Indoor Air Quality Testing in Candler, NC
Healthy air in a home is something you can check and control.
Most of us think about the air outdoors. But for many of us, the air indoors is the air we spend much of of our day breathing, and it turns out to be far more knowable than people expect.
Where It Comes From
There is more going on in here than most of us realize
People often focus so much on outdoor pollution that they forget indoor air can also be affected by things like cooking, damp corners, pets, the cleaning products under the sink, and a heating and cooling system that has not been cleaned in a while.
None of that is cause for alarm. It is simply a part of the house nobody ever walked you through. Once you can see what is in the room with you, most of it turns out to be straightforward to do something about.
A System That Needs Cleaning
Whatever has settled in the ductwork and the blower gets circulated again every time it runs.
Humidity
Too much and a house feels clammy and gives mold something to work with. Too little and winter air dries everything out. The EPA recommends keeping a home between 30 and 50 percent.
Cooking
Frying, searing, and toasting all put particles into the air. It is one of the few sources you can send straight outdoors, which is exactly what a range hood is for.
Pressed-Wood Furniture
Cabinets and flat-pack pieces are held together with adhesives that release slowly over time.
Damp Spots
Excess moisture is what mold and mildew need to get started. Often it is a slow leak nobody has found yet.
Everyday Cleaning Products
Sprays, polishes, and air fresheners all add something to a room. Including the ones that smell clean.
Pets
Dander and hair travel a great deal further through a house than most people expect.
Smoke
Tobacco indoors, a woodstove, or a fireplace that does not draw the way it should.
The Big Lever
Ventilation is the part almost nobody thinks about
Here is the part that surprises people. We spent decades sealing houses up tight to save energy, and it worked. But a tight house also holds on to whatever is already inside it.
Fresh air is the oldest fix there is, and still the best one. Everything on the list above matters less in a house that breathes and more in a house that does not, which is why ventilation is usually the first thing worth looking at.
It is also the reason we look at how air moves through your home before we look at anything you could buy. A house that is already exchanging air well may need very little from us.
Straight Answers
We test first, and sometimes the answer is that you don’t need anything
We start with a test that looks at what is actually in your air, how much moisture the house is holding, and how well it is exchanging air with the outdoors. Then we walk you through the results. Sometimes the answer is a setting, a filter, or a vent that has been closed since 2019. Sometimes your air is fine, and you can rest easy knowing your home is free of problem sources of indoor air pollution.
Ask us about a test
Tell us about your house, or about something you have noticed, or just say you have been reading about this and want to know where you stand. Any of those is a fine reason to get in touch. Or text or call (828) 667-8743. We’re here 7am to 6pm.
What you might notice, and what it often means
These are four patterns we run into most often in homes in Western North Carolina. If one of them sounds like your home, that is a good place to start the conversation.
Dust that keeps coming back
You dust on Saturday and it’s back on Tuesday. Or the vents look furry no matter how often you change the filter.
More coming soon
A smell you can’t place
Musty when the system kicks on, or a smell in one room that visitors notice before you do.
More coming soon
Winter air that dries you out
Static shocks off the door handle, cracked lips, a scratchy throat every morning from November to March.
More coming soon
A house that never feels fresh
Stuffy and closed-in, especially upstairs. You open windows on a cool evening because it’s the only thing that helps.
More coming soon
Clammy all summer no matter how low you set the thermostat? That’s humidity rather than temperature, and a whole-home dehumidifier is often the answer. We also seal leaky ductwork, which is where a surprising amount of household dust turns out to come from. Text or call (828) 667-8743 and describe what you’re dealing with.
The Excellence Club
Air quality is easier to watch than to fix
Air changes slowly. Nobody notices the week it starts. They notice the winter they can’t stop coughing, or the summer the closet smells wrong, by which point it has usually been building for a while.
Excellence Club members at the Total and Elite levels get an indoor air quality diagnostic at every visit, twice a year, so we’re watching the trend instead of reacting to a bad winter. Every level includes two seasonal tune-ups and a condensate drain treatment, which is the single most common cause of the musty smell people call us about.
Ask your technician to enroll you before they leave, or text or call (828) 667-8743. Your membership starts right away, so today’s visit already gets member pricing.
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We are unreasonably interested in this
Heating and cooling is the part people call about. The air itself is the part we find fascinating, and it is the thing most homeowners have never had anyone explain to them. Western North Carolina has its own version of the problem: old houses, damp summers, dry winters, and a lot of homes that were never built with any of this in mind. Ask us about it and you may not get away quickly.