clean air solutions
Whether you’re buying a new home or taking care of the one you’re in now, good home air ventilation is important because it helps protect your health and your home. Good ventilation is as critical to your comfort and safety as a reliable heating system, a smoke alarm, or a dry basement.
Your Health
Good ventilation protects you, your family, and your guests from unpleasant odours, irritating pollutants, and potentially dangerous gases like carbon monoxide and radon. Well-planned ventilation also prevents the growth of mould and mildew, which can cause or aggravate allergic reactions and lung problems such as asthma.
Your HOme
Good ventilation protects your home from damage by eliminating excess moisture from the air. Too much moisture rots window sills and attic eaves, peels paint, and invites insect infestation. Damp insulation in walls and ceilings means lost heat, higher fuel bills, and destructive mould growth. Carpeting, wallpaper, electronic equipment, and furniture all can be damaged by excess moisture.
Ventilation Means Fresh Air
Ventilation supplies fresh air to your home and dilutes or removes stale air. There are many ways this can happen. For example, opening windows to air out your home can supply fresh outdoor air that dilutes stale indoor air. Turning on the fan over the kitchen range or in the bathroom removes odours and moisture. Other common examples of home ventilation include chimneys, which remove combustion gases, and clothes dryer fans, which exhaust warm, moist air and chemicals from laundry soaps.
signs of poor ventilation
Ensuring proper ventilation is essential for maintaining good air quality in any indoor space. Some of the key indicators of poor ventilation include:
- A persistent musty, gym-like smell coming from the bedroom walls.
- Presence of mold or mildew in closets, or on ceilings or exterior walls.
- Condensation forming on the inside of windows.
- Experiencing eye irritation when inside the home.
The Efficacy of Heat Recovery Ventilators
Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs) are an advanced solution to improve indoor air quality. Here’s how they work:
- Contaminated exhaust air and fresh outside air pass through the HRV core in separate channels. This design ensures there’s no contamination or mixing of the two air streams.
- The fresh outside air absorbs heat from the exhausted indoor air, warming up in the process. This conditioned air is then distributed to various rooms, ensuring a comfortable temperature.
Benefits of Using an HRV
- Continuous circulation of filtered fresh air throughout the home.
- Effective removal of stale air, pollutants, and excessive moisture.
