Is Your Home Adequately Ventilated?
Summer is upon us in Florida. You may be spending more time out-of-doors and in the swimming pool, but you will also be indoors for a large portion of the time — whether at work or in your home enjoying the air conditioning when it gets too hot or humid. Is your home adequately ventilated? This is a question many of our customers wonder about when we meet with them to discuss geothermal energy.
Adequate home ventilation is a must as indoor air pollution can make you feel as though you’re fighting a cold, coughing and sneezing.
Is Your Home Adequately Ventilated?
What is home ventilation?
Indoor air professionals explain home ventilation is defined as “the exchange of stale indoor air with potentially fresher outdoor air.”
Why is home ventilation important?
- Clean indoor air is air that has had pollutants and contaminants removed. The contaminants that can get into your home include: radon gas, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, dust mites, organic pollutants, dust and viruses.
- Proper home ventilation will make it easier for the homeowner to keep indoor humidity levels at optimal ranges. If you use a humidifier or a dehumidifier you will want to keep your indoor humidity levels between 30-60%. If you have low humidity you will have static electricity and respiratory discomfort; high humidity can lead to the growth of mold.
- When your home is properly ventilated you may see lower utility bills. Open your windows and circulate the air with fans and air circulators as a way to clean the air and more efficiently cool your home without running the air conditioner. Cross breezes are an ideal way to cool your home.
How can you best ventilate your home?
- As mentioned, opening the windows and running fans to create a cross breeze. This is an effective way to ventilate a home.
- If you have “problem areas” in the home you can use spot ventilation. This is a method of focusing on a particular area in the home — the kitchen, the basement or an entire floor. To do this you will use exhaust fans for spot ventilation — think of your stove exhaust fan as an example of spot ventilation.
- Use whole house ventilation to promote the exchange of indoor and outdoor air. To effectively do this you will work with an indoor air professional who will use strategically placed fans and ductwork that has been installed in a way to promote the air exchange.
Is your home properly ventilated?
If you don’t know or if you want to have a test to see how well ventilated it is, give us a call. We can install whole house ventilation systems in your Florida home. Contact us at Symbiont Service Corp. We’ve been serving Florida Suncoast homeowners since the early 1980s.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Symbiont Service Corp. serves Englewood, Florida and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
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