HVAC

Ten Ways Homeowners Can Ensure Good IAQ

1. Vent bathrooms, kitchens, toilets, and laundry rooms directly outdoors. Use energy efficient and quiet fans.

2. Avoid locating furnaces, air conditioners and ductwork in garages or other spaces where they can inadvertently draw contaminants into the house. Install a door closer to ensure doors between houses and garages do not accidentally stay open. If ducts must pass through a garage or other potentially polluted space, seal them well to avoid entrainment of polluted air.

3. Properly vent fireplaces, wood stoves and other hearth products; use tight doors and outdoor air in-takes when possible.

4. Vent clothes dryers and central vacuum cleaners directly outdoors.

5. Store toxic or volatile compounds such as paint, solvents, cleaners and pesticides out of the occupiable space.

6. Minimize or avoid unvented combustion sources such as candles, cigarettes, indoor barbecues, decorative combustion appliances or vent-free heaters.

7. Provide operable windows or additional mechanical ventilation to every space to accommodate unusual sources or high-polluting events, such as the use of home cleaning products, hobby activities, etc.

8. Use sealed-combustion, power-vented or condensed water heaters and furnaces. When natural-draft applications must be used, they should be tested for proper venting and should be located outside the occupiable space when possible.

9. Put a good particle filter or air cleaner in your air-handling system to keep dirt out of the air and off of your ductwork and heating and cooling components. Maintain it or replace it regularly as required.

10. Distribute a minimum level of outdoor air throughout the home, using whole-house mechanical ventilation.