The first four principles of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) are air temperature, humidity, filtration, and ventilation. A well-operating HVAC system can manage and control each of these system functions. They are the foundation of our industry.
Unfortunately, promoters of IAQ products overlook IAQ basics and focus you and your customer's attention on treating symptoms rather than resolving problems.
Let's take a look at the top symptoms that many IAQ products attempt to manage. Then we'll look at the defects causing the symptoms and how you can cure an IAQ problem at its source. If you discover the solution, you may not need to manage IAQ symptoms with additional IAQ products.
See the Big Picture
Indoor air quality is a valid concern, and our industry must address it. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists indoor air pollution among the top five environmental dangers. Since, on average, people today spend more than 80% of their time indoors, there is a considerable demand for permanent solutions.
The reason our industry is so involved is that we handle air. Remember, whatever is in the air gets moved through the HVAC system. A system can circulate all the home's air through it 10 times every hour and up to 100 times a day!
You can measure, diagnose, and repair a system to improve its control of air temperature, humidity, air filtration, and ventilation.
Pollutants infect heating and cooling systems each time air moves through them. Rarely does an HVAC system produce contaminants. It just gets all the blame because the ducts, equipment, and filters all collect contaminants.
You can measure, diagnose, and repair a system to improve its control of air temperature, humidity, air filtration, and ventilation. Unfortunately, because most people assume these four functions operate adequately, they look for a silver bullet in an IAQ product to treat apparent symptoms.
You can alter the phrase "follow the money" to "follow the air" regarding IAQ. Air is the highway that transports each IAQ element throughout a home. When you measure and map system airflow and pressures, you'll begin to "see" the system's direct impact on the house, and new solutions soon become apparent.
Minimize Sources of Indoor Pollution
Typically, your customers suffer from headaches, allergies, nausea, itching eyes, and other general health and respiratory problems. Well-performing HVAC systems do not cause these problems.
All indoor pollutants hitch a ride on the air freeway of a ventilation system. They do so without permission. With that in mind, the first solution is to reduce or minimize the sources of indoor air pollution.
Many indoor pollutants are easily found at the moment of their release. Some have odors, or suddenly noses run and eyes water when contact is made.With detailed questions, you'll be surprised how many families may have already discovered the irritant source.
Often the solution is simple. The hard part is telling your customers what they need to do first. See the free offer at the end of the article for a practical list of IAQ solutions your customers can do themselves.
While some airborne substances are easy to find, others are not and may require an industrial hygienist or other professional to measure and identify. This is especially true when your customers have increased sensitivities to certain pollutants. Be quick to hand off the case to a more qualified professional in these circumstances. Do not overstep your boundaries.
Services You Can Provide
1. Verify the HVAC System Performs Well -- Since primary IAQ problems often stem from poor HVAC system performance, that's the best place for you to begin.
You can test a system's air temperature, humidity, filtration, and ventilation. Compare each measurement to design conditions and manufacturer specifications. When you compare field-tested numbers to design and specifications, the repairs needed become obvious. And you are first in line to offer them to your customer.
2. Poor Ventilation -- Many of the IAQ problems you deal with today stem from the quest to save energy. Homes and duct systems are tighter, ventilation rates and outdoor air values are lower. When not operating as designed, contaminants become trapped indoors, fueling IAQ complaints.
You can measure and calculate ventilation rates and the volume of outdoor air brought into a home and then compare your results to various industry standards. When these two airflows are correct, the home operates under positive pressure. This means contaminates are forced from the house, and foul air is replaced with outside air.
Depending on the circumstances, solutions you provide may include increasing fan airflow and balancing room airflow.
Depending on the circumstances, solutions you provide may include increasing fan airflow and balancing room airflow. Consider installing low-flow exhaust fans to remove stale and contaminated air from the home consistently. You may also install an outside air duct to the return side of the system and adjust airflow until the indoor pressure is near .02" water column (w.c).
3. Carbon Monoxide -- Many indoor pollutants annoy and irritate. Carbon Monoxide (CO) kills. Since you service equipment that may produce CO, offering CO monitors creates an opportunity that is all yours.
Very few fire departments or emergency services can resolve this urgent condition when it arises. An increasing number of service companies find CO monitoring and remediation a valuable service and add CO detecting products to their offerings.
4. Dust -- This is a constant nuisance. It is a trace element of home infiltration often caused by duct leakage. Duct leakage creates a negative or suction pressure in a home, pulling insulation and dirt into the air stream from undesirable locations whenever the system fan operates.
Imagine a return duct with a hole in it buried in cellulose insulation. This is a constant dust source, evenly distributed throughout the house, depositing a thin coat of gunk almost every day of the year.
You are the face of IAQ. When your customer needs it, you are the expert.
The most common solution suggested is higher-efficiency air filters and air cleaning systems. Filters are a simple and easy solution, and you have them on the truck. Unfortunately, if you install a new filter promising a solution to your customer, the leaking return duct continues to pull insulation into the home. You haven't fixed the issue, and the root problem persists.
You are the face of IAQ. When your customer needs it, you are the expert. When your next IAQ issue presents itself, consider looking beyond the silver bullet IAQ products and investigate. Your first step should be making sure their system isn't the real cause of IAQ problems.
Rob "Doc" Falke serves the industry as president of National Comfort Institute, Inc., an HVAC-based training company and membership organization. If you're an HVAC professional interested in a free practical list of IAQ solutions your customers can do themselves, contact Doc at ncilink.com/ContactMe or call him at 800-633-7058. Go to NCI's website at nationalcomfortinstitute.com for free information, articles, downloads, and current training opportunities