Recently, I was watching the Eagles game with a friend and I couldn’t help but notice that he was coughing up a storm. So much so, that if the snacks hadn’t been so good, I would have made an excuse and gone home just to get away from the germs. Getting sick during the holiday season is the last thing I need!

But then I remembered that, every year at this time, I experience this same issue with my friend. He gets a hacking cough that lasts throughout the football season and even beyond. Being the sleuth that I am, I asked my friend when he last had his heating and cooling system serviced. Then, I asked him one more question: did he ever have the air purification system installed in his house like I recommended two years ago?

Unfortunately, my suspicions were confirmed. You see, my buddy has had bad allergies for years. It turns out that the cold that I thought he had was just his allergies acting up. My friend was hacking away, disturbing my beloved Eagles game needlessly—but more importantly, he was missing an important opportunity for better health.

I walked over to his heating system and looked around. First, I noticed that his filter really needed to be changed. I showed him all the particles trapped in the filter, and told him that when the filter is dirty, it can’t trap particles effectively and that he is consequently breathing all sorts of junk into his body, perhaps lodging in his lungs.

First things first, I changed his filter for him, but, unfortunately, that’s not going to solve his bigger problem. He needs something more powerful, particularly with his allergies. He needs to purchase an air purification and filtration system – stat! If not for him, then for his family and his friends – like me!

Think about it: with all the indoor contaminants that are floating in the air, such as mold spores, pet dander, dust mites and even household cleaning chemicals, a standard filter can only do so much. Consequently, without an advanced filtration system you’re breathing in all that junk every day: not a healthy environment, particularly for allergy and asthma suffers.

Finally, I told him he needs to get with it and purchase a yearly maintenance agreement with Cooper Mechanical. We’ll clean his system, change the filters, make any necessary adjustments (like heater repair in Montgomery County, PA) before they become issues, and ultimately help to maximize the longevity of his system.

In case he wasn’t fully convinced, I explained it this way: he takes good care of his car. He changes the oil religiously, maintains it regularly and washes it routinely – why wouldn’t he take the same care with his heating and cooling system, important equipment that is critical to his overall comfort?

I’m pretty sure things are going to get much better at my buddy’s house – just in time for the Super Bowl!