The Yellow Dust Problem Every North Carolina Homeowner Faces

Welcome back to the podcast, and if you've walked outside in the last week, you've noticed your car, the porch, the driveway all covered in yellow dust. You're seeing the start of what shows up every year across North Carolina. That is the start of pollen season. Around here in the Sandhills, it usually starts around mid-March. One day, one day everything looks normal, uh, the next day it's like somebody took a giant bottle of yellow powder and sprinkled it all over the neighborhood. Most of what you actually see right now is pine pollen, so When you see the wind blows and you look at the trees and, and you see those yellow clouds, you know, coming off the branches, that's millions, millions tiny particles of pollen being released into there. In the next few weeks, you'll start seeing things like oak, maple, birch, all those different trees are starting to release pollen as well. That's when a lot of the allergy kind of kicks in for everyone. But here's the part most homeowners don't think about: pollen just doesn't stay outside. Every time someone opens the door, every time someone comes in the house, every time your AC system runs, you're pulling air through the home And that pollen you brought with you inside comes with it and stays indoors. Your AC system is circulating air constantly. It pulls it through the return vents, it pulls it through a filter— hopefully you have a filter— it pulls it through the filter, conditions the air, and pushes it back through the system and it's just a never-ending cycle circulation of air. During pollen season, that air carries more particles than usual. That means, that means a few things are happening inside your home. Air filters are clogging faster, dust levels inside the homes increase, allergy symptoms can worsen, airflow can slowly start dropping if the filter gets packed full. It's actually pretty common this time of year when people call in that they think their AC is struggling or not keeping up, when actually the air filter itself is clogged and it's having trouble getting air to the system and through the system because there is no airflow. Spring is also a transition for your HVAC system temperatures start bouncing around— warm afternoon, cool mornings— which means the system is starting to cycle more often, and outdoor units are also collecting that particle we just talked about. They are collecting that on the coil. When enough of that builds up, it makes it harder for the system to move heat efficiently. Remember, heating and air is about heat transfer. If it's warm outside, you're trying to get heat out of the house. If it's cold outside, you're trying to get heat in the house. It's all about heat transfer. The easier you make it for the heat transfer, the more efficient your system will be. That's one reason we tell homeowners now is a great time to get your maintenance done, to get that super tune-up finished, because now is a good time. You don't have those extremely hot days yet. It's a lot easier to catch small problems and deal with them now versus that first 95-degree day or 95-degree weekend when your system is struggling and breaks down. Also, keep Windows closed during high pollen days. Actually, I keep my windows closed all the time. Uh, you don't want that outdoor air coming into your home because you have those millions of tiny pollen particles that could stop up your system and cause a problem for you allergy-wise and for your system efficiency-wise. And for families who deal with allergies, indoor air quality upgrades like better filtration or air purification, indoor air quality products, all that makes a noticeable difference this time of year. Even though right now it looks like a yellow snowstorm when the pollen comes, it usually burns off pretty quick. Usually by the end of April, is starting to fade, but right behind it is the Carolina summer heat. So when those first really hot days show up, that's when your HVAC system that hasn't been looked at in a while starts showing problems. So right now is the time before the storm, before the heat hits, pollen is flying, Spring is here, and it's the perfect time to make sure you're ready for the Carolina heat before it gets here. Thanks for listening, and share this with a friend or a neighbor who just walked outside and is like, why is everything turning yellow? If you want more homeowner tips about comfort, energy bills, how to keep your home running smoothly, please subscribe.