Last modified on 11 October, 2020 by Tarkan
With the start of spring, the nights become less chilly and the days start to get a little longer. We also see the flowers beginning to bloom and those little bees are as busy as ever pollinating everything in sight. However, if you’re one of the 15% of Aussies that suffer from hay fever or other seasonal allergies, this time of year becomes your worst nightmare.
Allergies and Car Air Conditioning
Your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system in your vehicle needs to be serviced on a regular basis. This will ensure that it continues to stay in tip top condition and perform at its best.
A poor performing HVAC system can allow pollen, dust and other airborne pollutants to be drawn into your vehicle. Once these contaminants are circulating through your HVAC system, they can make being in your car particularly uncomfortable, especially if you suffer from asthma, hay fever or other allergies.
Once the cooling system is switched on, it almost seems like you, or your passengers, are allergic to your car’s air conditioning. Within minutes, breathing can become more difficult, noses begin to itch, twitch and run and eyes become swollen, watery and red. As you reach for the box of tissues, you can’t quite work out what’s causing these problems.
Keep Your Car Clean
As the surplus pollen and dust makes a nuisance of themselves outside, it’s imperative that you clean your vehicle on a regular basis. Make sure you vacuum the seats and floors and wipe down all the interior hard surfaces.
Even the exterior of your car should be washed and dried with a chamois. Any pollen that is stuck to the outside of your vehicle needs to be removed as it can be transferred inside via the HVAC system air filter ... especially if it’s ageing.
Check Your Cabin Air Filter
These days, the majority of vehicles on our roads have a built-in cabin air filter. A cabin air filter is designed to clean the incoming air by trapping pollen, bacteria, dust and exhaust gases. They also stop leaves, bugs and other small pieces of rubbish from entering the HVAC system and becoming lodged in the vent ducting.
Like any filter, once they start to become clogged, their effectiveness deteriorates very quickly. Over time, a clogged cabin air filter can concentrate the contaminants in your HVAC system and also lead to constant musty odours. The airflow in the HVAC system will also be significantly reduced, in turn causing you additional problems when trying to heat or cool your car.
Replace Your Cabin Air Filter
All vehicle manufactures recommend that you should replace your cabin air filter every 25,000 to 30,000 kms. As far as allergies and car air conditioning is concerned, a brand new cabin air filter every year will go a long way to reducing the symptoms of asthma, hay fever and other seasonal allergies. The best time to replace your cabin air filter is in September, at the beginning of spring.
This is possibly the simplest thing you can do to immediately improve the air quality in your vehicle. It’s especially important to do so should you live in a dusty rural setting or any area that has poor seasonal air quality.
Not all Cabin Air Filters are Equal
Anyone that has ever suffered through the allergy season will try almost anything to relieve their symptoms. In the last few years, there have been enormous advancements made in the designing and manufacturing of better quality cabin air filters.
Bosch has created a range of premium cabin air filters that meet High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) standards based on test standard ASTM D2986. They boast of providing filtration efficiency of 99.97% at 0.3 microns. The bad news is that the only way you can currently get them in Australia is to order via Amazon and then wait weeks for delivery.
However, we do have some good news. Ryco Air Filters Australia has a premium cabin air filter with the best in-vehicle air purification against biological contaminants. The secret is their triple layer protection that contains an N99 medical grade media. This anti-viral layer can extract virus, bacteria and allergens. In addition, the activated carbon filter removes dust, pollen and bacteria as well as absorbing noxious odours, harmful exhaust gases and other pollutants that can enter your vehicle through your ventilation system. Ryco Air Filters Australia says that by installing an N99 MicroShield® Cabin Air Filter, is the easiest way to protect yourself and the passengers of your vehicle from airborne contaminants.
It should be pointed out that these premium cabin air filters are a little more expensive than the normal industry standard, single layer, cabin air filters.
Inspect Your Door and Window Seals
You already know that during allergy season, it’s a dumb idea to drive around with your windows open. On the other hand, if your vehicle’s windows aren’t properly sealed, it doesn’t matter if you have them rolled up or not. If there are any gaps or even a slight crack in the window seals that may be all that’s needed for unwanted allergens, irritants and other pollutants to find their way in.
What's more, you’ll want to make sure that all the door seals (the weather stripping) on your vehicle are free of cracks or tears and is still one continuous piece.
Recirculate Your Air
After you have had your HVAC system serviced and your brand new cabin air filter installed, you’re ready to enjoy the fresh air inside your vehicle. Any symptoms associated with your allergies and car air conditioning can be further reduced by setting your HVAC system to the re-circulation setting. This prevents your air conditioner from drawing in contaminated air into your vehicle’s cabin from outside.
At St Marys Tyre and Wheel Centre, we all hope that this article has helped those that suffer through every spring.
Safe motoring ... see you in-store soon!
