Increase Ventilation System Performance With These 5 Tips

In today’s tightly sealed houses, a ventilation system is an effective way to bring fresh air into the home. Make the most out of your ventilation system by following these five tips.

1.   Learn the controls on your ventilation system. Controls might include a circulation mode setting that circulates the indoor air without using outdoor air, a timer that enables you to schedule the system to run at high speed when you need it, and a maintenance light that informs you when the system needs cleaning or service.

2.   Keep the ventilation system continuously running at low speed. This is the only way you can ensure that your home is ventilated at all times. Your home will be more efficiently ventilated if you leave it on instead of turning it on and off repeatedly.

3.   Switch over to high-speed operation when needed. If you paint a room, use cleaning products, or entertain a guest who smokes indoors, turn on the high-speed operation to replace the pollutants with fresh air. This operation is also useful when you have a lot of people in your home or when your indoor air feels stale or humid.

4.   Ensure that the area around the air intake is free of any contaminants. A ventilation system works by exchanging the outside fresh air with the indoor air through the fresh air intake. If you put contaminants, such as trash, chemicals and/or pesticides, near the fresh air intake, your ventilation will be compromised.

5.   Adjust the dehumidistat on the ventilation system to reduce condensation. During the winter, heat will be pulled from the heated indoor air that is on its way out of the house and replaced in the incoming fresh air. This difference in temperatures between the indoor air and the outdoor air can cause condensation on windows and other cold surfaces. Simply adjust the dehumidistat to decrease this, but don’t overdo it because too-dry air can cause static electricity, dry skin and other undesirable effects.

Contact Comfort Services for more information on ventilation and other ways to reduce pollutants in your indoor air. We've been proudly serving South Carolina's Midlands since 1976.