5 Reasons To Have Your Indoor Air Quality Tested

Homeowners in the Riverside, CA area often focus on the comfort and aesthetic appeal of their home. However, indoor air quality is something that should be addressed regularly. The air that we breathe inside our home can greatly impact our health. From an increase in allergy symptoms to overwhelming fatigue, poor indoor air quality can be devastating. Indoor air quality testing is an important part of diagnosing indoor air quality concerns as well as determining what kind of changes need to be made.

What Does Indoor Air Quality Testing Entail?

The process of having your indoor air quality testing performed involves a few different methods and tools to spot high levels of certain pollutants. This includes things like dust, pet dander, mold spores, volatile organic compounds, pollen, and more. The final report will determine what a home’s indoor air quality is, and changes can be made in the way of increased ventilation, the installation of air purification devices, and more.

There are several reasons why you should have your Riverside indoor air quality tested.

1. Identifying Various Contaminants

As mentioned, indoor air quality can be affected by several contaminants. The concentration of these contaminants in your air will determine how you are affected. In addition to testing for typical particulate matter like dust and dander, our indoor air quality specialists can also check your home for deadly carbon monoxide and radon gas. Learning what the threats are in your home will help you stay safe.

2. Addressing Health Concerns

Different physical symptoms can arise from breathing in indoor air pollutants. Some people may just experience an occasional stuffy nose when levels of pet dander or pollen get too high. There are more severe symptoms that can come from exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as headaches, nausea, fatigue, and systemic inflammation. If you or someone in your household has been experiencing health issues without a known cause, your indoor quality may be to blame.

3. Improving Overall Comfort

The quality of your indoor air can have a profound effect on the overall comfort of your home. If you have a high amount of particulate matter in your air, this can make your home feel very stuffy or uncomfortable. You may also notice that your home has an odd odor. Humidity can also play a role in indoor air quality, and this can be checked by our team as well. High levels of humidity can result in more particulates in your indoor air. This can also make your home feel very muggy and uncomfortable.

4. Improving Energy Efficiency

You may have several issues around your home that are contributing to poor indoor air quality. This can result in you running your heating or cooling equipment more frequently than is necessary. This increases your monthly utility bills. Overworking your HVAC system can result in more repairs over the lifetime of your equipment.

5. Confirming Improvements Are Working

If you have had an indoor air quality test performed and made some improvements, you can have the testing repeated. This will help you ensure that your air purification system, dehumidifier, ventilation fans, etc. are working well.

Poor Indoor Air Quality Symptoms

It’s important that you know the potential effects that can occur from being exposed to bad indoor air quality on a consistent basis. Some of these symptoms may be caused by things such as the outdoor allergy season in Riverside. However, not being able to find relief when you head indoors is one sure sign that the inside of your home is to blame.

Exhaustion

Waking up in the morning feeling completely exhausted, even after you’ve slept for many hours, can be a sign of poor indoor air quality. You may find that you feel better when you are away from home for the day.

Dizziness

It’s common to experience dizziness if you are exposed to volatile organic compounds. These are chemicals that are released from things like cleaning products, fresh paint, new building materials, new furniture, etc.

Trouble Breathing

Poor indoor air quality can result in respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, an increase in asthma attacks, and more. These symptoms should never be taken lightly.

Allergy Symptoms

Your Riverside home should be a refuge from the allergens that you find outside. When symptoms such as a runny nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, and blocked ears don’t go away, your indoor air quality may be causing you problems.

Making Indoor Air Quality Improvements

There are several improvements that you can make that will enhance your indoor air quality. This includes the following.

Air Purification and Filtration Devices

Your home may already have a portable air purification device or filtration unit. However, these items are only designed to address a small amount of indoor air at one time. You can tackle all the air circulating in your home by having a whole-house unit installed by a professional. These systems use high-quality and efficient filters, such as HEPA filters and activated carbon filters, to remove particulate matter and freshen your indoor air.

Increasing Ventilation

The amount of air that is being exchanged between your home and the outside is important. Opening your windows and doors for several minutes each day can be beneficial, but there may be times of the year when this isn’t practical. For example, during heat waves or when wildfire smoke is a problem is one such instance.

Exhaust fans allow you to remove polluted air from your home in areas like your bathrooms and kitchens without having to open windows. There are whole-house ventilation units that bring fresh air into the home, condition and filter it, and then allow the air to circulate through your home. One of our team members can help you determine what the best methods of improving ventilation in your home are.

Addressing Humidity

If the relative humidity level in your home is too high, a whole-house dehumidifier can help address this problem by removing moisture. If you experience dry indoor air during certain times of the year, a whole-house humidifier will add moisture back into your air. You can utilize both units in your home, changing between one and the other depending on your indoor air quality needs. Just make sure that you’re keeping a close eye on your indoor humidity level. You can do this by installing a smart thermostat that includes a hygrometer. You can also invest in small and affordable humidity sensors that can be placed throughout your home.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of having indoor air quality testing performed in your Riverside home, reach out to our team at Sheldon's Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. We can help you determine what kind of changes should be made to your home to rectify issues with your air quality. We can also take care of the installation, maintenance, and repair of all heating and cooling equipment. We can also address your plumbing needs, such as new pipe installations, unclogging pipes, water heater repair, and more. Contact Sheldon's Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing in Riverside to schedule an appointment today.