How Can I Improve My Indoor Air Quality?

Join us in this educational segment where Check A Pro, Joe takes the conversation with Heating and Cooling expert, Nathan Shafer, to a pervasive and largely ignored topic - indoor air quality. He discusses with Nathan on the importance of indoor air quality and its impact on health, especially in the modern, tightly sealed homes. Nathan offers insights on how better insulation and airtightness contribute to improved efficiency but can compromise the air quality if not occasionally supplemented with fresh air.

In this episode, Nathan places significant emphasis on the role of relative humidity levels in ensuring optimal indoor comfort as well as the need to control this factor. The pronounced effects of a mere 5% change in relative humidity levels on the perceived temperature levels are discussed in detail.

Additionally, you’ll learn how improved filtration can contribute to healthier homes and longevity of the heating and cooling systems. A variety of filtrations systems and air purifiers are explored to help you find the options best suited for your needs. Nathan also emphasizes keeping the indoor air clean, dust-free, germ-free and comfortable by controlling odor and maintaining optimal humidity.

Make your homes healthier with these indoor air quality management tips. For more detailed insights, head straight to the Nathan's website linked in the show notes of this podcast.

 

For more information about Shafer Heating & Cooling in Hillsboro, Ohio - log on to

www.ShaferHVAC.us.

or check them out at www.checkapro.com.

www.ShaferHVAC.us.

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You Can Call Anytime:  [phone].

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Check A Pro Joe here on the Check A Pro
radio show talking to Nathan Shafer
Hey Nathan how are you hey good how are you I am living the dream I love what
i do I love helping homeowners live a healthy safe life speaking of healthy
let's talk about indoor air quality people ask me all the time how they can

(00:23):
improve their indoor air quality I'll tell you years ago go,
we didn't use the air conditioning and heating the way we do today.
We often opened our windows more frequently and the fresh air came in,
but a lot of us are in more of a newer sealed home.
So talk about indoor air quality and how important that is.

(00:44):
Oh yeah, it's extremely important. This is a topic that I love and unfortunately, it's kind of sad.
It's really really not talked about near enough within the industry as far as
from other heating and cooling companies as a whole, right, across the nation.
And so this is something that's becoming more and more important in the health
of our homes and the health of our families.

(01:05):
And you mentioned these houses are being built tighter and tighter,
meaning they're insulated better, they're more airtight, they're more efficient, which is awesome.
That's great on the economical side of things and heating and cooling that home.
However, that does require certain things to make sure that the home still stays healthy. healthy.
And so there's lots of things to take into consideration as we go into this

(01:25):
time of year. One of the top of mind things that comes up is humidity.
As we start heating the home with these systems, the air starts to become drier
and we start to feel that.
And it creates a difference in the comfort too.
The colder it gets, the more that heating system runs, you kind of find yourself

(01:45):
having to turn the thermostat a couple more degrees, a couple more more degrees.
You're like, man, it's weird.
Like used to 70 felt comfortable. Now it feels cold and I'm up to 72 or 73 to
still feel comfortable.
When the fact, the reality is it's not the temperature, but it's the way that it feels.
It's actually the humidity in the home. As that air gets drier and drier for
every 5% change in that relative humidity, it feels like one degree in temperature.

(02:07):
And so if we take it from 45% to 40%, that 70 now feels like 69.
Go another 5%, Now it feels like 68. And so, um, some things to remember on
that, and there's ways that we can take and control that and keep the house
at those optimum humidity levels, which is going to keep you healthier,
keep you comfortable, you know, our internal filters and us personally,

(02:29):
you know, back here, don't start drying out. We're getting all those germs and stuff coming in.
Uh, when it comes to germs, you know, there's things that we can,
can, um, uh, install to help with that as as well to remove the germs and bacteria in the home.
So lots of different things that can be done for the indoor air quality of the home.
So the humidity is a good point. You want to make sure in the wintertime when

(02:52):
the heat is on that the humidity is somehow increased because it naturally will
evaporate. It'll dry up, unlike in the summertime.
And having proper filtration, it might not just be those air filters that came with your system.
You might be more sensitive and you may want to put in a better air filtration system.

(03:14):
Absolutely. Yeah, there's all kinds of different types of filtration systems
and levels of those, depending on what you're wanting to accomplish with that.
You want to keep that system, that investment clean and lasting a long time.
You want to keep the air clean in your home. You want to dust less often to
keep all the air in that home that's coming through that system.
We're breathing it in. And so we want to protect ourselves and our families

(03:37):
to keep us healthier. here.
So definitely filtration options are something to be looking at.
Like I said, there's the air purifiers where it brings the technology of the outdoors, right?
Of mother nature that God's provided for us and brings that into the home inside the duct work.
So control the germ side of things and bacteria and things like that.

(03:58):
Odors, we can control that. There's things as far as bringing fresh air into the home.
So we talked about those airtight homes at the beginning, which is great,
but sometimes we need to introduce some fresh air into the home and put the
house under a positive pressure instead of a negative pressure.
And so there's things that can tie into that as well.
And then of course, like we mentioned, the humidifier. So those are some of
your, there's more, but those are some of your, probably your three or four

(04:20):
most common things that have the biggest impact on keeping that home comfortable as well as healthy.
And for more information, you can go to Nathan's website.
There's a link in the show notes of this podcast. As always,
my friend, thank you so much for educating us. Hey, thank you,
Jim. Thanks for having me.