Indoor Air Quality
On average, people spend 90 percent of their time indoors but don’t know that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outside air. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has indoor air quality ranked as one of the top five environmental dangers to public health. It is linked to severe asthma and allergy development in children and to heart problems and lung cancer in children and adults.
What Are Some Symptoms of Poor Indoor Air Quality?
Symptoms of poor indoor air quality depend on the particular contaminant and are sometimes mistaken for allergies, stress, colds, or flu. Some of these associated symptoms are coughing, sneezing, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, nose bleeds, sore throat, and upper respiratory congestion. Your air quality can also contribute to the development or the exacerbation of some more serious conditions including infections, lung diseases, asthma, and heart disease.
What Are Some Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor air quality is affected by anything that releases gas or particles, which include combustion, personal-care products and activities, and even outdoor air quality.
Inadequate ventilation will trap contaminated air inside and can keep clean, fresh air from getting in. If you have unmaintained heating and air conditioning systems, your clogged air filters and dirty ducts will contribute to dust and mites in the air. Dampness in your house caused by floods, leaks, high humidity, or an unmaintained humidifier or dehumidifier can create mold and bacteria. Call Perfection Heating & Air Conditioning for help in detecting the possible sources in your home.
You May Be Polluting Your Own Air!
Your own activities can contribute to the pollutants in the air. Cleaners and personal-care products are high culprits for this. Do not smoke inside. Cigarette smoke contains 7,000 chemicals and 69 poisons known to cause cancer. Children and elderly people are particularly sensitive to this, but it is unhealthy for everyone.
Burning of any kind of fuel releases particles into the air. Adequate ventilation is necessary to keep these contaminants under control.
The last thing to consider when looking at your own indoor air quality is the possibility of old or outdated building materials in your home. These poisonous building materials include asbestos and furniture made out of wood treated with formaldehyde.
What Can You Do To Improve Your Home's Air Quality?
Follow the recommendations below to help improve your home’s air quality:
- Ensure proper ventilation around fuel-burning appliances like furnaces, fireplaces, ranges, and heaters.
- Use proper ventilation when cleaning, painting, or using harsh chemical products in your home.
- Replace and maintain your home’s air filters at least once a season.
- Have your ductwork tested for leaks.
- Clean your humidifiers and dehumidifiers regularly.
- Keep your house clean by regularly vacuuming (use a HEPA vacuum cleaner), washing bedding, and leaving shoes at the door.
- Install a carbon monoxide detector, test for radon, and leave the asbestos to the professionals!
Dehumidifiers
A dehumidifier removes moisture from the air. Excess moisture can cause a number of seen and unseen issues in your home. Old and new houses alike go through phases of humidity levels for many different reasons.
Newer or remodeled homes have better insulation than ever before. While this cuts your energy costs overall, it also creates less air flow and therefore traps humidity. Older houses can have badly insulated pipes, windows, and cool surfaces which, when mixed with warm interior air, can create moisture. Your daily activities can contribute to the humidity level in your home as well.
Signs You May Need a Dehumidifier
- Condensation on your windows or doors - water beading or fog/vapor on the glass of your windows
- Mold spots on your ceiling or the corners of your walls
- Musty odor
- Spring water run-off
- Blistering paint or peeling wallpaper
- Creaky doors/windows/floors
Humidifiers
A humidifier is a device that emits water vapor to increase the humidity in your home. Our experts can help you determine if your home or business needs a humidifier.
A humidifier is often used to battle the symptoms associated with cold weather. The dry air caused by cold weather can wreak havoc on your respiratory system as well as damage your wooden furniture, musical instruments and more. A humidifier combats all of these things by reintroducing the needed moisture into the air in your home.
Humidifier Benefits
- Relief for chest congestion
- Relief for sinusitis
- Helps prevent chapped skin
- Helps to remedy colds and allergies faster
- Can help prevent nosebleeds
- Can help prevent snoring
- Protect furniture
- Protect wooden instruments
Indoor Air Quality Installation in Bloomington, MN 55425
Indoor Air Quality Installation in Minneapolis, MN 55406
“The whole team, from scheduling to installation, was great to work with. They managed the project through the city inspection and helped to ensure everything was approved in a timely manner. I would definitely recommend.
I got a continuously running fan installed in my bathroom. A motion sensor is typical but I'll add that if you have a small bathroom next to a hallway and often keep the bathroom door open, you may not want the motion sensor. The sensor has a range of 10 feet at 90 degrees so we often trigger the fan to run at a higher speed just when we walk by. We've unplugged the motion sensor. I also included a humidity sensor that will still trigger the fan to run at a higher speed during a shower.”
Indoor Air Quality Installation in St. Paul, MN 55108
“Excellent service, cost, follow-up”
Indoor Air Quality Installation in White Bear Lake, MN 55110
“I called Perfection Heating in the fall of 2020 wanting an estimate for an AprilAire Humidifier purchase/installation. I spoke to a technician Nick about how dry my house is in the winter and also my basement smells musty in the summer even with the central air and a dehumidifier running. I told him it continues to smell also in the fall after the outdoor temperatures have cooled. I wanted the home's heating/ventilation system looked over because another issue was the basement was very cold in the winter.
Nick came to my home to look over my heating/venting system. He found I had no air return installed in the basement and that was probably why the basement smelled musty. He also found in a spare room there was a heat register in the ceiling but no duct work. He then found the damper was closed on an existing heat vent which was contributing to the cold temperatures.
Nick did not try to sell me anything I didn't need, but simply explained what would benefit the indoor air quality of my home on the main living level and the basement. Nick gave me an affordable estimate to have the humidifier installed, add an air return and run duct work to the spare room. I was most impressed with his knowledge, explaining in terms I understood, and how thorough he was inspecting the home and heating system.
I had Mike and Allen to my home to perform the installation of the above items. Their workmanship was superior quality, they were respectful of my home, laid down tarps, wore face masks, completed the job in a timely manner, and cleaned up when finished.
They also added a tee to my furnace drain hose which prevents water from backing up into my furnace (which would ruin the furnace) should the drain hose ever develop a blockage.
Within two days of having the air return installed and to this day, I have had no musty smell, even with the AprilAire Humidifier running.
All I can say is WOW! I am truly impressed with this company from start to finish. It's nice to see character and integrity still count. I will be calling them for any future repairs/replacements I may need done. Thank you Gentlemen, great job!”
Need Indoor Air Quality Service?
Contact the experts at Perfection Heating & Air Conditioning.
Call us at 651.777.7620!