The indoor air quality of your Fresno area home is affected by many different factors. One of those is the presence and amount of indoor air contaminants, including carbon monoxide, radon, and mold and mildew.
The higher the amount and concentration of these contaminants in your home, the greater the health risks and potential damages to personal possessions and building materials. If you are concerned about your home’s indoor air quality, here are ways to test for the biggest home contaminants:
- Carbon Monoxide. This colorless and odorless gas is generated from the incomplete combustion of fuel in everyday home appliances such as furnaces, stoves and fireplaces. When inhaled, it can inhibit the transportation of oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body and has the potential to lead to death. Because it is both odorless and colorless, it’s impossible to detect without the use of a carbon monoxide detection device. A carbon monoxide detector acts like a smoke detector, emitting an alarm when carbon monoxide levels rise.
- Radon. Radon is also a colorless and odorless gas that cannot be detected without a dedicated detection device. Experts believe that high exposure to radon can lead to lung cancer. It naturally rises from the soil, entering buildings through dirt floors and cracks in basement floors and drainage systems.
- Biological Contaminants. This category includes mold, mildew, bacteria, viruses and pollen, all of which can trigger allergies and respiratory issues. When mold and mildew growth is left unchecked, it can lead to damages to your furniture and building materials. Visual inspection and odor are the main ways to detect mold and mildew. Preventative measures such as finding and fixing sources of moisture in your home, and then cleaning whatever moisture you find, is the best strategy for dealing with mold and mildew. To filter out or eliminate biological contaminants, consider stand-alone air cleaners, high-efficiency HVAC filters, UV light systems, and/or duct cleaning.
For more information about improving your home’s indoor air quality, contact our local HVAC experts at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning, proudly serving the 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). For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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