At one time or another (and sometimes way too often), we all accumulate dust in our Minneapolis area homes. Besides being annoying, dust in the home can actually harm your health and property – including your HVAC equipment. Of course dust is found everywhere – but what is it exactly?
What is dust?
Your household’s specific “recipe” is unique. It depends upon the climate, your house’s age, construction and number 
of inhabitants and pets – combined with your cooking, cleaning and tobacco usage habits. Dust/dirt is a combination of shed skin and hair, animal dander, decomposed insects, cooking debris/food crumbs, clothing lint and other fabric fibers, soot, and even lead and chemical residue. Basically, it’s icky, as noted in the Time reporting of a recent Canadian dust study.
How Dust in the Home Harms Your HVAC System and Your Health
When grime gets into HVAC equipment, it can cause excessive wear, requiring early system replacement or frequent repairs. It also makes your heating and cooling system work harder to push air through clogged filters and/or partially blocked ducts. Burnt residue causes unpleasant odors and, under extreme conditions, large amounts in high-density are a fire hazard. In addition, indoor air quality issues are caused by circulating dirt and allergens. Your family can experience allergy flareups and headaches, while airborne bacteria and chemicals can cause or worsen colds or lung ailments.
How to Control Dust in the Home
- Get professional HVAC maintenance: Your technician will clean, oil and inspect your furnace for any impending problems.
- Choose the right type and size of filter for your system: Get advice from your HVAC technician to ensure that you have the most efficient filter, which traps debris yet still allows proper airflow in your home.
- Replace the filter often: A clogged and dirty filter limits airflow, making your home less comfortable and placing stress on the equipment, causing fan burnout and more.
- Consider duct cleaning and sealing: Ask your HVAC contractor to inspect your duct system to determine if these steps are needed.
When you need professional indoor air quality and HVAC advice for controlling dust in the home, contact our local experts at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock