Jacksonville HVAC: How to Prevent Allergies with HVAC System Maintenance Checklist

Having an HVAC system maintenance checklist is a wonderful thing in Jacksonville Florida. It keeps out the warm air while reducing the humidity inside your home. One other function it provides is allergy prevention. Many allergens are airborne, and a working HVAC unit helps keep those at bay. If you are having allergy issues, here are some maintenance tips and checklists to help stop that problem right in its tracks.

Use Quality AC Filters

 One surefire way to keep allergens down in your residence is to use high-quality air filters. These filters are the first defense against allergens entering your home through your Jacksonville HVAC system. There are filters with thick material that can be washed off, thinner disposable filters…whatever you choose to use, be sure that it has at least a MERV 8 rating so that it can trap microscopic particles. And be sure to check the filters monthly.

Get Rid of Debris Around Your HVAC Unit

 Allergies are usually caused by pollen, dust, mold, dander, and other things that can easily be brought in from outside. Your Jacksonville HVAC outdoor unit could be the cause of your constant allergies, and you wouldn’t even know. To help prevent the outdoor unit from blowing allergens into your home, be sure that any and all grass, weeds, dirt, and other debris are cleared from the area.

The same goes for your indoor unit. Dust can accumulate around your indoor HVAC unit as well. Be sure to thoroughly clean that area once a month at least.

Check for Mold

 Mold is never good, and unfortunately for our part of the country mold loves to grow here. Mold loves humidity, and Jacksonville has plenty of that. Because it thrives in moist environments, it tends to form in your Jacksonville HVAC unit’s ducts, condensers, and the air handler. As you are performing your cleaning duties for the month, do yourself a favor and check these spots for any mold build up. Unchecked mold will lead to allergies for sure, but it can also lead to various illnesses and even death. Small amounts can be tackled by you, but big mold issues need professional help from a reputable AC repair company like Elite AC LLC.

Dust Registers

 If you’re like most Jacksonville, FL, residents, you take the time to properly clean your home each week. This includes dusting. Well, unfortunately, most people don’t dust the registers or return vents for their HVAC units nearly enough, if at all. These vents circulate all the air in the HVAC system, so it’s important to keep them dust free. If you don’t, your home will be perpetually dusty. A damp rag will work great when cleaning these vents out. Once these have been cleaned, you’ll find that the dust mites and dust particles that have been causing allergies will have disappeared.

Clean Evaporator Coil

 One of the best things you can do for your HVAC system is to clean the evaporator coil on a yearly basis. There is an evaporator coil on both your AC and your heat pump. As mentioned before, mold is one of the main causes of allergies within a home. To prevent mold from forming on the coil in the future, invest in an ultraviolet lamp to shine on the coil.

Call Elite AC LLC

 To be sure that your HVAC unit is keeping out unwanted allergens from your home, you will need a reputable AC company in Jacksonville to come and inspect the entire system. Elite AC LLC is just what you’re looking for. Our technicians will look through your unit to see just how the entire system is working.