Ventilation and your Home

What is the purpose of ventilation?

Your home needs ventilation which aids in the exchange of indoor air with outdoor air—to reduce indoor pollutants, moisture, and odors. Various contaminants can accumulate in poorly ventilated homes, which in turn can also cause health problems. Excess moisture in a home can generate high humidity levels. High humidity levels can lead to mold growth and structural damage to your home.

To help ensure adequate ventilation, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) says that a home's living area should be ventilated at a rate of 0.35 air changes per hour or 15 cubic feet per person per minute, whichever is greater.

Improving the ventilation in your home can be very beneficial. Things such as ceiling fans can not only help ventilation in your home during the summer and winter months, but they help with cooling and heating your home as well.

Opening windows, turning on fans when its cooler outside weekly can also help with your homes ventilation, whole house fans are also a option.

One of the most common things Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) specialists encounter are poor attic ventilation, which is one of the key areas in home ventilation. Poor ventilation can also result in termites and pests invading your home.

When buying a home consider having a Heat, Ventilation and Air Conditioning specialist check the home for proper ventilation. The last thing you need is to purchase a home to find out poor ventilation in the home has caused one of the many problems associated with it, and that sometimes can be overlooked when buying. Your local HVAC specialist can assist you in any questions or concerns that may come up when dealing with home ventilation.