Important Utah Indoor Air Quality Tips

It is inversion season, and that means smog in North-Central Utah. 

An inversion occurs when warm air traps colder air and pollution below it. Pollution from vehicle exhaust, burning wood, and industry stays close to the ground and remains trapped until the warm weather above changes. 

The Salt Lake Valley experienced inversion-induced smog in mid-December 2023 and can expect at least two more months this year before the winter inversion season ends. Will you be ready for the next inversion?

You cannot change the weather and pollution levels outdoors, so act on what you can control: your Salt Lake City home’s indoor air quality (IAQ). 

At Just Right Heating & Cooling, our air quality experts can recommend a solution that will have you breathing easier when smog descends on the Valley. We maintain, repair, and install heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, including indoor air quality (IAQ) products.

How to Improve Your Salt Lake City Home’s Air Quality

It is not enough to seek shelter from outdoor smog in your Utah home. Some of that smog may seep into your home from the outdoors, even in the winter when your windows and doors are shut.

You may have cracks or holes in your home’s envelope, in the attic, for example, which will allow outdoor air to enter. 

Sealing those areas and adding insulation can help guard against outdoor pollution. 

Outdoor air is not the only reason for poor indoor air quality. Think of the many ways the air inside your Salt Lake City home can attract contaminants:

• Tracking in dirt and bacteria on your shoes and carrying it throughout your home.
• Dust from infrequent dusting and vacuuming, as well as dirty air ducts, can get blown throughout your house when your forced-air heating and cooling system kicks on.
• The air in your home is dry, allowing viruses to spread easily.
• The air in your home is too humid, providing an environment for mold growth. 
• Your pets produce allergy-triggering dander.
• A myriad of household, hobby, and personal hygiene products can off-case chemicals. 

IAQ Affects Your Health

You can encounter particulate matter outdoors or indoors. Your fireplace, gas stove, candles, and smoking and vaping products are primary sources indoors. Mold, dust mites, hobby glues and adhesives, and household products also may contain particles. Fine particles called PM₂₅ are particularly damaging to your health.

Particulate matter is so small it can go into the lungs all the way to the air sacs called alveoli. Once there, they can irritate and corrode the alveoli wall, damaging the lungs and causing lung disease.

Breathing in particulate matter can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, coughing, difficulty breathing, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. It can worsen chronic lung disease and asthma. It’s just one of the many contaminants in your home. 

Improving Indoor Air

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends controlling indoor air pollution at the source to reduce contaminants. Dusting and using an exhaust fan with your gas stove are just two examples. 

Opening windows when the outdoor air is laden with smog is not a good solution for improving indoor air, but a whole-house ventilator is. The device expels stale air to the outdoors while drawing in filtered outdoor air and conditioning it before it enters your living space. 

Ask us at Just Right Heating & Cooling if a ventilator is a good fit for your Salt Lake City home.  

The EPA’s third basic strategy for improved indoor air is using an air cleaner. We take a whole-house approach and can find the best product to suit your needs.  

We offer filtration products, including electronic air cleaners that zap debris with electricity and media air cleaners that trap contaminants in powerful filters.

Our favorite device is the NovusAer Whole-Home Air Cleaner. It is 10 times as efficient as standard filter systems. Its powerful filters last up to three years, filtering the air without restricting airflow to your HVAC system.

We also favor ultraviolet (UV) light as an effective means of killing mold, bacteria, and viruses. We can determine if UV light is a good fit for your air quality goals.

Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Today

Make your Salt Lake City, UT, home a sanctuary from outdoor smoggy air. Ask us at Just Right Heating & Cooling how we can improve your indoor air quality. Call us at (801) 939-0734 or request service online.