Single colorful window in a plain white wall

What You Really Need to Know About Indoor Air Quality

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Perhaps you’ve heard it said that houses are built “too tight” nowadays. Many people have concluded that it’s much better for a house to “breathe.” After all, breath sustains life; and for that reason, it must be good for your home to breathe, too.

Contrary to popular belief, your home doesn’t need to breathe. In fact, the more air you allow in and out of the house, the worse your indoor air quality becomes.

In a leaky home, you simply have no control over the quality of air you let inside. Harmful pollutants and contaminants such as carbon monoxide from your garage, dirt and dust from an unpaved road or driveway, or allergens from trees and grasses are all given free entry into an improperly sealed home.

Another common misconception is that fiberglass insulation in the walls can solve the problem of poor indoor air quality. While it’s true that fiberglass works well as a filter, your wall cavities can quickly fill with pollutants and contaminants. Ultimately, the fiberglass surrounding your home will become one giant pea tree dish. When a home is properly sealed and outfitted with an air exchanger, you are assured the best indoor air quality without the risk of contaminating your wall cavities.  

Using blower door testing, Northstar Insulation is able to determine where air leaks occur. After assessing the building’s condition, we can discuss what options are available to help improve the quality of air inside your home.

Because we were built to breathe — our houses were not.