Ventilation is one of the seven key criteria for maintaining good indoor air quality. Ventilation is the act of moving air in and out of a space. The goal with ventilation is to move the stale, oxygen-poor air out and bring in new, clean, oxygen-rich air.
Ventilation isn’t something that just happens, although most people don’t really stop and think about this.
Your body has one of the best systems of ventilation. Your lungs are responsible for breathing in fresh, pure, oxygen-rich air and exhaling stale, used air back into the environment.
Your home needs a similar type of system to keep air moving and fresh in each room. The simplest method is just to open a window or a door and turn on a fan. But this doesn’t work as well if you have a larger space with more rooms, especially if not all rooms have windows that open.
In this post, learn the signs that your home needs some ventilation assistance and how to get it!
5 Signs You Have Poor Ventilation
While these are not the sole warning signs that you have poor or no ventilation inside your home space, they are definitely five of the most common signs that action is needed.
- Your home smells funny. You may not notice any odor if you have been inside your home for a long time. Most people start to notice a strange smell after leaving and then returning home. When you enter your home, does the air smell musty, mouldy, stale, or strange? This can be a sign of inadequate ventilation.
- You notice moisture beading on windows or even walls and windowsills. A variety of issues can cause window and/or windowsill condensation, but one of the most common issues is a lack of ventilation. Moisture can also condense on walls, especially in lesser-used areas like basements and attics or in rooms where humidifiers are in use.
- Stored items start to develop mildew or mould. Some of the first items to show signs of mildew or mould are typically stored books, shoes, paper items, and cloth or linen items.
- Your home seems dustier and dirtier than normal. Air that is continually recycled without refreshment will begin carrying the same dust and debris around and around, depositing the excess build-up on surfaces, draperies, and floors.
- Eye, nose, and throat irritation. Do you feel like you are allergic to your home? Stale, dusty, moist air can cause irritation to your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.
Two Types of Ventilation and Why You Need Both
According to the National Center for Healthy Housing, there are two main types of ventilation: spot and general. While you may not have heard these specific terms before, you are probably already familiar with the two types in other ways.
Spot ventilation
The most common type of spot ventilation are ceiling or floor fans. Exhaust fans in bathrooms, laundry rooms, and over stoves are also good examples. These spot ventilators can help move damp or polluted air out of the space.
Spot ventilation cannot replenish the air. It can only remove stale air. Spot ventilation is designed to target problem areas that generate excess amounts of airborne moisture or toxins.
General ventilation
General ventilation is what you need to keep your indoor air supply fresh and oxygenated. The most common type of general ventilation is your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system.
Using a system of air ducts, air registers, and exhaust vents, your home’s HVAC system keeps air coming in and moving out of your home space. But not all HVAC systems work equally well to ventilate the air inside your home.
The best option for whole home ventilation is the heat recovery ventilator. This specialized whole home ventilation system can work with any type of existing HVAC unit to isolate incoming fresh air and outgoing stale air so they never meet and mingle.
What to Do Before Fixing Your Home’s Ventilation
Because you are dependent on your home’s HVAC system for ventilation, you want your air ducts, registers, and exhaust vents to stay clean and clear.
However, most homeowners have no idea if their air ducts, registers, and vents have ever been professionally vacuumed, cleaned, and sanitized. Over time, just as dust builds up visibly on surfaces and furnishings, dust and debris gets trapped inside your air vents. But since you don’t see this buildup, it is easy to forget it is there. A good way to discover it is by any of the five signs listed above.
The first step to fixing your home’s ventilation issues is to schedule a professional dryer vent cleaning and air duct cleaning.
This cleaning takes less than one day and will safely remove all the trapped dust, debris, pollutants, and toxins that continually re-circulate through your indoor air. Once you have had your registers, vents, and air ducts cleaned, you can take steps to improve your indoor ventilation system by installing a heat recovery ventilator.
Ventilation for Less With These Special Discounts
Right now, save $50 on the air duct cleaning package of your choice. We have three packages to choose from (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) to suit all budgets and spaces.
You can also save 20 percent on all whole home air quality appliances, including heat recovery ventilators.
Don’t wait: these valuable offers expire on February 28, 2018! Just complete this simple form to claim your discounts.
Give Us a Call
Here at Clean Air Solutions Hamilton, we spend our days helping customers upgrade and optimize their indoor air quality with customized solutions for any size space and all types of HVAC systems.
From ultraviolet air purifiers and HEPA filtration systems to whole-home humidifiers and air duct and dryer vent cleanings, we have the tools and expertise to solve even the most complex indoor air quality problems. Give us a call at 905-544-2470.
