BREATHING EASY DURING WINTER
Indoor air quality can be controlled with proper ventilation, regular testing
Indoor air quality plays a major role in how we feel day-to-day. Especially this time of year, when we tend to close our homes up tight and spend more time indoors. It’s time to think about the quality of the air in our homes — and to take steps that ensure we’re breathing clean, healthy air.
Tackling indoor air quality issues in your home starts by educating yourself. Here are three of the biggest misconceptions I come across when it comes to everyday homeowner knowledge about indoor air quality.
EXHAUSTING YOUR EXHAUST FANS
Proper ventilation is so important in your home — especially in your kitchen and bathrooms, where you’ll tend to create the most moisture. You need to be able to remove the humid air. Enter the exhaust fan, which is especially critical in bathrooms and kitchens that might not have any exterior walls.
Is your fan powerful enough? I’ve always subscribed to the tissue test to check your exhaust fan’s effectiveness. It’s simple: turn your fan on, and hold a single piece of tissue paper against the grate, then let go. If the fan can’t hold the paper up properly, it’s probably too weak to pull out moisture, and that could lead to issues with mould and rot.
A lot of homeowners don’t know how long to run their exhaust fan. Many run the fan during their shower, and once they’ve towelled off and brushed their teeth, tend to shut the fan off when they leave the bathroom. Experts will say to run the fan for a minimum of 20 minutes, but I like to run mine for 30 just to be certain I’ve pulled out that warm, humid air. By doing so, you could actually add years to the life of your bathroom.
I DON’T HAVE A MOISTURE PROBLEM
Your home needs to be properly equipped to deal with the excess moisture we create just by living life. Whenever we’re at home, we’re creating moisture. Cooking, showering, cleaning, even breathing creates moisture that, if left unchecked, can create larger issues that come with condensation. You need to find a way to cycle out the old, humid air and replace it with fresh air.
The best way to ensure you’re getting adequate air exchange indoors is by installing a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), which will cycle in fresh treated air and expel the humid, moisture filled air you create at home.
That’s not possible for every homeowner, so if an HRV isn’t in the budget, even something as simple as opening a window for 20 minutes a day, even during the dead of winter can help cycle in some clean, dry air. Make sure you’re running your exhaust fans while the windows are open, so that stale air gets pulled out.
NO BASEMENT? NO RADON? NOT QUITE …
Last week, I wrote about guarding against radon starting from the ground up during a new build. Essentially, by laying the proper materials underneath your concrete basement slab, you can stop radon from seeping up into your home. So it stands to reason that if you live in a home without a basement, you’re safe from high levels of radon, right?
Wrong.
Any house, whether it’s new or old, drafty or sealed, has a basement or not, can have elevated levels of radon gas. Radon can even seep in through your well water. Testing for radon is the only way to know how much is in your home.
Some areas of the country are prone to higher concentrations of radon, but the fact is, every home is different. Even from neighbour to neighbour, one home could have a low concentration, while next-door has radon levels that require mitigation. Here in Canada, it’s recommended that any home with a concentration higher than 200 Bq/m³ should take steps to mitigate radon in their home.
That said, if you live in a highrise building, the higher up you go, the less likely you are to have excessive levels of this gas. But if you live in a free-standing house? Get the testing done every two years.
Mike Holmes and his son, Mike Jr. are back! Watch Holmes And Holmes on HGTV Canada. For more information, visit makeitright.ca.