- THE HEALTHY AIR DIFFERENCE -
HVAC SERVICES THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND
At Healthy Air USA, we specialize in providing top-notch HVAC installation, service, and repair solutions tailored to meet your comfort needs. Whether you’re looking to install a new HVAC system, ensure your existing unit runs at peak performance, or address unexpected repairs, our experienced technicians are here to help. We pride ourselves on delivering reliable and affordable services backed by our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
With Healthy Air USA, you can enjoy a comfortable indoor environment all year round that you can rest assured is providing healthy air in your home, while maximizing the efficiency and lifespan of your HVAC system.
HVAC INSTALLATION
Healthy Air offers professional HVAC installation services designed to keep your home or business comfortable year-round. Our expert technicians work with top-of-the-line systems and cutting-edge technology to ensure seamless installation tailored to your unique needs. Whether you’re upgrading an outdated unit, building a new property, or seeking an energy-efficient solution, we’ll help you choose the perfect system for your space. From consultation to final setup, we handle every detail with precision and care to ensure your HVAC system operates efficiently and reliably.
HVAC SERVICING
Regular HVAC servicing is essential to maintaining a comfortable and healthy indoor environment while extending the life of your system. Routine maintenance helps identify and address minor issues before they become costly repairs, ensuring your system operates smoothly and reliably. Additionally, well-maintained HVAC systems improve air quality, reduce environmental impact, and keep your home or business safe by preventing risks like carbon monoxide leaks. Prioritize regular servicing with Healthy Air USA to enjoy peak performance and peace of mind year-round.
HVAC REPAIRS
At Healthy Air USA, our HVAC repair services are designed to get your heating and cooling system back up and running quickly and efficiently. We work with all major HVAC brands and use quality parts to ensure durable and reliable repairs. With our commitment to exceptional service, we prioritize your comfort and minimize downtime, so you can enjoy a properly functioning system when you need it most. Trust Healthy Air USA for fast and dependable HVAC repair solutions.
- INDOOR AIR QUALITY -
UNDERSTANDING HVAC SYSTEMS AND MOLD
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has observed that HVAC systems are associated with up to 60% of indoor air quality concerns. Studies have also shown that two out of three indoor air quality problems involve the HVAC system. Many mold inspectors are not legally allowed to touch an HVAC system without a state license, which means that two out of three indoor air quality problems will go undetected.
Healthy Air USA is a licensed HVAC contractor in the state of Georgia specializing in environmental HVAC, as well as identifying conditions that support mold growth. Boasting nearly a century of combined experience across our team, our understanding of building science, mechanical systems, as well as mold, allows us to ensure your home’s HVAC system is circulating fresh, clean air as opposed to being the culprit of Sick Building Syndrome or exacerbating other sources of mold inside the home.
- HVAC SYSTEMS -
A PROACTIVE PLAN FOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY
The HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning) System is made up of mechanical components that control temperature, humidity, ventilation and air filtration. Ideally, these components work together to create a comfortable and healthy breathing environment. The primary objectives for cleaner air are the reduction of airborne particulates and the control of humidity.
But a system that is not properly designed, installed, and then maintained can create an unhealthy and even a toxic breathing environment. Without a proactive plan, every home has the potential to become sick. Eliminating toxins in homes is a complicated process and requires special attention to the mechanical systems. These simple and basic rules for HVAC systems can reduce the amount of indoor contaminants and eliminate conditions that support proliferation of allergens and pathogens:
Choose the right size HVAC (even a slightly undersized system) to increase efficiency
Purchase quality equipment and insist on quality workmanship in the installation process
Eliminate air leaks in the HVAC system, including the air handler cabinet, air ducts, and where they penetrate floors, walls and ceilings
Maintain humidity between 35% and 55%
Choose the appropriate air-conditioner technology specific to the region its being installed
Provide fresh air ventilation—condition the air by filtration and dehumidification in humid regions
Introduce clean fresh air without mechanically exhausting air to reduce stacking effect
Filter continuously with at least a MERV 11 filter; making sure to change the filter regularly. Note: Many HVAC systems cannot handle a filter with a MERV rating higher than 13 because of the restricted airflow.
- POORLY DESIGNED & MAINTAINED SYSTEMS -
WHAT CONDITIONS SUPPORT MOLD GROWTH INSIDE HVAC SYSTEMS
We find that many homes become sick because of poorly designed and maintained HVAC systems. Below is a list of common issues we find with HVAC systems that contribute to mold growth:
Lack of Humidity Control
Humidity control is one of the only, if not the only variables homeowners have to control fungal growth inside a home. Viable mold spores can never completely be eliminated, nor can their food sources either. Humid regions of the country, improperly sized HVAC equipment, inadequate waterproofing, and inadequate ventilation can all elevate humidity, to name a few. Lack of humidity control inside the home can contribute to fungal growth inside the HVAC system and go undetected for long periods of time.
Oversized Equipment
Many homes have been outfitted with oversized air conditioners. Yes, they will get the temperature very cool, very quickly, but then they will shut off prematurely to remove excessive humidity. When there is a lot of moisture in the air, the air conditioner needs to run longer to dry the air. Extra moisture in the air means a less comfortable environment, too. Air conditioners that run short cycles will leave a lot of moisture in the air and air ducts, which can be uncomfortable and lead to mold growth.
Short cycles create another hidden problem: condensation. When the cold metal inside and around the system encounters the warmer air that is holding extra moisture, it creates condensation on the inside of the system and overcooled surfaces on the outside. Since the system does not run long enough to remove the moisture, condensation forms. When condensation combines with dust particles that build up in the system, an ideal environment for mold growth is created. Homeowners sometimes never see this growth, but the mold spores, mycotoxins, and mVOCs from the mold will be spread throughout the home through a piece of equipment that is designed to play a major role in cleaning the air.
Duct Board Plenums/Trunk Lines
Some contractors utilize duct board for the plenums as it is cheaper in both materials and labor, as well as requires less workmanship. Plenums are take-off boxes for air ducts attached to the return and supply side of the air handlers (furnace). Duct board is a fiberglass composite with a metallic backing. The interior of the plenum is exposed, very coarse, porous fiberglass. It captures cellulose duct particles, a food source for mold. When the air conditioner is in operation, moisture from the cooling coil is blown into the supply plenum and moistens the dust, creating conditions to support mold growth inside the plenum which cannot effectively be cleaned.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document EPA 402-K-97-002 was produced to address duct cleaning concerns. Page 1 of the document states that internally insulated components of an HVAC system that have been exposed to fungal amplification should be replaced.
Unsealed Filter Cabinets
Many filter cabinets on the market today are not airtight and many contractors fail to seal around the filter cabinet during installation. An unsealed filter cabinet allows for air to be drawn in from unconditioned spaces, given many HVAC systems are installed in unconditioned spaces, allowing for airborne particulates, VOCs, and humidity to be drawn in and distributed throughout the home via the HVAC system.
Additionally, we find that many times there is an active mold source close to the HVAC system, such as an HVAC system located inside a moldy crawl space, that also allows for mold spores to be drawn in and distributed throughout the home.
Communicating Systems & Inversion Technology
Today’s modern HVAC systems are centered around energy efficiency. This new technology replaces traditional single-stage and two-stage systems, allowing for the system to run at close to an infinite number of speeds based on the heating and cooling demands. Many manufacturers market this new technology as a great way to control humidity because they run continuously at lower speeds to remove moisture from the air. However, our experience has been quite the opposite. Lower speeds reduce the amount of airflow moving across the evaporator coil, which then causes the evaporator coil to become extremely cold. As the colder than normal air is distributed throughout the ductwork, surfaces are cooled to dew point levels, causing humidity to condense on the cold surfaces. The increased risk of condensation also increases the risk of fungal growth within the system.
In regions of the country with low humidity, this new technology is fantastic. For regions of the country with high humidity, this new technology increases the chances of fungal growth within the HVAC system.
Inadequate Return Ductwork
An HVAC system should have properly sized return (and technically supply) ductwork based on the size of the system. For example, assuming 400 CFM of air is equivalent to 1-ton, a 3-ton HVAC system should have return ductwork that can move 1,200 CFM of air. If the system has less ductwork than the equipment was engineered for, the blower wheels airflow will become restricted and elevate the humidity because the system is not capable of pulling in enough air to lower humidity.
- LEARN MORE ABOUT -
THE IMPORTANCE OF FRESH AIR VENTILATION
Over the last forty to fifty years, homes have become much tighter and more energy efficient. The result is fewer fresh air exchanges with the outside. With indoor air becoming more and more polluted with VOCs, mold and other pathogens, the need for mechanical fresh air exchanges has increased. Fresh air dilutes airborne toxins naturally and improves indoor air quality. To demonstrate, all you must do is look at the volume of fresh air requirements for schools, hospitals, and other various types of buildings.
Fresh air ventilation can help improve the air we breathe by diluting airborne contaminants. It may be a way to improve air quality when the overall cost to bring everything else up to standards is out of reach. Dehumidifiers and ventilation systems can be purchased separately or as a single, whole house unit. The additional airflow in your home will keep it under positive pressure or at least help reduce the stack effect, which helps considerably with particulate and humidity infiltration.
DVA vs ERC Systems
One of two types of systems is recommended based on the climate:
- Dehumidification Ventilation and Air Filtration (DVA) combination system for humid regions.
- Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) for drier regions.
Of the two, our preference is a DVA system, especially in humid regions of the country. A DVA system is designed to filter and dehumidify outdoor air. In humid regions, bringing in fresh air with high humidity levels will exacerbate poor air quality conditions. It will support the growth of mold and the proliferation of other pathogens. Even the airborne mycotoxins from mold and VOCs will increase as they are carried on the grains of moisture in the air. The system must have the capacity to remove enough humidity from outside air being introduced into the home, as well as control the humidity inside the home.
In drier regions of the country, an ERV system may be adequate for indoor/outdoor air exchanges. An ERV will provide air exchanges with the outside, while recovering some of the heat gain or loss from the inside air that is moving outside. If this system is chosen, it’s crucial to closely monitor humidity to make sure you are not introducing too much moisture into the home and raising inside humidity levels.
- DELIVER SUPERIOR AIR QUALITY -
HEALTHY AIR'S RECOMMENDED SETUP
If you feel the health of your family must come first, then you start by making sure the system provides everything necessary to deliver superior air quality all the time. This includes a clean, airtight furnace and filter cabinet, clean and well-sealed air ducts, humidity control, fresh air ventilation, and air filtration.
Keeping your indoor environment healthy can be difficult, and many people find that the “perfect” setup can be hard to come by. Just as technology can make things easier, it can also make other things very confusing. As HVAC technology evolves and the individual components of the HVAC system are “improved”, we are periodically forced to re-evaluate our homes’ HVAC system design to keep the indoor air healthy.
The graphic below shows the placement of the DVA System, the HEPA by-pass system, and the ion generator that we recommend. This is the correct configuration for ducted fresh air ventilation. Notice that the air is filtered multiple times and dehumidified twice. As the final step, the ion generator removes the odors, bioaerosols, VOCs, mVOCs and other pathogens.
- WE'RE HERE TO HELP -
CONTACT HEALTHY AIR USA
Call Healthy Air USA today or complete the form. A Healthy Air USA representative will contact you to discuss the symptoms you are experiencing, signs that mold in your environment may be the cause, and how Healthy Air USA's services may help.
CONTACT HEALTHY AIR USA
Proudly serving the greater metro Atlanta area
Call Us at 770-205-1710
Monday - Friday: 8AM to 5PM