How Important Is Testing Your Air Quality

Posted by Andre & Erika Lacroix on
Mold Testing | New Jersey | EZ Breathe Ventilation System

How Important Is Testing Your Air Quality

It’s not uncommon to find homeowners confused about whether they need mold testing or air quality testing when they want to diagnose a moisture or mold problem. While some unscrupulous salesmen will tell you that both tests are the same, there are differences that you should be aware of. Learning about these differences will help you make an informed decision when the time comes.

Mold Testing | New Jersey | EZ Breathe Ventilation System

Mold tests

Mold testingis the procedure that involves physically taking samples of material, inserting them in solutions and heating for the color to change for interpretation.

There are various types of mold tests available today. Instant mold tests may provide you with quick confirmation but will not tell you what type of mold you’re dealing with. They will also not tell you how deep the infestation is. You may therefore not be aware of how serious your mold problem is.

Air quality tests

These test involve analyzing air samples that have been collected from a room. The air is passed through a filter and the particles that are captured on the filter tested. The results of the test will tell you what type of particles are floating in the air in that particular room. Examples of particles include mold spores, pollen, asbestos and other allergens.

The results of these tests provide a very accurate picture of what is in the air in your home. They give you a clear indication of the level of pollution by providing the concentrations of different pollutants.

Mold Testing | New Jersey | EZ Breathe Ventilation System

Which test should you opt for?

The answer to this question depends on what information you need. However, professional mold testing will often include air quality testing.

A combination of the two tests will give you a clear picture of the type and level of pollutants in your home. These tests are quick and simple when done by professionals with the right equipment and experience. They’ll provide you with accurate results that will help you make an informed decision on what to do to protect your family.

You may be tempted to use a home mold testingkit to save money. These kits are easy to use and provide quick results. However, they won’t give you a clear picture of what’s in your home. If you want to know how serious your problem is and what you should do about it, get in touch with a professional inspector to have your home tested for mold and other air pollutants.

Contact the Professionals at EZ Breathe Ventilation System Today! 866-822-7328

Written by Andre & Erika Lacroix

We are a 2nd generation family owned and operated business that has been working in homes with basements and crawl spaces for over 40 years.  We have been waterproofing and sealing about 500 foundations a month during that time as the largest Waterproofing contractor in the Midwest with 15 locations servicing 8 states.

20 years ago we would seal a foundation and recommend a standard dehumidifier to address the additional water vapor (humidity in the air) inherently found in below grade environments, such as basements and crawlspaces.  Back then, dehumidifiers were the industry standard to help with this problem. However, many of our customers were looking to us as the “foundation expert”, asking…

“What else do you have? I really am not getting results with this messy, expensive dehumidifier. My foundation is dry, walls are dry, floor is dry, so why does it still smell and feel like a basement?” 

We needed to find something better. Our company’s core values include offering world class customer service to every customer, every time.   So, we challenged our Research and Development department to find a real solution for our customers to combat not only the moisture, but also the odors, pollutants and unhealthy environment our customers were concerned about. We found, tested and installed a ventilation product for a period of three years. We private labeled that product as the EZ Breathe Ventilation System. The feedback in those first three years from our customers, as well as our installation crews, did not live up to the standard of quality to be included in our waterproofing process that offered a life time warranty. Once again, we needed something better.

We valued not only the results, but what we were learning from our customers. So, we went back to the drawing board, took matters into our own hands and made quality improvements to that first generation ventilation unit.

Our own EZ Breathe Ventilation System was born…reengineered, redesigned and much improved! We quickly learned that our crews were thrilled with the quality improvements, ease of operation and installation, but more importantly, our waterproofing customers loved the new, improved EZ Breathe unit as well.

Their feedback told us the air in their basements and crawlspaces felt better, but their entire home was benefiting from their EZ Breathe as well. We received countless letters thanking us because their whole house felt different, less odors, fresher air upstairs too, family members were feeling better, needing less allergy medicine, husbands were no longer snoring, children were no longer coughing as much, the home and it’s family were living healthier lives!

It was time for us to move beyond simply offering this innovative technology to just our waterproofing customers. Our passion and commitment to helping people improve their indoor air environments is what drove us to incorporate EZ Breathe Ventilation Systems as an independent company in 2003. We strongly believe that homeowners everywhere deserve a healthy indoor air quality.

We have spent the last 20 years dedicated to learning about the relationship between our home and our health; indoor air quality, the home as a system, building science and how it relates to indoor air quality as well as the challenges our modern day practices pose to the quality of air we breathe in our homes.