Why Basement Ventilation Systems Are Vital To Your Home

Posted by Andre & Erika Lacroix on
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Why Basement Ventilation Systems Are Vital To Your Home

Basement ventilation systems are an essential component of a home’s overall health and safety. Proper ventilation helps protect indoor-air-quality-cleveland-oh-ez-breathe-2 against the build-up of moisture, mold, mildew, and other airborne contaminants that can cause significant damage to your home and health. Basements are particularly susceptible to high levels of humidity as they are often below grade and do not have access to natural airflow from outside.

By installing a basement ventilation system, you can improve indoor air quality by supplying fresh outdoor air into the space while removing stale, contaminated air out. These systems also help reduce energy costs by regulating temperature throughout the house more effectively. Additionally, these systems help prevent structural damage caused by condensation on basement walls and floors, which occurs when warm humid air comes in contact with cooler basement surfaces.

Ultimately, basement ventilation systems are essential for the health and safety of your basement, home, and family. Investing in a basement ventilation system is an important step towards protecting your home from costly damages and creating a healthier living environment. By understanding the many benefits basement ventilation systems offer, you can make an informed decision when choosing the best system for your basement. Ventilation systems are not only an investment in the safety and health of your basement, but they are also one of the most cost-effective ways to maintain a healthy basement environment.

 

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.