Ventilation is important in any home, even those fitted with air conditioning units that draw in fresh air from outside. Even with good maintenance to your air conditioning units, good ventilation is still important in any home, all year round. We look at why and for the signs that you need to ventilate your home more and how you can put an effective system in place.
Why ventilate?
Ventilation is a way of allowing fresh, clean air to circulate through your home. It removes and replaces stale air and ensures that your indoor air quality is good. The main reasons to ventilate include:
- Avoids an excessive build-up of moisture. In turn, this could lead to mould and mildew forming on surfaces and in damp spots around the home which could lead to or exacerbate any respiratory conditions such as asthma.
- Removes excessive dust and pollen from your home that may not be successfully trapped by your air conditioner’s filters.
- It eliminates odours from the home, particularly those created through cooking. Stale odours that build up if you have pets in the home can also be eliminated by free-flowing air as you ventilate.
Signs that you need to ventilate more
If you notice any of the following take it as a sign that you need to either ventilate more often or alter your ventilation system to get more fresh air flowing through your home:
- Changes to humidity levels. This could be a high level of humidity which manifests as moisture on cooler surfaces such as windows and window sills, or a heavier indoor atmosphere as the air is full of uncondensed water.
- A build-up of dust and pollen. This could also mean that the filters on your air conditioning unit need to be cleaned or replaced.
- Lingering odours that don’t go away or that have turned sour. If when you return home from work you can still smell the perfume that you sprayed on in the morning; or in the morning can still smell what you had for dinner last night, it’s time to ventilate more.
- You begin to suffer from headaches, congestion, fatigue, or sneezing and coughing. If you are asthmatic you may notice a worsening of your symptoms or more frequent asthma attacks.
These are also signs that it is time to get your air conditioning unit inspected and serviced. It’s all too easy to forget or put it off until next year, but clogged filters and units which begin to underperform if they haven’t had the maintenance they need could end up costing you more in energy bills as well.
How to ventilate
The easiest way to ventilate your home is to open up the windows. This will get the air flowing freely through your home, pushing out the stale and dusty air and replacing it with fresh air. Trickle vents are another good option for a steady, light flow of air. They are typically fitted on double-glazed windows so all you need to do is check that they are fully open. An alternative, and one that works particularly well in more humid rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms, is the installation of an extractor fan.
If you have any questions about air conditioning units or it is time for a maintenance check, talk to us at JP Air Conditioning. Regular maintenance and servicing are important for keeping your units in good working order, keeping your energy bills down, and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for your family. Get in touch with us by phone on 02083331191 or by email at info@jpaircon.com and we’ll take it from there.
