Keeping Indoor Air Fresh

Ever since the 1970s homes have been built in a very energy efficient manner to prevent leakage of air outward. The upside of that is one can now heat and cool a home for a lot less money. The downside is indoor air gets trapped leaving a constant re-circulation of stale air. The result is often a home that feels and smell stuffy; a home that smells of last night's fish dinner, for example; a home that smells of the family pet; or a home where the humidity is difficult to control. In contrast, older homes allow for more of an air exchange because windows and doors allow air to seep in and out.

Water On The Windows:

One of the most common indoor air problems encountered in winter is Water on the windows, or condensation. It forms when warm, moist air hits a cool surface. When the air and window surface come make contact the water vapor in the air turns either to a liquid or ice, depending on the coolness of the window surface.

To stop condensation from forming two things can be done:

Warm the window surface
Reduce the moisture (water vapor) in the air

Quality-windows are one route to warmer window surfaces. Good quality windows are those that are the double-paned, gas-filled type; they are resistant to condensation because their interior pans are warmer. Windows like these have a quality of measure called a U-rating. A U-rating of .3 or less perform the best.

Lowering the indoor humidity to prevent condensation on poorer quality windows can be a little tricky. A very low indoor humidity is required to do this efficiently. The problem with super low humidity results in a home whose air quality is extremely dry, uncomfortable and full of static electricity.

The goal when it comes to preventing condensation is to strike a working balance between indoor humidity and window condensation. This does take a little effort, but it's worth it.
Here's what one can do to strike a balance:

Install exhaust fans in the bathroom and kitchen.
Operate exhaust fans for about 10 to 15 minutes after taking a shower, bath or after cooking.
Turn home humidifiers off or at least reduce the setting.
If condensation problems persist, one may need to install a controlled ventilation system in the home.

Leaving blinds and curtains open will also dry the air circulating around windows. Here's one item of note: If mildew has formed on the damp window areas it helps to spray or wipe the area down with bleach to keep any further mildew at bay.

Homeowners with chimneys may also want to check the flu from the furnace to be sure it is not clogged. A clogged flu can create a moisture problem. (The gas company will usually check it for a nominal fee.)

Cleaning The Air

Aside from condensation on windows there is the problem of re-cycled stale air in the winter. Today there are many different mechanical devices that can create a fresh air exchange in the home. By filtering the air in the home it is possible to remove particles like pollen, mold spores, cat dander and regular old household dust.

These days there are a lot of mechanical devices that can cycle air in the home creating a fresh air exchange. Homes with central heating and cooling systems are great set-ups for whole house filters. These devices circulate filtered air through the existing central air systems (they are attached to the air ducts of the central heat/air unit. One example is the professionally installed April Aire Space Guard 2000. The general method of these types of units is listed below. This system improves air in three (3) ways.

Removes airborne germs with ultra violet air treatment.

Mold and bacteria blow through the home every time the heating and cooling system kicks in. This device functions like a "bug zapper" for microscopic animals. Bacteria is killed before it can pass through the system to re-circulate into the air. Overall this device kills 99.9% of the mold that would otherwise thrive on a system's cooling coils.
Traps airborne impurities.
Indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air. This whole house air filtration device sucks out these impurities as the air passes through the system.
Moisturizers dry household air.
Very dry air can do serious damage to woodwork and other home furnishings. These whole-house air filtration systems can add moisture back into the in home atmosphere creating a breathable air quality is balanced enough to minimize adverse health effects (the relative humidity in the home should be somewhere between 40% to 60%).

Here's what's available for homes that do not have central air. These air cleaners do come small enough for room size. Two examples are below:

Friedrich

The Friedrich C-90A uses an electronic precipitator.
Air in this device is drawn up by way of fan that pulls the air through an electronic field - that is instead of drawing air up through a filter. The particles in the air take on a charge and are trapped on oppositely charged collector plates inside the machine. The electronic collection plate (or electronic cell) can be removed from the device and placed directly in the dishwasher for cleaning. The electronic cell is what traps bad airborne particles. One unit can change the air of a room that is 460 square feet about 3 times and hour. This device also has a charcoal plate in front, which removes foul odors from the air. This place is replaced (at a cost of about $20.00) only when it fails to control room odors. The unit costs about $500 but you save money by not having to incur the $130 in filters each year as is the case with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters. Overall the device pulls about as much electricity as a desk lamp.

NOTE: This unit is exceptionally quiet when place on low or medium. It also has a safety feature where it cuts off immediately when the outer cover is removed. This unit was also a No.1 pick by Consumer Reports. The unit may be operated 24 hours a day.

Honeywell QuietCare Ultra Quiet Hepa Air Cleaner

This air filtration unit incorporates a true HEPA filter. Great system but it can be a little costly. As noted earlier one can expect to pay about $130 a year for replacement filters. This Honeywell unit can be operated 24-hours a day (the more air circulated through the filter, the more filtered air is returned to the room.) This sized unit works best in areas that are approximately 200 square feet. Cleaning the unit is quite easy, just replace the HEPA filter.

Keeping Indoor Air Fresh

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