Summertime is that period of the year when our indoor air quality is at its lowest, and why having a good AC system with effective filters can make such a huge difference to your quality of life. So, what, specifically, creates this poorer air quality? Below we have the five principal reasons.

1. In the summertime, everything is so much dryer. As a consequence, the air is naturally more polluted with particulate matter, whether it is man-made fumes such as petrol exhaust, or natural wind-blown dust and pollen. Without the dampening effect of regular rain, these particles are free to get everywhere, including all four corners of your home.
2. Just prior to and during a summer storm, the wind will blow much more strongly, and with that more particles will be whipped up into the air, reducing air quality.
3. Depending on where you live, summer storms often follow a period of dry weather when vegetation can become tinder dry. With summer storms, one frequent element is lightning, which, when it strikes, can very easily set fire to the land, especially in forested areas. While the wind can then fan the flames, it also helps to spread the particles of ash for many, many miles around, together with smoke and other fumes.
4. If you have a good AC unit, indoor air quality will be heavily dependent on the air filter that is used. In the summer, because there are so many more particles in the air, your AC air filter will need changing far more often than in the wintertime. Failure to do so will not only put excess strain on your AC unit, but the quality of air flowing though your home will deteriorate.
5. Summer storms create a humid atmosphere, and this is the ‘perfect storm’ for mold spore creation. In rooms such as the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room where the air will always be slightly more humid anyway, mold can develop very easily if the air is not kept fresh and clean.

The solution to the problem of summer storms is to get your AC unit checked at the beginning of the season, and to make sure you always have a spare AC filter on hand. If you’ve noticed a problem with mold or a lack of fresh air, it’s definitely time to give us a call here at A&E to come out and give your AC unit the once over.