» Indoor Air Quality


Humidifiers, UV Lights, Air Filtration

 

Indoor Air Quality

In our newer homes or renovated older homes indoor air quality is becoming more important all the time. Our houses are getting tighter with new windows, doors and insulation. In fact our houses are having trouble breathing. Don’t forget all the new things we are adding like large jetted tubs, dishwashers, steam showers and more. All these add to moisture problems and potential mould. On the other side we add forced air furnaces to dry out our homes like the desert. With all of these great additions to our quality of life we can add systems to control our indoor environment. Lets look at treating the air first.

Ultra Violet Lights

The system I have in my home is the Sanuvox system. All our staff have this installed in their homes, we know it works. This is a light installed in your existing forced air furnace and it treats the air as it comes into contact with the light. Check out all the technical information at http://www.sanuvox.com you will be amazed how effective this is in controlling odours and bacteria. For those of you that need a little extra convincing ask about the portable unit that we can lend out. Ideally this is best used in the bedroom of someone with allergies or a sensitivity to dust and mould etc. We lend it out for a couple of days; you see how this makes a difference to your sleeping and breathing. Then we return and try to get it back! Generally we then schedule an installation date. A number of the doubters have bought the portable to use at work to combat the poor air in sealed office buildings.

 

"True" Humidification

Now that we have the air cleaned up lets look at adding the proper amount of moisture to it. We generally install the Honeywell flow through humidifier. These are the most cost effective and add ample moisture to an average home. For additional information punch in www.honeywell.ca and follow the links. If you need additional humidity and want to conserve water, look into the Desert Spring Humidifier. www.desertspringproducts.com 

Honeywell's breakthrough TrueSTEAM Humidification System can ensure that your home and family are getting the right amount of moisture.

Now available through McKenzie Mechanical.

Air Filtration

The final part of the system is proper air filtration. In general the filter supplied with your furnace is the bare minimum to stop large particles from entering the blower motor and causing damage to it. It does little for your comfort level. We often install a filter bank with a pre and post filter in the place most installers leave for an electronic air cleaner. This combined with the other options will give you indoor air better than you will find almost anywhere outside of a “computer clean room”.

 

Additional Products

Here are a couple of additional products that can be added. Check out this web site www.lifebreath.com for the Heat Recovery Ventilator and the Turbulent Flow Precipitor.

Hoyme dampers are excellent for reducing drafts in your basement, see... www.hoyme.com
Looking to save energy on your hot water... www.foreverhotwater.com