Living in Los Angeles means dealing with smoke season every year. You know how it goes those eerie orange skies, ash covering your car, and that smoky smell somehow finding its way inside your house. Nobody wants to breathe that nasty stuff indoors, especially when you’re trying to relax at home. Living in Los Angeles means dealing with smoke season every year.
You know how it goes those eerie orange skies, ash covering your car, and that smoky smell somehow finding its way inside your house. Nobody wants to breathe that nasty stuff indoors, especially when you’re trying to relax at home. That’s where Heating Services Los Angeles experts come in. They ensure your HVAC and heating systems are working properly, keeping your indoor air cleaner and safer during wildfire season.
Your AC System Can Help (Or Make Things Worse)
Here’s what most people don’t realize: your air conditioner has a huge impact on indoor air quality.
When smoke starts rolling in, you might think just closing the windows does the trick. Sorry, but it’s not that simple. Your HVAC system keeps sucking in air from outside unless you tweak the settings.
Switch your thermostat to “recirculate” mode if you’ve got that option. This stops fresh outdoor air from getting into your system. Don’t have a recirculate button? No worries just set your fan to “on” instead of “auto.” This keeps air moving through your filter all the time.
Speaking of filters when’s the last time you changed yours? A dirty filter during smoke season is pretty much worthless. Try to get a MERV 13 filter if you can find one. These things catch way smaller particles than those basic filters.
Sometimes your system just can’t handle it. Maybe it’s getting old, or maybe something’s busted. Home AC Repair Los Angeles technicians deal with this stuff constantly when fire season hits. A struggling AC unit won’t filter air properly right when you need it most.
Extra Steps for Better Protection
Air purifiers are awesome for bedrooms and main living spaces. Look for ones with HEPA filters. Yeah, they cost more, but they’re totally worth it when the air quality goes to hell.
Here’s a smart move: create a clean room. Pick one bedroom or your living room. Stuff towels around door gaps to seal them up. Run an air purifier in there. Keep everything closed tight. Now you’ve got a safe spot when the smoke gets really bad.
Don’t forget to check your home for air leaks. Smoke’s sneaky it’ll find tiny cracks around windows, doors, and vents. Some weather stripping can make a big difference.
What About Your Heater?
Fire season sometimes overlaps with cooler weather, right? So your heating system needs some love too.
Gas furnaces and heat pumps suck in outdoor air just like AC units do. Same deal applies use that recirculate mode and swap out filters regularly. Heating Services Los Angeles pros always say to get your system checked before fire season kicks off. A well-maintained heater filters air better and doesn’t waste energy.
And hey, skip the fireplace or wood stove when it’s smoky outside. Adding more particles to your indoor air kind of defeats the whole point.
Keep Tabs on Air Quality
Download an air quality app AirNow and Purple Air show what’s happening in real-time around your area. When those numbers creep above 150, time to take things seriously.
Don’t just trust your nose either. Sometimes you can smell smoke, sometimes you can’t. But those tiny particles that mess with your health? You can’t always smell those.
Bottom Line
Protecting your family from smoke takes some planning and decent equipment. Your HVAC system’s more important than you probably thought. Keep those filters fresh, use the right settings, and don’t ignore red flags that your system needs professional help.
