies.
Not every filter is suitable for every HVAC system, however, and you do not want to purchase a super-mega industrial filter for your system if your HVAC is not designed for it. If you install a filter that is too dense and “too effective” for your system, proper airflow will be disrupted, and you can cause some major, expensive damage to your furnace and/or air conditioner in Contra Costa.
If you need help choosing the best air filter to help reduce the amount of bacteria, allergens, viruses, and other pathogens in your indoor air, contact our heating and air experts in Solano today. Our Napa HVAC professionals can help you choose the best products to effectively clean your indoor air without posing a risk to the integrity of your heating and cooling system.
We can also perform indoor air quality checks and perform repairs and maintenance on your system as well to make sure your air stays at peak quality all season long. Contact us today to request an appointment with one of our professionals and stay healthy this year.
