Oasis Heating, A/C & Refrigeration Blog : Archive for April, 2020

Air Quality COVID-19: Ensuring Healthy Air Quality in Your Home

Thursday, April 30th, 2020

As a professional team of HVAC and indoor air quality experts, Oasis knows that we are living in uniquely challenging times. W also know that you are doing all you can to care for yourself and your family in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As an essential business, Oasis is ready to assist homeowners like you across Northern Virginia. If you find yourself needing immediate repairs, contact our team for emergency HVAC assistance. As you and your loved ones continue to practice social distancing, your home comfort and indoor air quality have never mattered more. As we spend more time indoors, the air quality, and temperature can make a difference in how you feel. 

5 Steps to Ensure Indoor Air Quality and Comfort

  • Keep The Air Circulating in Your Home – It’s important to keep the air circulating through your home to increase the volume of fresh and clean air. To do this, turn on the circulate feature on your thermostat to keep the air moving throughout your filtration system. This will ensure the air is flowing through the filter and getting cleaned more often. *If you have an iComfort® Ultra Smart Thermostat, check out this video to see how you can adjust your fan mode. 
  • Replace or Upgrade Your Air Filter – You should make sure to change your filters on a seasonal-basis to reduce the amount of allergens and dust in your air. Now is a great time to make sure your filter is clean. If your filter is not clean, consider an upgrade to a higher-efficiency filter. When looking at air filters, you should look at the MERV rating, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. This measures how successfully it filters pollutants. The higher the MERV rating, the higher the percentage of small-sized particles that are trapped by the filter. It is these fine-sized particles (smaller than 2.5 microns) that pass through our nose unfiltered and are known to possibly cause respiratory issues. It’s important to note that Lennox MERV16 filters contain a glass backing and should not be used to construct a mask, respirator or any application other than filtration associated with HVAC systems.
    • *High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are regarded as the gold standard in air filtration, because they’re usually in use at hospitals. They’re effective at trapping 99.97–99.99% of indoor pollutants, including pollen, pet dander and smoke in homes.
  • Get A Good Night’s Sleep – There’s a direct correlation between your body’s temperature and your sleep cycle. Research suggests that the ideal sleep condition sits between 60 – 67 degrees. If that seems on the cool side, there’s a reason: your core body temperature drops to a lower level during sleep. An overly warm temperature interferes with your brain’s messages that it’s time to get some shut-eye.
  • Adjust Your Temperature for Your Fitness Routine – As you’re practicing social distancing, you’re likely adjusting a majority of your daily routines, including how and where you exercise. Practicing traditional yoga calls for a temperature between 70 – 76 degrees, but you might want to raise or lower your thermostat by a few degrees depending on your personal preference. You also want to keep in mind your home’s humidity, airborne pollutants and even a general perception of how the air “feels.” A good HVAC system integrated with the right indoor air quality solutions lets you control all of these factors so that your workout leaves you feeling great inside and out.
  • Call the Professionals – Whether you have questions around upgrading your air filter, seasonal maintenance, repairing or replacing your air filter in Lorton VA and across Northern Virginia, our dealers are here for you. Before you try to correct a system error or make a purchase on your own, contact our team for an expert’s opinion. 

Call on Oasis and Lennox to Enhance Your Air Quality in Response to COVID-19

We know these are challenging times. If you need us, Oasis and Lennox are here to help in Lorton, VA, Alexandria, VA, Burke, VA and across Northern Virginia. We are fully committed to keeping your air, and your home, perfectly comfortable. Here’s to home.

*Based on in-duct testing that shows Healthy Climate® filters reduce airflow restriction. Greater restriction of airflow creates a greater load on a unit’s fan motor, increasing energy consumption.

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Here’s What Can Happen if You Aren’t Changing Your AC’s Air Filter Regularly

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020

A part of air conditioning and heating maintenance that we stress often is changing an HVAC system’s air filter regularly. As we come to the last month of summer, any air conditioner that has a clogged filter because it hasn’t been swapped out for a fresh one can start to cause multiple problems. Below are a few of the issues your AC might face if it still has an old filter.

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UV Lights and Your Air Conditioning System Post COVID-19

Saturday, April 18th, 2020

Could UV Lights In Your AC System Prevent COVID-19?

One of the important services that we provide for homes in Springfield and the surrounding areas is the installation of UV germicidal lights into the HVAC system. This is the most effective way to eliminate harmful biological pollutants from moving through the air of your home.

The ultraviolet radiation from these lights destroys bacteria, mold spores, viruses, and various other unhealthy microorganisms that could be linked to preventing the spread of influenza-like illnesses like COVID-19. This is particularly helpful during the hot and humid weather that we experience here, which encourages the development of mold.

However, there is another important job that UV germicidal lights perform—and it has to do with your air conditioner.  Microorganisms – particularly viruses, are so tiny that filters are mostly ineffective. The UV systems have been shown to reduce problematic molds and pathogens that are found within the HVAC system and drain pan that would otherwise be introduced and distributed throughout the envelope of the building.

The Moldy Air Conditioner Problem

If you ever notice a peculiar “moldy” smell coming from the vents of your home when the AC is running, or a smell like dirty socks, then your air conditioner has probably developed mold across its evaporator coil. Appropriately, this is often called “dirty sock syndrome.”

It’s no surprise that mold can start to develop here. Water condenses across the coil as it absorbs heat from the air. Most of the water drips off into a pan below, but in humid weather too much can accumulate and make it easy for mold to grow. Not only does this create an unpleasant smell and release spores into the air, but it also makes it harder for the AC to work efficiently.

How the UV Lights Figure Into The Prevention of Illnesses

When UV germicidal lights are integrated into an HVAC system, they are set so they shine directly onto the air conditioner’s evaporator coils. This kills off mold and viruses, and prevents these harmful substances from developing in future seasons. While UV Systems have not been specifically tested against COVID-19, they have been proven effective against similar pathogens, some that need an even greater dosage for inactivation than the coronavirus.

So if you are encountering trouble with a moldy air conditioning and “dirty sock syndrome,” call up indoor air quality and HVAC specialists to have UV lights installed. Our experts know that it is better to be safe than sorry when serving our loyal customers of northern Virginia.

 

Schedule your maintenance appointment today or fill out our online contact form.

“Great timely service. Knowledgable and neat techs. Good value.”

“Would absolutely use their services again. Arrived on schedule.”

-Springfield, VA

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A Reminder about Changing Your HVAC System Air Filter This Winter

Tuesday, April 14th, 2020

Whether you use a furnace (electric or gas) or a heat pump to provide cozy indoor temperatures for your family during the winter, you need to pay attention to an important maintenance task: regularly changing the air filter. A forced-air system like a furnace must draw air from inside the home to heat it and then send it out through the ventilation system. The filter prevents debris that the blower fan will draw in from the rooms from entering into the furnace or heat pump and damaging components. (It isn’t specifically designed to improve air quality, however. You need to install a special set of filters for that.)

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Is UV Light Installation Actually Worth It?

Saturday, April 11th, 2020

You have many options when it comes to filtrating your indoor air to make your home more comfortable, and your family healthier. Each type of air filtration system has its own method of removing pollutants from your air. Air filters are beneficial, but they can only do so much, and may not be fully effective for your needs. UV germicidal lights are an excellent addition to your indoor air quality devices. But is it really worth it?

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Why a Whole-House Dehumidifier Is a Better Option Than a Portable One

Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

Proper dehumidification for a home is often vital during the humid summers here in Virginia. If the humidity is balanced between 30% and 50%, it makes a significant difference in indoor comfort: the air can feel as much as 10°F cooler, and that often means you won’t need to rely on the air conditioner. Not only will you enjoy better comfort in summer, you’ll have reduced energy bills as well.

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Top Benefits of a UV Air Purifier Today

Saturday, April 4th, 2020

Spring is allergy season, and a few weeks ago we wrote about the best ways to prepare for it with indoor air quality installations for your home. One of those recommendations was a UV air purifier, which uses ultraviolet radiation to eliminate a wide range of organic pollutants.

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