Mighty mites, minerals damage health; how to get Superior Water & Air quality

ST. GEORGE — Southern Utahns live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world and enjoy clean air, sunshine and relatively good water compared to some areas across the country. However, with the emphasis on energy efficiency our homes are built much tighter; and that is helpful to your utility bill but may be damaging to your indoor air quality and your health.

2014-01-24 08.59.11Air duct cleaning

According to Better Health Magazine, 75 percent of Americans live with someone that has respiratory illness and one in six people suffer from allergies symptoms due to bacteria and dust found in their air duct systems. In addition, your hard earned dollars could be evaporating in thin air, since a dirty ventilation system costs you more to operate and it will also contribute to additional wear and tear.

That burned smell you detect when you start up your furnace can be a sure sign that it’s time to get your air ducts cleaned. The entire air system in your home should be cleaned periodically, about every five years – unless you have pets, a smoker in the home or a lot of kids, then it may be advised to do so more often, Allen Cloud, general manager of Superior Water & Air, said.

Not all air duct cleaning services are created equal. The old method of using a roto-brush has been proven to be ineffective. Superior utilizes a push-pull method of duct cleaning by attaching a powerful vacuum to your furnace and then they use four types of special brushes to thoroughly clean the air ducts from the register all the way to the furnace, Cloud said.

dustmiteYou might have mites

We are not talking about termites here, but tiny microscopic dust mites. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, dust mites are tiny bugs that are found in every home and exposure to their body parts and droppings can trigger asthma in those who are allergic to them and can also bring on asthma in children who have not previously had those symptoms.

“On the head of a pin you’ll have 10,000 dust mites … dust mites feed off of dead skin and 70 percent of the dust in your home is dead skin; guess where most of that dead skin is – not where you sleep? – yes it is,” Cloud said.

To help eliminate dust mites, Superior will sanitize not only your air system but your bed mattresses, couches and the carpets in your home. “No one else that I know of does that,” Cloud said.

Indoor air quality

Because of the extreme temperatures here in Southern Utah, we keep our homes sealed up for many months of the year.

Homes are tighter now where they don’t have a lot of drafts, so the quality of the air inside the home can be up to 100 times worse than outside the home,” Cloud said.

If you suffer from allergy symptoms, asthma, get frequent colds or would like to reduce dust, odors and contaminants in your home then you should consider an air purification system.

A whole home air purification system will remove harmful fumes, volatile organic compounds, aka VOCs, that can be coming from cleaning products, pesticides and other products used in your home. A whole home air purification system is energy efficient and works with your central air system to help remove bacteria, viruses and fungus not only in the air but also on surfaces such as counter tops, bedding and floors.

Superior Water & Air’s air purification system essentially produces airborne hydrogen peroxide that works like little soldiers killing surface germs and odors, Cloud said.

Comparing tap water to soft water,  St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2014 | Photo by Scott Heinecke, St. George News
Comparing tap water to soft water, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2014 | Photo by Scott Heinecke, St. George News

Water softeners

The water quality in Southern Utah is about the same as Salt Lake City’s water, Cloud said. Because of the higher mineral content of the water here it can be damaging to plumbing and harsh on your skin.

Water softeners work by using a special resin that actually acts like a magnet and pulls the minerals out of your water. The resin is then cleaned with the salt water automatically according to how much water you use.

The term “squeaky clean” may be a misnomer. That slippery feeling that you have on your skin when you wash with soft water is not soap residue but actually proof that your skin is cleaner, Cloud said. There is more friction on your skin when there are mineral particles or dirt present and that is what makes it squeak when you rub it after using hard water.

Different types of media used in water softeners, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2014 | Photo by Scott Heinecke, St. George News
Different types of media used in water softeners, St. George, Utah, Jan. 24, 2014 | Photo by Scott Heinecke, St. George News

Water purification

There is a big difference between filtered water and purified water. In addition to removing harmful contaminants such as chlorine, a water purification system can also improve the taste of your water. A reverse osmosis water purification system, “strips everything out of the water, so all that is left is the water molecule … chlorine is used to kill the bugs in our water and people are just bigger bugs,” Cloud said.

A good water purification system will be more cost effective than buying bottled water and it ensures that your water is safe for drinking, cooking and even for your pets.

Superior Water & Air

Superior Water & Air in St. George has been serving residents of Southern Utah since 2010. The company was founded in Salt Lake City in 1956 and they have an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and they are a Gephardt approved business.

Superior will come to your home and provide a free analysis of your current HVAC system and water quality . Superior offers financing, which most companies do not offer for these types of services. The company is a licensed HVAC and plumbing contractor and their staff is certified by the Rocky Mountain Gas Association, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the National Association of Technician Excellence. 

 A D V E R T O R I A L

Resources

  • Superior Water & Air Website | Facebook
  • Address: 1316 South 400 East B2, St. George UT 84790 | Telephone: 435-688-8166
  • Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Sunday: Closed

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

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2 Comments

  • Adam February 4, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    These are all great points. When people think of filtration, the only thing that comes to mind is filtering the water in their home, when the air is just as or more important. However, you get more contaminants through the water you ingest, which is why people mostly lean toward a water purification system like reverse osmosis, or the like first before air purifiers. Because the air isn’t something you ingest directly, people assume water quality is more important, and can be, depending on what is in the water, but great points here about the air.

  • water filtration systems for home December 21, 2014 at 12:40 am

    Some Canada is a suburb of Detroit city?

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