INDOOR AIR QUALITY
WINNIPEG’S LEADING INDOOR AIR QUALITY EXPERTS
The comfort of your home depends on more than temperature settings. The air quality inside your home also greatly affects your health. Tiny particles like mould, bacteria and moisture can cause serious respiratory problems while pet dander, pollen and dust can be irritating - even to people without sensitivity or allergies.
Advanced products such as air purifiers and cleaners, working together with heating and cooling systems, help reduce concentrations of allergens and other contaminants in the air. In addition, there are other IAQ products that can improve air circulation and humidity levels in your home.
FILTRATION
Air filters help practice the principle of dilution, which means that they trap and reduce the concentration of common pollutants in your home. Filters that have been properly tested for effectiveness are rated using a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (or MERV), which describes the size of the holes that allow air to pass through the filter. The higher the MERV rating (rated from 1 to 16), the smaller the holes, the better the filtration.
Healthy Climate products, the brand that is used by Balcaen and Sons Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning, has 1” MERV8 filters in various sizes; 3” and 5” MERV11 filters; and 5” MERV16 Carbon Clean filters that remove over 95% of particles ranging down in size to 0.3 microns (1/25,000 of an inch) and over 90% of bioaerosols and microorganisms down to 0.01 microns.
AIR PURIFICATION
HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) systems are capable of removing nearly all allergy-aggravating contaminants, including some of the smallest particles and bacteria. Their three-step, high by-pass design lets air flow through without creating a large pressure drop, while still capturing up to 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns. Here’s how they work:
Another highly regarded air purification system is called the Healthy Climate PureAir, which cleans the air in your home better than any other single solution that you can buy. The Healthy Climate PureAir:
VENTILATION
As we seal our homes more tightly, ventilation has become a burgeoning problem/requirement. Healthy Climate Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) may be the answer as they are designed to exchange all of the air in your home without fresh air from outside, 10 times every 24 hours. The design of these machines is to minimize energy loss in the process of providing effective ventilation in colder climates. The HRV:
HUMIDITY CONTROL
Proper humidity levels not only create healthier air, but they can also make the air feel better even at more energy-efficient temperatures.
Humidifiers can be attached to the ductwork system and usually prove to be effective and provide adequate whole-home humidity. Healthy Climate offers both 12-gallon and 17-gallon capacity in their basic bypass-style humidifiers. A fan-assisted model or power humidifier with 18 gallon per day capacity is also available.
If the problem is too much humidity, Healthy Climate has a family of whole-home dehumidifiers available. These devices can reduce humidity to as low as 40% and can work independently or as part of the home’s heating system.
