Home Air Qualiity is important to most people. The problem is that air filtration itself is inadequate in most homes, due to the large amount of air infiltration of dirty outside air we experience in our homes.
According to ARI (the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute), the air in the average home is changed out about every 2.5 hours or so. There are hundreds of openings in our homes, some visible, but most hidden.. Some of this air leakage provides necessary air for us to breath, however, most homes leak 2 to 3 times as much as they need to. This not only drives up heating and cooling costs, but can also cause even the most expensive filtration systems to be ineffective. This happens when air leaves the home, outside air enters the home to make up for the air lost, bringing all sorts of particulates into the home from a number of different locations.
Although millions have been spent developing windows & doors that don’t leak, the building industry has only recently begun to realize how much infiltration is caused by old building techniques.
The biggest leaks occur up through our walls and ceilings. When the home is built, wiring and piping is run through large holes drilled both vertically and horizontally through the framing members. Air can then move easily through light switches, electric outlet boxes and piping penetrations up into the attic or roof structure, then through our attic vents to the outside. Recessed light fixtures also allow a significant amount of air to enter or leave the home, as well as bath and kitchen exhaust fans. Without tearing the home apart, it is not possible to seal these leaks.
The electronics industry also found this out many years ago. When needing an absolutely dust free “clean room” for making computer chips, they found even the best filtration system was not able to meet their needs. Even though the filters were filtering the air in the room, air was able to enter and leave the room at a number of locations. This incoming air brought dust and particulates into the room, damaging their product.
Since they couldn’t seal all the leaks in the room, they decided to mechanically bring in air that was then filtered, then released into the room. This slightly pressurized the room, and caused air to be driven out all those small imperfections in the building, preventing dirty air from leaking in. Once dirty air has been prevented from entering the building, the filtration system can clean up the rest of the air inside the building more effectively.
Think about it. If a balloon was filled with clean air and put in a very dusty environment, the dirty air could not get inside-even if there were leaks, since the balloon is under pressure.
Rite-Way’s “Pressurization Package” pressurizes your home with filtered air, therefore blocking dirty, unfiltered outside air from entering your home, greatly reducing airborne dust and allergens inside your home.
We are considered a leading expert in Tucson air conditioning and air quality management.
If you’re concerned about your home indoor air quality, please sent up a free consultation by calling our office on 520-745-0660.
