During wildfires, smoke and ash can travel at an alarming rate quickly affecting your indoor air quality and increasing immediate risks to your health and safety. With these helpful tips for maintaining healthy air in the home during a wildfire, you can have peace of mind that you are breathing in clean air:
1. Keep windows and doors closed
While outdoor air quality is at its worst, keep the entry points to your home closed to preserve the air in your home – without unsafely blocking your ability to exit the home. Another way to ensure your indoor air is protected is to check door and window seals to keep air from seeping into your home.
2. Keep your system in “on” or “circulate” mode
When avoiding opening doors and windows in your home you should opt to turn your thermostat fan to “on.” In this setting the air in your home will continuously move through the furnace filter and improve the quality of the air in your home. If you have a smart thermostat in your home, you should utilize the “circulate” option, which will cycle your air for a few minutes every hour, using less energy than the traditional “on” setting.
3. Avoid activities that increase unhealthy air quality
Avoid activities that create or contribute to smoke or other pollutants in your home. You should avoid smoking, burning candles, or frying foods as these types of activities can significantly decrease the air quality in your home.
4. Install a High Efficiency Carbon Filter or Air Purifier
Carbon activated filters can filter out fumes, smoke (up to 99% efficiency), and other chemicals you want to avoid having in the home. While regular filters are capable of removing dust and other similar allergens, a carbon filter is the upgrade you need to keep your home’s air the best it can be during wildfire season.
The Lennox PureAir ™ Air Purification System offers hospital-grade filtration featuring the Lennox Healthy Climate™ Carbon Clean 16® air filter that removes over 99% of the smoke particles, as well as even smaller viruses, bacteria, and fungal spores. Unlike other purification systems, the PureAir™ produces zero lung-irritating ozone and actively removes existing ozone found in the home*. And its filter features a design that ensures the least airflow resistance* for unmatched efficiency and consistently clean, perfect air. When you are considering upgrading your filter, consider the PureAir ™ Air Purification System, that cleans the air in your home better than any other single system you can buy or the Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration for individual rooms.
5. Maintain seasonal maintenance to keep your unit at top performance
Contacting your local Lennox dealer for seasonal maintenance will ensure that your unit is in top condition and ready to perform at maximum efficiency. Lennox dealers can also evaluate your home and confirm if there are signs of infiltration, hindrances to air flow and advise of the best Lennox product to achieve and maintain healthy, perfect air in the home.
Even if you and your family are miles away from wildfires, your air quality can be negatively impacted. Be sure to take active steps to protect your indoor air and keep an eye on your local news or wildfire guidance from the CDC to receive updates on air quality in your area.
*Not intended for actual hospital use. Based on Application Guidelines, Table 1, ASHRAE Application Handbook, 2011. When used properly with other best practices recommended by CDC and others, filtration can be part of a plan to reduce the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19 indoors. Removal efficiency based on third party testing results using MS-2 bacteriophage (ATCC 15597-B1). Bacteria representative of virus-sized particles like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. November 2020. Based on ozone removal testing conducted by third party testing results. May 2018. Based on competitive benchmarking of MERV 16 filters, Healthy Climate® filters have the lowest air flow restriction. Greater restriction of air flow creates a greater load on an HVAC unit’s fan motor, increasing energy consumption.
