The indoor air quality of your Dayton area home is affected by many factors. For your family’s health and safety, the air quality inside your home should be tested. A household’s air pollutants may include harmful gases, various allergens and bacteria, or mold and mildew growth. Mold and mildew is especially prevalent during wet and humid seasons and can be found growing anywhere, from your furniture to the insides of your heating and cooling systems. If you suspect that your home might contain unwanted airborne particulates and gases, here’s what to check.
Carbon Monoxide. This colorless and odorless gas is extremely toxic. It is generated from the incomplete combustion of fuel and is produced by various household devices including furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fireplaces. Usually, CO is safely vented outside, but if your HVAC equipment or other fuel-burning appliances aren’t vented properly, were installed correctly, or are malfunctioning, CO can escape into your home’s air. Prolonged carbon monoxide exposure can be lethal. To test your indoor air quality for the presence of carbon monoxide, purchase one or more carbon monoxide detectors. This device sounds an alarm when CO is present, acting much like a smoke alarm.
Radon. Also a colorless and odorless gas, radon naturally rises from cracks in the basement, walls and drainage system, and then into your household. Radon is believed to be a major cause of lung cancer. A specific radon detection kit is necessary to test for radon in your home.
Biological Pollutants. Common household biological pollutants include mold, viruses, mildew, pollen and bacteria. Most biological pollutants grow and thrive in damp conditioners where high humidity is present, such as near water pipe leaks and consistent condensation. The only way to detect biological pollutants is through visual inspection and odor. In places where mold and mildew are found, use ammonia or similar cleanser to clean the area and kill the spores.
Homeowners who find evidence of harmful gasses and biological contaminants in their home should consult an expert technician for thorough decontamination.
For more information on how to improve your indoor air quality, or to schedule a home consultation, contact your local experts at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. Our NATE-certified technicians have been proudly providing superior service and quality HVAC products to the Dayton and Springfield areas since 1978.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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