Main Factors That Influence Indoor Air Quality

Posted by Andre & Erika Lacroix on
Indoor Air Quality | Nashville, TN | EZ Breathe Ventilation System

Main Factors That Influence Indoor Air Quality

Everyone knows that pollution is a bad thing, but often the term pollution is used in reference to big cities and the outdoor environment. However, there is an equally important concern: indoor air pollution.

Indoor Air Quality | Nashville, TN | EZ Breathe Ventilation System

Indoor air quality and pollution

According to the CDC, research over the last few years has established that indoor air can be more seriously contaminated compared to the outdoor air even in the biggest cities. Also, as noted by the CDC, because people spend nearly 90% of their time indoors, the health risk of exposure to air pollution while indoors may exceed the risks associated with outdoor pollution.

Along the same line, the World Health Organization has estimated that about 4.3 million people globally die every year as a result of indoor air pollution. It for this reason that John Bower, the founder of Healthy House Institute, argued that walking into a building today can sometimes be likened to putting your head into a plastic bag that is full poisonous fumes.

How basements contribute to poor indoor air quality

In the United States, basement are one of the major causes of indoor pollution. This is because many basements are often damp and dirty. High moisture in basements causes the growth of mold. As the mold grows, it pollutes the air through the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

VOCs and mold spores are associated with health issues such as allergies and respiratory problems. The musty odors that are associated with mold are also uncomfortable. Also, a high level of humidity in basements makes it possible for air to carry many other types of harmful pollutants.

The connection between basements and your home’s indoor air quality is due to the fact that about 50% of the air you breathe on the first floor circulates through the basement. Therefore, if the air in the basement is polluted due to mold and other harmful compounds, there is a high chance that your indoor air quality will be poor.

Indoor Air Quality | Nashville, TN | EZ Breathe Ventilation System

Basement waterproofing as a solution to indoor air pollution

Basement waterproofing involves addressing the issues that make basements wet to prevent the growth of mold and eliminate the basement’s clamminess. The process helps improve indoor air quality in the following ways:

  • Keeping the basement dry – Basement waterproofing techniques such as sealing foundation wall cracks and improving the drainage around a basement help keep away water and moisture. This keeps the basement dry and prevents dampness and other harmful effects of high humidity on indoor air.
  • Preventing the growth of mold – Mold thrives in wet or humid conditions. Therefore, if you keep your basement dry through waterproofing, you make the space unconducive for mold to grow.

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.