Another common problem that can result from poor IAQ is humidity. Trapped moisture can, over time, lead to serious structural damage to your home. Recently, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning reported that 90% of all building failures are related to moisture.

Does your home have an air quality problem?
Different homes have different problem areas. For some homes, it might be as serious as high humidity in the attic that's eating its way through the roof, while for others, it might be simply a poorly ventilated kitchen that causes unwanted lingering odors. Many homes have an overly humid basement which breeds molds and other unhealthy micro organisms.

What do the experts say?
Many doctors and Associations believe that effective and efficient mechanical ventilation is an important part of a healthy indoor environment. Listen to some of their comments or visit some of their websites from our link section.

Three Basic Strategies
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the three basic strategies to reduce indoor air pollutants are: Source Control, Ventilation, and Air Filtration.

STRATEGY I - SOURCE CONTROL
Source control is the elimination of the individual sources of pollution. This involves taking steps such as:

• regular servicing of combustion appliances to decrease combustion emissions
• eliminating smoking indoors
• using low emission paints
• keeping pets outside

Venmar also has effective local solutions for specific areas of the household to control individual sources of air pollutants.

STRATEGY II - VENTILATION
Ventilation is the introduction of outside air into the home, which dilutes the air pollutants in your home and revitalizes stale air. While ventilation is a very good means of lowering the concentration of indoor air pollutants, few home heating and cooling systems, including forced air heating systems, mechanically bring fresh air into the house. This is because most systems are more concerned with air temperature than actual air quality. Venmar, on the other hand, has your whole health and well-being in mind.

Venmar's Advanced Ventilation Series (AVS) has a unit that's right for your home ventilation needs.

The AVS SOLO is a heat recovery ventilator that features Venmar's "Excess Humidity" system. It expels excess humidity during the heating season, replacing it with fresh, clean, healthy air. It also filters outdoor pollens and indoor pollutants to the outside.

The AVS DUO, also known as the "Health Conscious" system, provides year-round ventilation while filtering out indoor contaminants and allergens. This is an energy-recovering system that transfers both heat and moisture from one air stream to another for minimal ventilation costs.

STRATEGY III - FILTRATION
Filtration is the process of cleaning the air using different filtration devices. Because our homes are sealed up to conserve energy, we are circulating, again, the same airborne particles and bacteria over and over.

Our AFS (advanced Filtration Series) product line is highly effective for the removal of airborne particles. The AFS HEPA filters for example, removes 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns or greater. With a whole-house AFS HEPA or HP filter, you can significantly reduce the number of lung-damaging airborne particles in your home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What should the ideal humidity level be in my house?

The ideal humidity in winter should be between 30% and 40%. In the summer, it should be between 60% and 80%. Since each person is different, the level may vary slightly.

Q: How is humidity produced?

Most of the humidity in your house is a result of people, baths, showers, cooking, pets, aquariums and heating wood in the basement.

Q: All ventilation systems are measured in CFMs. What does CFM mean?

CFM is the acronym for "cubic feet per minute". This unit is necessary to measure the ventilation capacity of a room or a house in order to conform to HVI (Home Ventilation Institute) standards.

Q: We indicate the sonar level of appliances in sones. What is a sone?

A sone is similar to the sound that an ordinary refrigerator makes in a quiet kitchen. The higher the sone level the noisier the ventilation.

Q: I don't have any heath problems, should I be worried about the IAQ of my house?

Even if you and your family feel well, pollutants and allergens are always present in the air. Over time, they may affect your health, cause serious health problems and even cause you to develop allergies. To protect yourself, the replacement of fresh air is necessary. Different building codes in North America suggest that the replacement of interior air should occur once every three hours, while certain international codes recommend air replacement every two hours.

Q: I don't have humidity problems. What are the advantages of having a ventilation system?

Ventilation systems take care of humidity problems as well as those related to air quality. Opening the windows of your house will not only change the air; it will also allow pollutants (pollen, allergens, etc.) to enter your environment. A central ventilation system filters the air particles, which enter your house.

Q: A member of my family has asthma. Can a ventilation system help?

Studies clearly show that the air quality of your house effects your health. It is therefore important to remove most pollutants and humidity. Venmar is associated with the Lung Association to inform people of the benefits of a good IAQ.