The guidance of keeping wildfire smoke away from a house
You may consider how to keep your house away from the fire if you live in the places that are prone to suffering from fire, such as California, and Texas. Actually, the smoke from Wildfire is a common issue that troubles us. The smoke that flows in the air doesn’t stay in the same place all the time, it also can’t back to the ground, it can disappear in any place in the country.
Quick guidance can show us what wildfire smoke is and the health problem it will cause. What’s more, it also will provide us with the methods to prevent wildfire smoke from happening in your house. Now let’s start! When your house is threatened by the smoke of wildfire, it is time for you to take these actions!
Wildfire smoke affects our health
According to the Environmental Protection Agency warning, the indoor air quality will be polluted by wildfire smoke, and it is unsafe to breathe. When the outdoor air quality is too poor, there will be shelter indoor orders. Maybe it is better for you to stay inside.
Particles caused by wildfire smoke will lead to uncomfortable reactions, whether you stay indoors or outdoor. It even can lead to serious health problems for people who suffer from severe chronic lung or heart disease.
Inhale wildfire smoke will lead to a threat to your health. Cause the smoke of wildfire does not just come from the wildfire itself, it is made up of different kinds of particles that originate from the structure of the burning. The wildfire smoke also contains gases, vegetation, and some other materials, the pollution of wild smoke can easily make us ill.
It is common that some people are prone to be affected by wildfire smoke, these people take a high risk of developing asthma, COPD, respiratory illness, and heart disease, and children and women who is pregnant are easy to suffer the complications.
Some symptoms that wildfire smoke will happen
l Headache
l Wheezing
l Raw throat
l Quick heartbeat
l Chest distress
l Fatigue
l Coughing
l Sneezing
l Hard breath
All the symptoms look like a surprise attack, you will be confronted with the condition when the wildfire happened. It occurs in asthma when you breathe in the wildfire smoke. As a result, you’re recommended to prepare an extra inhaler in your emergency first if you have a family member who suffers from asthma.
You also need to pay more attention to it although the worst situation is controlled. The particle of the wildfire smoke can stay in the air for several weeks. We should take extra actions to purify the indoor air in order to purify the air totally.
Proper air filter for smoke
The best way to avoid inhaling wildfire smoke is that you should stay away from disaster areas, everyone needs to obey the suggestion if the local government gives out the evacuation order.
You can take some measures to prevent smoke from flowing into your house, or you‘d better select an HVAC air filter that is able to purify smoke from the air. Part of air filters are designed for eliminating, in general, they are used to remove kitchen smoke and cigarette.
You need to know what are the best air filters on the market.
MERV 8 air filter – As for the MERV 8 air filter, it can eliminate smoke particles from the air, any MERV rating below MERV 8 is not enough to release any kind of smoke.
Activated Carbon Filter – The activated carbon air filters can trap particles that release nasty odors, such as smoke.
The setting of your air conditioner
Your air conditioner plays an important role, it lets the air filter purify indoor air when the HVAC system is ready to recirculate the air, as a result, it can’t draw much more pollutants from outside. What’s more, you should keep your air conditioner in the “On” setting, not in the “Auto” in order to let the air circulate continuously.
The most suitable air filter for fire smoke
Most of us take for the air filters that can filter out cigarette smoke also can filter our fire smoke, but it is a mistake. You should choose a special air filter for the fire smoke so that the small particles can be eliminated, which means you need an air filter with high efficiency.
Air filters with MERV 13 are the perfect choice for removing fire smoke. MERV 13 air filter can remove small particles caused by fire smoke without restricting airflow, which matters to your comfort, your HVAC system will work normally when your air conditioner is in recirculate mode. We are also recommended to use MERV 13 or higher MERV rating air filters, but it may cause problems when the MERV rating is too high, maybe you use it for short time, or suffer from wildfire smoke frequently.
Normally, you never want to use the ozone air purifier, which can cause pollution instead of purifying the air.
Know more about eliminating wildfire smoke
We know that wildfire smoke is a kind of complex and natural disaster, it affects our life deeply, as time pass by, the wildfire has damaged large areas and caused more and more pollution. Sometimes we realize that we need to fight the wildfire smoke.
Whether air conditioner can trap wildfire smoke?
The answer is yes, but it depends on the HVAC air filters they used(please look up the most suitable air filter for wildfire smoke), you need to keep your air conditioner in” recirculate mode” so that the air from outside can’t pollute your house.
Attention: Don’t turn on your HVAC or furnace filter to eliminate the smoke in your basement if it is not sealed rigorously. The HVAC system and furnace will absorb air from your basement, so it is essential for you to check the air quality of your basement before you turn you any equipment.
