Have you ever wondered why your allergies start acting up every time you walk into your home? Or why it seems like you're constantly dusting the furniture? Do you or other family members suffer from recurring respiratory problems? Poor indoor air quality doesn't always manifest itself in obvious ways, but it sure affects a lot of things, including the quality of your life at home.

Indoor air quality has become a serious issue in the past few decades. Homes are being built "tighter" now, in an effort to make them more energy efficient. A tight home is one that's sealed tightly against air leaks. Better insulation, vapor barriers and new technology in windows and doors all contribute to better energy-efficiency. They also contribute to poor indoor air quality by trapping dirt, dust, humidity and pollutants inside your home.

For those of you who do not understand what is meant by pollutants, let us explain. Almost everything we own in a home actually breathes, or emits gases. These gases are in the category of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). They can be within the upholstery, or foam in your furniture. Also, lacquers, stains, and the like on furniture, flooring, cabinets emit VOCs. Another source would be in many cleaners. Cosmetics, perfumes, detergents, and fragrances may also contain these.

Plastics emit nasty gases too. This is why it is very dangerous to enter an extremely hot car and turn on the air conditioning immediately. This hot plastic actually lets off toxic vapors.

How many of you walked into a model of a brand new modular home? …….or trailer home? There are signs in these which disclose that a certain amount of formaldehyde is used in the construction process. This is especially in the carpets, glues, cabinets. I can actually smell this stuff in a new home.

Does a brand new carpet smell good to you in your home? I bet it does because that smell means "clean and brand new to you". It gives you a sense of comfort. I'm not so sure that new smell is really good for you.

We have a customer who actually went through the effort of purchasing some kind of "organic housepaint" from some place in Oregon or Montana. All natural. I'm not sure how it is made, but it is better for you if you have the means to purchase it.

Look around you in your home! How many of these things can you identify? Can you stop noticing these things once you start understanding this? All of these things we normally ingest on a daily basis and it puts our bodies in some form of trauma (whether we choose to realize it or not). It amazes me just how strong the human body is when you embrace the reality in this.

The world we live in dictates that all of these pollutants are virtually inescapable. Where do you go when plastics are not good for you? Saddle up, because you won't be going anywhere in an automobile.

All we can do is to educate ourselves on this and do as much as possible to eliminate that of which is not good for us.

Unless cleaned through mechanical means, this "dirty air" circulates continuously through the ductwork, often making you and your family sick and even damaging your home and HVAC system.

Since it can't breathe well on its own, a tight home needs help in getting rid of contaminants that cause poor indoor air quality and the health problems that come with it. Since the average American now spend a staggering 90% of his time indoors, indoor air quality has become a major public health concern. We have several methods of helping people achieve a better quality of life thru air quality.

1. Filtration- Advanced filtration products such as electronic air cleaners, HEPA and extended life air filters and air purification systems can be easily installed on your current A/C system by one of our techs. These products trap allergens and in some cases even kill bacteria, mold, and viruses that cause illness and pollute your indoor air. Allergies can be brought on by pet dander and helped thru this process.

2. UV lights- Your A/C coils and ductwork are favorite places for mold and bacteria to hang out and breed. Buildup of these contaminants can reduce the efficiency of your HVAC system and release spores and musty odors into your home. UV, or ultraviolet, lights sterilize your coils, making your HVAC system a less hospitable place for harmful pollutants. How often does a member of your family become ill? All of these germs become airborne and become distributed throughout your home.

3. Dehumidification- High levels of humidity in your home can lead to mold growth, an uncomfortable clammy feeling in the home, and warpage of your home's wood components. Moist air also rusts out system components, leading to early failure and possible costly repairs. Whole house dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air, allowing you to set your A/C a few degrees higher and remain comfortable. This saves you on energy costs while improving your indoor air.,

4. Humidification. Without a certain amount of humidity in the air, we may feel very dry when we awake, or experience static electricity. Who likes any of these?

5. Whole house energy recovering ventilator air exchange systems. Since we spend so much time within the home, the outdoor air is generally much more healthy to breathe. We introduce outdoor air into the home and expel polluted indoor air. In doing such we recover much of the heat content of the air making this quite more energy efficient to operate.

6. Thermally. In many cases, we can separate your heating and cooling system with respect to its ducting. This is called Zoning. We have taken single systems and converted them into 2, 3, 4, and 5 independent heating and cooling systems without replacing the furnace and/or air conditioner. This has proven to be a much more cost efficient method then to "add" new systems. Traveling into areas of your home where there are temperature differences makes our bodies "adjust" constantly. This taps our energy levels and causes an uncomfortable environment.

We take great pride in helping our customers meet their indoor air quality needs. Paying attention to detail is something we do well. At times we can immediately identify a duct related design flaw and rectify issues without a great amount of investment needed.

If you are interested in this, please contact us.

The Tin Man

Dennis Kager, Jr.

(908) 797-8815

tinmanfab@yahoo.com