There will be times when the air system within your house may not work properly. The primary issue to diagnose is surplus infiltration (through ducts or walls), improper air exchange, and surplus moisture. A lot of times, too much moisture is an indication of a bad air flow. If you also notice mold, condensation, or ice buildup, you will realize that the quality of your air is off.
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Excess Infiltration
Surplus air infiltration normally leaves typical “fingerprints”. One of the most noticeable is when you feel a certain draft, especially during winter time and particularly when you stand close to the exterior walls. A sign which is a little less obvious is recurrent discharges of static electricity during winters because of low indoor humidity levels. Also be observant of “ghost” trails of dust close to the poorly sealed boundaries. Such tracks are extremely common on carpets close to the exterior walls.
In case you have HVAC equipment within the attic, the ductwork may be the reason for the infiltration, and you must insulate and seal the ducts properly. Another way to deal with excess infiltration is by sealing obvious leaks inside the walls, windows, and connections between the attic and the house. In case you are not sure of the right way to find such leaks, make sure you hire an HVAC expert.
Inadequate Exchange of air:
Any kind of smell is an obvious pointer of less ventilation and could also indicate towards how the flow is passing through the house. Are the odors persistent? Are they getting trapped somewhere? What is the place of generation?
In case the odors continue for hours, it may be due to the fact that the source keeps discharging the chemicals, or the smelly air does not have the right and easy outlet from the house.
In case the smell does not spread in the entire house, this could mean that the ventilation in the kitchen may be working well. In such a case, there will be comparatively less fragrance inside the kitchen as well. However, what if there are onions being cooked in the kitchen but there is absolutely no smell in the far bedrooms? That may also suggest that the air is not moving effectively across the house.
Excessive air exchange
In case there is dry climate (or an area with dry, cold winters), and the conditions are also awkwardly dry within the house, inspect the speed of the fan of the equipment before going to the market to purchase a humidifier. Similarly, if you reside in an area which is humid and hot, high rates of ventilation may enhance indoor humidity beyond what can be controlled by an air conditioner, needing supplemental dehumidification.
Even before you consider new equipment for ventilation, you can regulate the quality of air to a great degree with extremely simple actions. Reducing or eliminating the cause of the pollutant is normally the easiest than catching the pollutants once they are already in the house air. Smoking inside the house is one of the best examples.
