The quality of your indoor air is extremely important for your health and well-being. Unfortunately, many homes in the Frederick, MD area have poorer indoor air quality than the outdoors. Since we spend so much of our time inside, taking steps to improve our IAQ is imperative. Let’s look at some of the reasons to have your indoor air quality tested by professionals like our team at Markool Heating & Cooling.
1. Noticing Unpleasant Smells
Does your home sometimes have a musty or moist smell? Indoor air quality issues may be the culprit. You won’t know what the actual contaminant is unless you have an IAQ test performed. Many times, excess humidity and mold spores cause these smells. If mold is the problem, it needs to be addressed immediately. Mold exposure can lead to an increase in allergy symptoms, asthma attacks, respiratory illness, fatigue, dizziness, and more.
2. Experiencing Physical Symptoms
If you have been experiencing several health issues or symptoms but haven’t been able to pinpoint why, the quality of your indoor air may be to blame. Exposure to indoor irritants like pollen, dust, dust mites, mold, pet dander, cigarette smoke, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be the cause of your symptoms. To get rid of the particulate matter that is in your indoor air, have a test performed to narrow down what you’re exposed to on a regular basis.
Consider the symptoms that you’re experiencing. It’s likely that they get worse when you are home and exposed to irritants. Common symptoms include headaches, coughing, fatigue, brain fog, nausea, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, and itchy eyes. Over time, these symptoms can lead to decreased immune function. You may find that you’re getting sick more often.
3. Recent Water Damage in Your Home
Water damage is a huge problem that often involves a lot of repair work and remediation. If you recently had a pipe burst or faucet leak, you may think that the cleanup effort is finished. However, there may have been some mold growth that you’re unaware of. Mold spreads quickly, and it can end up inside your HVAC system if you’re not careful. The system can easily circulate mold spores, increasing your exposure.
4. A Tight Home Envelope
Many newer homes and homes that have had a lot of insulation installed tend to have a tight envelope. This means that there isn’t a lot of exchange of air between the inside and the outside. While this can be beneficial for saving on energy costs, this can have a negative impact on your indoor air quality. There is a certain degree of ventilation that must occur in the home. It’s wise to have an IAQ test performed if you think that you may be trapping contaminants in your home.
5. A Chronic Health Condition
Any kind of ongoing health issue can weaken your immune system. It’s important that your home is a safe and healthy space where you can recover and rest. If your home is making you unhealthy, you need to improve your indoor environment. Have your IAQ tested if you have recently come out of the hospital after a lengthy illness, you are undergoing treatment for an illness, or you believe that your allergies are not well controlled.
6. Seasonal Allergies
While we can’t control the weather in Frederick, we can control the quality of the air inside our homes. If seasonal changes and pollen fluctuations make you feel lousy, an indoor air quality test can help you determine if high levels of pollen are in your home. There may be other allergens in your indoor air that are compounding your allergy symptoms, such as dust and pet dander.
7. Volatile Organic Compounds
VOCs are chemical particles that are released from a variety of household items. They are commonly found in cleaning products, air fresheners, beauty products, candles, etc. They also come from new building materials like countertops, carpet, and paint. Even new furniture can off-gas VOCs.
You can remove VOCs from your home through ample ventilation. There are also certain types of purification and filtration equipment that can assist. For example, activated carbon filters do a great job of removing VOCs and freshening your indoor air.
8. Radon Gas Concerns
Radon is a dangerous gas that comes from the soil underneath and around your home. Some areas are more prone than others to radon gas, as are some homes that have a lot of gaps or cracks in their foundation. There is a special radon gas test that can be performed to determine if you are dealing with such an exposure. If radon gas is found in your home, steps should be taken immediately. A special system can be installed in your basement that will ventilate the radon gas from your home. You may also want to have your basement inspected for any damage that is allowing radon gas to enter. Repairs should be made immediately.
Radon isn’t something to mess around with. Long-term exposure to radon can increase your risk of developing lung cancer.
How Is an Indoor Air Quality Test Performed?
The first thing we do when we come to your home for an IAQ test is to perform a visual inspection. We’ll be looking for irritants that we can see and address easily, such as cigarette smoke, pet fur and dander, dust, and mold.
We’ll take a series of samples to test later. These tests look for things like mold spores and other particulate matter. We do surface tests as well to see what kind of contaminants are settling on the surfaces of your home.
We’ll also take humidity readings to see how much moisture is in your indoor air. The recommended relative humidity for an indoor space is between 35% and 50%. Anything above this range puts you at risk of mold growth. Levels of humidity that are too low can irritate your sinuses and even dry out some of the materials in your home, like hardwood floors.
The results of your IAQ assessment will give us insight into the particles that are in your indoor air. This will include particles that are around 2.5 microns and 10 microns. The size of the particles in your home will help us make customized recommendations for what kind of air purification equipment or improvements can be made to protect your health.
If you would like to learn more about having an indoor air quality test performed in your Frederick home, get in touch with our team here at Markool Heating & Cooling. In addition to performing this test, we can help you come up with ways to improve your indoor air and address any issues that we discover. We offer air duct cleanings, which can help improve your indoor air quality. We also install, repair, and maintain all types of heating and cooling equipment. We perform sewer repairs, service water heaters, and do drain cleanings, too.
Reach out to Markool Heating & Cooling for more information or to schedule an appointment.
