4 Surprises an Indoor Air Evaluation Can Reveal
Thanks to its location near North Carolina’s Atlantic Coast, Greenville is known for its fresh air and summer breezes. While you may look forward to enjoying the refreshing outdoor air your home’s air supply might not be as inviting. Learn how our indoor air evaluation service works, and discover how to manage common air quality issues like unpleasant odors and high humidity levels.
Indoor Air Analysis Basics
Whether you live in an older home or a newly built one, you’ve probably taken steps to seal windows, door frames, and even cracks in your home’s foundation. This process, which is known as tightening your building envelope, keeps outdoor air from seeping in while simultaneously preventing climate-controlled air from leaking out.
While a tight building envelope helps your household save energy and prevents outdoor pollution from entering your home, it also has a negative side effect. In addition, doors and windows are rarely kept open in some homes. Keeping our homes tightly closed all the time makes it harder to eliminate indoor pollutants, which means they continually circulate through your home’s air supply. Over time, this can cause respiratory problems and other illnesses.
Indoor air evaluation is a straightforward method for getting to the root of some of the issues that plague your home the most. The process, which takes J & J Mechanical, Inc. technicians about 30 minutes to perform, assesses your home’s air supply. Once the analysis is complete, we will go over the reports to help you to identify problem areas in your home and find solutions.
Excessive Indoor Air Contamination
It isn’t uncommon for homes throughout the Greenville area to have high levels of indoor pollution. After all, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that contamination levels inside the average home can be up to 100 times higher than outdoor contamination levels.
For homes with unhealthy levels of dust, pet dander, mold, or bacteria, our knowledgeable technicians often recommend starting with basic HVAC maintenance. Most homeowners should schedule preventive maintenance twice a year to ensure that their HVAC system runs smoothly and filters particles from the air.
We also suggest replacing your HVAC system’s air filter once a month to eliminate the majority of airborne contaminants. If you need a more heavy-duty solution, consider installing an air purifier that traps and kills virtually all pathogens in your home’s air supply.
Poor Interior Ventilation
An energy-efficient home is great for the environment and helps you save big on utility bills. If air doesn’t flow freely through your home, this can affect the air quality, the health of occupants, and even the performance of your HVAC system.
Opening your windows might create airflow, but doing so will also invite an endless stream of outdoor pollution into your home. To counteract this issue, our techs recommend investing in a heat-recovery ventilator. These innovative devices push out stale air, draw in fresh air, and reuse the thermal energy to precondition air efficiently.
High Humidity Levels
Residents in our area are no strangers to high humidity outdoors. The real challenge, however, is to be able to manage it indoors. In fact, excess moisture can cause dust mites to thrive and mold to grow rapidly. Both these conditions can exacerbate allergies and asthma. High humidity can also make you feel warmer, prompting you to dial up the air conditioner to cool off.
If your cooling system can’t maintain a healthy level of humidity, a whole-home dehumidifier could be just what your home needs. This device works with your existing HVAC system to reduce moisture throughout your home and keep humidity between 30 and 50 percent.
Unhealthy Carbon Monoxide Levels
High carbon monoxide levels are nothing to take lightly. When it reaches a dangerously high level, this odorless, invisible gas can cause serious health problems and even fatalities.
Our techs recommend protecting your family by installing a carbon monoxide alarm on each floor of your home and right outside each sleeping area. With these precautions in place, you can breathe easy in your home.
For expert assistance with keeping your home’s indoor air quality at healthy levels, look no further than J & J Mechanical, Inc. Call us today at (888) 716-0052 to learn more about our indoor air services and to schedule an appointment to get started.
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