Having high-quality indoor air to breathe is essential to your family’s health. If you have a business, customers will enjoy their shopping experience with you more if the air is pleasant without odors or allergens. Monitoring your air may be something you’ve considered doing.
Yet, is it worth buying an indoor air quality monitor of your own? You may already have an air purifier, but still worry if your air is clean enough. At Ambient Edge, we are dedicated to educating our customers about their options, so our HVAC repair and installation service professionals have provided some useful information about whether an indoor air quality monitor is right for you.
How Does an Indoor Air Quality Monitor Work?
Your HVAC system and its air filtering system will clean your air and remove pollen, animal dander, dust, and other contaminants. However, it doesn’t alert you when there is a new problem or if the levels of certain substances are higher than recommended. Installing an air quality monitor can help you understand how healthy your interior atmosphere is so you can know if you need to get your system serviced.
If you live in an area where there are wildfires or other sources of heavy air pollution, an indoor air quality monitor can help you determine if the air in your home or business has been compromised. In Arizona and Nevada, our heat and low humidity mean contaminants such as automobile exhaust, industrial pollution, and construction chemicals could enter your property. If you have respiratory issues, a monitor can notify you when you may have more problems breathing.
The monitor will be equipped with sensors to check for a variety of contaminants. You will read the results either on the monitor’s screen or through an app on your smartphone. You can schedule a meeting with an Ambient Edge-trained technician to discover what you should be testing your air for and what kind of device is best for your needs.
What Substances Does Indoor Air Quality Monitor Measure?
Before you invest in an air quality monitor, it’s a good idea to have a professional test your home’s air. This allows you to know for sure whether there are contaminants and where they originate. Suppose you get your air tested, and the results show high levels of pollutants from cigarette smoke. If no one in your family smokes, this could surprise you.
However, if you bought your home from a smoker who never had the air ducts cleaned, this could explain the problem. Instead of buying a monitor, you might just need to get the ducts cleaned and your HVAC serviced. On the other hand, if you live where outdoor contaminants are often high, buying an air quality monitor that tests for those can check your indoor air for safety.
Once you have an idea of what pollutants might be an ongoing problem in your home, you can choose a monitor that meets your needs. Typically, these devices will measure humidity, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particle levels, and radon gas.
Do You Need to Buy an Indoor Air Quality Monitor?
The American Lung Association recently found that Las Vegas residents should be aware of two main contaminants in their local air, ozone, and particulates. Ozone is often known as smog and comes from the exhaust of vehicles such as cars, trucks, and airplanes. Residents should also be concerned about tiny particles from coal-fired plants, diesel engines, and wood-burning sources.
The answer to this question depends on your personal health and situation. For many homes, there’s no need to have a monitor checking your air quality 24/7. However, if you are someone who has respiratory issues or you have a family member who does, it may be a good investment.
For small businesses, installing an indoor air quality monitor means you’re providing an even more enjoyable shopping experience for your customers. If your retail or commercial space is larger, a monitor could make sense if you manufacture products in-house or use industrial-strength cleaning materials. Your employees and clients will be healthier when you can identify and correct dangerous conditions before they become life-threatening.
Choosing an Indoor Air Quality Monitor
Air quality monitors can test for a range of substances, or they may be specialized to identify only one. For example, many people are familiar with a radon detector or carbon monoxide monitor. Even a smoke detector is a kind of air quality monitor. However, buying a device that measures for many pollutants is often the best choice if you decide to invest in an air quality monitor.
You should select an indoor air quality monitor that will check for levels of smoke and other issues in your home, according to where you live. Ambient Edge researches and understands the concerns of our entire service area so we can help you learn what problems might cause unhealthy indoor air in your city or town.
Monitors can vary widely in terms of price. The most important thing to look for is the quality of the components. If you buy a less expensive model, the sensors could be low-quality or poorly manufactured. This means your results will be questionable, and you could be breathing contaminants at a higher level than the monitor shows. Our technicians at Ambient Edge can recommend a product for your location.
Learn More About Buying an Indoor Air Quality Monitor with Ambient Edge
If you are serious about having the best possible air quality in your home or business, the team at Ambient Edge is ready to help. We can test your air, check your HVAC system, and help you decide on an indoor air quality monitor that suits your needs. Our technicians can clean, service, repair, and replace your equipment to give you a healthy home.
Indoor air quality monitors are more affordable than you may expect. So, the question of whether you need to install one comes down to how sure you want to be about the air quality in your home. For your comfort and health, they can be worthwhile to help prevent issues that could disrupt your sleep and overall well-being.
Contact us to schedule your consultation and get started today.