If your home has an attached garage, you probably enjoy the convenience factor, but have you ever wondered whether contaminated air from your garage can seep into your home? When your house is not properly sealed against your garage, the health of yourself and your family may be compromised. By educating yourself on the threats posed by dirty air from your attached garage and taking measures to prevent its passage into your home, you can protect your household.
How is the air from your garage contaminated?
Vehicle starts are a major cause of toxic air in attached garages. Regardless of whether your overhead door is open, each time you start your automobile, combustion gases are emitted into the air. This includes the lethal gas carbon monoxide (CO). If your gas furnace or dryer are in your garage, these can also emit CO. Lastly, many homeowners use their garages to store fertilizers, gasoline, pesticide, and other contaminants.
How does contaminated air from your attached garage get into your house?
Even though the door and drywall separating your house from your garage may seem sufficient, if their integrity is compromised, they may not be enough. Even minuscule cracks and leaks will act as a suction as air from your garage will infiltrate into your home, especially if the garage’s air pressure is higher than inside the house.
How can you stop dirty air from your garage entering your home?
To locate tiny cracks and openings, it’s best to enlist the help of a qualified HVAC contractor. Your technician will help you seal these leaks, or may suggest that you add insulation between a second layer of drywall to prevent the passage of contaminated air. You may also consider installing an exhaust ventilation system to improve your garage’s air quality, and reduce the air pressure in the garage. This latter step will help ensure that air moves from inside your house into the attached garage, rather than the other way around.
To schedule a technician to examine your attached garage for dirty air leakage into your home, please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We proudly serve residents of the greater Fresno area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).