Often, indoor air is more tainted than outside air, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After getting a whiff of passing vehicles and their pungent exhaust, you might find this hard to believe. But as per the EPA, indoor air can actually be five times more contaminated. Poor ventilation, off-gassing building materials and daily activities that add contaminants to the air can all lower your indoor air quality (IAQ). Read on to find out why IAQ suffers and learn what you can do about it.
Off-Gassing Building Materials
Interior paints, flooring adhesives, common flooring materials and wood composites all release gaseous chemical contaminants for several years following installation. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pass right through standard HVAC air filters. Worse still, if you aren’t regularly airing out your home, they can remain trapped in your living space for months.
Fuel-Burning Appliances
To prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, HVAC companies and other home appliance installers vent fuel-burning units outdoors. However, despite functional exhaust systems, fuel-burning appliances still release trace amounts of gaseous chemical contaminants into homes. Along with CO and a range of VOCs, these include:
- Aldehydes
- Nitrogen oxides
- Sulphur dioxide
- Unburnt hydrocarbons
Fuel-burning appliances also release a fair amount of particulate matter. During times of heavy appliance use, the normally minute amounts of these contaminants increase.
Household Activities and Self-Care Products
Even if you use an electric stove rather than a gas-fired range, cooking inside your home inherently decreases your air quality. Heating any organic matter causes terpenoids and other VOCs to be released into the air. Whether you’re frying foods, sauteing them or simply using a toaster oven, you’re adding contaminants to your air.
Other household activities release gaseous chemical contaminants into the air, too. These include burning scented candles, using plug-in room fresheners, using disinfecting cleaning solutions, and applying spray-on products.
Trapped Contaminants and Poor Ventilation
To prevent heated or cooled air from escaping and minimize outside heat gains, homeowners are increasingly encouraged to tighten their home envelopes. Adding insulation, caulking cracks and gaps in building materials, and applying weather stripping creates efficient, airtight buildings.
Although these measures prevent energy waste, they also prevent natural air exchange. In a less-than-airtight home, fresh air can flow in, and trapped contaminants can move out via an ongoing process known as induction.
How to Improve Your IAQ
An easy way to improve your IAQ is by opening your windows and doors on mild, sunny days. However, for year-round IAQ improvements, you can consider adding additional mechanical ventilation to your home and installing a needs-specific IAQ accessory. HVAC companies can install integrated IAQ accessories on or in HVAC air ducts. These accessories include:
- Whole-house air purifiers
- Media filters
- Whole-house humidifiers or dehumidifiers
- UV sanitizing lights
- Air scrubbers
Many integrated HVAC accessories can eliminate harmful pathogens and deactivate gaseous chemical contaminants. Some can even capture and retain the microfine allergens that pass through HVAC air filters.
If you want advanced indoor air quality solutions for your Newnan, GA home, give E Dennis AC Inc. a call.
