CO2 Monitoring and Your Indoor Air Quality

You read the latest news headline that “If you are not CO2 monitoring the air inside your house you are putting your entire family at risk!” then the next article reads, “CO2 monitoring is a hoax!” So that makes it fairly clear on what to do – right. In this post we are going to try and find the common ground.

First, what is CO2 monitoring? CO2 or Carbon Dioxide is what we exhale. A lot of people confuse it with Carbon Monoxide, which is what cars produce. CO2 monitors come in many shapes, sizes and price points but all function in basically the same way. The monitor takes readings of the room and displays the CO2 level of the room in parts per million (PPM). The recommended level inside a home or office should be under 1,000 ppm. Now before you run out and get a CO2 monitor, take a reading in your home and freak out because it is over 1,000, we have more for you to read.

Next, why should I monitor the CO2 level? Many people feel that monitoring the CO2 level will give you a direct reading on what the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the home is. This is not untrue but there are a lot of caveats to it. The principle behind CO2 monitoring is that it will give you an indication of the ability of your home to exchange the air, moving bad things like CO2 and other pollutants out of the home. If you have high levels of CO2 it probably means you have poor ventilation and not enough fresh air coming into the home. You will have a constant flow of CO2 in your home from people breathing. This is going to be elevated depending on how many people live in the home as well as if you host and guests.

Okay, sounds fairly straightforward that every home or office should have a CO2 monitor. While we agree that it would be helpful, this is where we get into the caveats. CO2 is only one of many contaminates in your home. While monitoring the levels is helpful, it is not a be all end all for the IAQ of the home. There are a ton of other contaminates that you also need to be aware of – mold, viruses and pollutants produced from cooking to name just a few. The other issue with monitoring is where you place the monitor. If you place the monitor in the middle of the dining room table as the entire family sits down for a meal, the levels are going to skyrocket. This is because everyone will be breathing directly on the monitor. Conversely if you place it in a closet that is cut off from everything, the levels will probably be very low. Both these scenarios are going to produce inaccurate results.

So now we are back to why would I want to monitor the CO2 when I can’t trust the results? One of the main reasons CO2 monitoring has gained popularity is that it is one of the few indicators for risk of exposure to COVID. Lets make one thing very clear – CO2 monitors do NOT detect COVID in the air. The theory (and we think it is a sound one) is that when dealing with an airborne virus or at least one where the main form of transmission is through the air, you can detect how much air has been exhaled by the level of CO2 in the room. Put another way, if the virus is transmitted from people exhaling, the CO2 level will determine how much air has been exhaled. The other thing we know about viruses is if they are not exhausted or diluted the chanced of transmission increases as more air is exhaled into the room. All of this assumes that someone in the room is a carrier of a virus.

Still not sue about a CO2 monitor. It’s okay, the debate is far from over. CO2 monitors can be a helpful tool but are not going to be the magical solution to your indoor air quality issues. As a matter of fact, they will do nothing to solve IAQ issues. At best they will just let you know you have issues. The route of the problem is how to make sure you don’t have CO2 build-up in your home or office. The good news is that there are very simple answers.

Proper ventilation and a source of fresh air are going to be your best solutions. If you have a CO2 monitor and want to demonstrate this, take a reading inside your car. Next drive in your car with the windows up and no air conditioning or the heat on for about five to ten minutes (like on your way to work or the store) and watch the CO2 level increase significantly. Now open the windows and watch it drop almost instantly. What happens is when you are in your car without any air coming in or going out there is nowhere for the CO2 to go. Once you open the windows, it is quickly exhausted out and fresh air comes in to dilute the level. You are still exhaling the same amount of CO2 just now it is being mitigated. The same principles hold true in your home. Having properly installed and functioning exhaust fans as well as a fresh air source will make your home or office a better place to live or work in. Air King has introduced the Total Home Ventilation System aimed at providing proper ventilation throughout the living space by viewing it as a whole and not as individual pieces. See it in action at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbzdzT5CabY

Lets sum all this up. Even with their limitations, CO2 monitors can be an effective tool in determining the level of ventilation and fresh air of a space. They can also be effective at gauging the risk level of a room, especially in a more corporate setting. Using the information gained from the results of the monitor as a piece of the puzzle can help formulate an action plan on how to increase the overall IAQ of the area.

To learn more about ventilation and fresh air solutions visit the exhaust fan, range hood and fresh air sections of the Air King website or view the Air King YouTube channel.

You’re looking to buy a new home. You take a tour and see the bedrooms, the type of flooring and so on. Now you turn the corner into the kitchen and before you even notice the cabinets, flooring and colors you are looking to see if it is a gas or electric cooktop. For some it is gas or nothing. For others electric is fine and now for a handful of people it has to be induction. While this might not be a deal breaker, buyers definitely have strong opinions on the type of cooktop in the home. The type of cooktop can also have a direct effect on the indoor air quality of the home. Matching the ventilation and cooktop is an important consideration. Let's take a look at each of these.

Gas Cooktops
Gas cooktops utilize natural gas or propane to power the burners. An open flame provides almost instant heat allowing pots and pans to heat up very quickly. For this reason it is the preferred method for cooks and chefs. While the cooking benefits are good, it produces a lot more contaminates than electric or induction cooking. If you stop and think about it – you are starting a fire, all be it a controlled one, in the middle of the kitchen. That is going to produce all kinds of contaminates and in large quantities. To properly ventilate the area, you need a more powerful range hood, probably something in the 300 to 600 CFM (cubic feet per minute) range and one that vents to the outside. With the hood removing that much air, you might need to consider how to make that air up depending on how tight the home is (you can read more about tight homes here). In some cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, New York and more, they have either banned gas appliances or there is legislation to do so in the coming years. If this becomes a nation-wide movement the need for more powerful range hoods might be decreased.

Electric Cooktops
Electric cooktops are more common and utilize an element that heats up when current is passed through it. That in turn heats the pot or pan. Electric cooktops are generally less expensive than gas and are easier to install, especially if there isn’t already a gas line to the house. The negative to electric cooktops is the time it takes to heat a pan or especially boil water. For a large pot you might need to start on Monday so it is boiling by Wednesday – okay that might be an exaggeration but you get the point. While electric cooktops still produce contaminates during the cooking process, it is at a reduced rate when compared to gas cooking. Therefore a less powerful range hood can be used, something in the 150 to 300 CFM range. Even with the lower CFM it is still highly recommended that it be exhausted to the outdoors. Unfortunately a hood that the air passes through a filter and then recirculates back into the kitchen is not effective and the indoor air quality of the home will suffer.

Induction Cooktops
This is a new technology that is quickly gaining steam (yes – pun intended). Electric induction cooking utilizes magnets to heat the pot or pan so the cooking surface stays relatively cool. There are some real technical things going on with terms that you need to look up in a dictionary, so for our purposes we will just go with it heats the pan and not the surface. Because it is heating the pan directly, it is the most efficient way to cook as almost all the energy is going directly to the cooking process. With gas and standard electric cooktops, a lot of the energy is lost in the heat transfer. The challenge with using induction cooking is your pots and pans must be magnetic otherwise they won’t work and since this is a newer technology, the price of induction cooktops is still very high. From a ventilation standpoint, they are very similar to standard electric cooktops. Because there is not a lot of wasted energy causing contaminates so a lower CFM range hood can be used. The other benefit is with electric and especially gas cooktops, the residual heat and contaminates being generated can last a lot long than with an induction cooktop.

Summary
In looking at all these technologies, it is important that your kitchen is properly ventilated. How much ventilation depends on the type of cooktop you have as well as how you utilize it. Matching the ventilation and cooktop is an important step as a gas cooktop is going to require a higher CFM range hood while an electric or induction cooktop will require less. Your style of cooking will also factor in. If you are cooking for 20 people every night using all the burners your ventilation needs will be different than someone who is just cooking for themselves.

For more information about matching your ventilation and cooktop as well as Air King range hoods visit the Range Hood section of the Air King website.

What Is Particulate Matter and Why Should I Be Concerned?

When talking about air quality, a term that has and continues to gain popularity is Particulate Matter. Particulate matter is sometimes referred to as PM2.5 or fine particulate matter. To get a sense of why it is concerning, lets first define what it is.

Particulate matter refers to fine particles in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in width, hence PM2.5. To give you a sense of how big, or in this case how small that is, there are about 25,000 microns in an inch. Their small size also allows them to hover in the air for long periods of time and travel long distances outside. So we know they are really small, why is that a big deal?

Because of their small size these partials are able to travel deep into our respiratory track, reaching the lungs. This makes them especially dangerous. Here is where it gets scary. There can be short term and long-term effects to exposure. Short term we can experience things like itchy or irritated eyes, nose irritation (sneezing or running), coughing or even shortness of breath. Longer effects can include increased chances of chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function as well as other lung related health issues. For people with underlying health issues such as asthma, exposure to particulate matter can be especially bad.

So where does particulate matter come from? Unfortunately there are many sources for PM2.5 both indoors and outdoors. The main source is from items that burn fuel such as cars, trucks, construction equipment or from burning wood, leaves, coal, heating oil and in some parts of the country forest fires. Indoors, the kitchen is going to be the main source of PM2.5 and is released during the cooking process, especially if using a gas cooktop. Other sources inside the home can be burning candles, oil lamps, fireplaces and fuel burning space heaters (time to get rid of that kerosene heater – Lasko has a full line of safe ceramic electric heaters). 

We need to take a minute for a public health announcement. Smoking and vaping are the quickest ways to infuse particulate matter into your body. Both methods contain PM2.5 and the process delivers it directly into your lungs.

Hopefully you are not so depressed that you stopped reading. There is hope. Eliminating PM2.5 from the outdoors is going to be almost impossible. What you can do is make informed decisions. Many states post the daily air quality and will send out warnings for elevated levels. If it is a bad air quality day, you might want to postpone that hike, run or anything else that will cause you to breath heavily that day. For those who are around forest fire smoke, staying indoors in a filtered air environment will help.

Indoors is where you can really make a significant impact. First, identify what could be producing PM2.5. The first stop should be the kitchen. This is where it is critical that you are utilizing a properly sized range hood that vents to the outside every time you cook. We have written a lot of blogs regarding the usage of range hoods and encourage you to read through them for more information.

Second, have a constant flow of air coming in and exhausting out of the home. Utilizing a fresh air intake that also filters the air coming in along with exhaust fans removing all the “bad” air inside your home will reduce contaminates inside the home. Air King has developed a Total Home Ventilation system to improve the indoor air quality of the home. You can read more about it here or watch a video on how it works on the Air King YouTube channel here.

Third, think about items that are releasing PM2.5 into the air that you along with your family are breathing. Items such as smoking inside, burning candles (yes we know this is a tough one especially with pumpkin spice candles in the fall), and even some air fresheners.

Eliminating PM2.5 is not attainable, but limiting exposure to it and creating better indoor air quality is. The goal is to reduce by utilizing some common sense and easy solutions. To learn more about ventilation solutions visit airkinglimited.com.

5 Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Finding ways to improve your indoor air quality (IAQ) has become a hot topic. More and more research is being done and studies are finding that when you improve your indoor air quality it can have some very beneficial results. Almost everyone can agree that better IAQ is good, but how do we get there? There are a lot of “solutions” on the market today. Some good, some not as good, and some that might be good but need more development. In this post, we are going to focus on the time-tested ways you can improve your IAQ. 

1. Ventilation

As a result of our daily living, contaminates build up in our homes. Each time we exhale we release CO2, when we cook all kinds of contaminates are released into the air, we use cleaning chemicals, and the list goes on. We can choose to stop breathing, cooking and cleaning, or have a strategy to combat these contaminates. A first line of defense is ventilation. It is a very simple concept – take the bad stuff and get it out of the home. Using a kitchen range hood that exhausts to the outdoors can be one of the most effective ways to instantly increase your IAQ. Add to that utilizing your bathroom exhaust fans and now that IAQ score is going to continue to rise. 

2. Dilutions / Fresh Air

Now that we know we have contaminates in the home, another effective way to combat them is diluting them by bringing fresh air into the home. There are many ways to accomplish this and it will look different depending on what area of the country you live. In mild climates, simply opening a window or door is an effective way to bring fresh air in – especially if you are utilizing your ventilation fans properly. The fans will draw the bad air out and the fresh air coming in will replace it. In areas that have more extreme temperatures a mechanical solution might be needed. This is basically a fan that brings air into the home. We have written many post about fresh air and you can learn more by reading through them. One large caution is in areas that frequently have forest fires or consistently bad outdoor air quality. In these cases, some type of filtration might be necessary for the air coming into the home. 

3. Filtration

For homes that have central heating/cooling systems, making sure your air filters are changed on a regular basis can have a big impact. Filters typically have a MERV rating. The higher the MERV rating the more pollutants it filters. A typical furnace filter is about a MERV8 which is effective for filtering out general pollutants including pollen and mold spores. A higher MERV rating will filter out more pollutants but be sure to consult your furnace manufacturer to see what it is rated for. You can read more about filters in our post – The Air Filter Debate – Is Too Much Too Much? The next time you check your filters (or your HVAC technician does), take a look at how dirty they are, and then realize that if the filters weren’t in place, you probably would be breathing that.

4. Remove

Ever walk into a laundry room and immediately are hit with a chemical smell that almost knocks you out? That is because the items you are storing in there are releasing contaminates that are just not good for you to be breathing. We already talked about using ventilation fans to take those contaminates out, but an even more effective solution is to store them outside of the living area if possible. We understand that it is not always possible or feasible to store these outside of the home but the more you can remove, the better your IAQ will be. 

5. Resist

Resist the temptation to utilize air fresheners and candles. These are effective at replacing the odors in the home with better smells but at what cost? No matter what type of candle you use, it will be releasing carcinogens of some type into the air. In the same way, almost all air fresheners (especially the more popular brands) are going to put chemicals into the air that are just not good for you. A good way to think about this is if you are trying produce the cleanest, purest air possible do you want to remove all the “bad” things or keep adding more things to it? Now before you go and tackle the next person in your house that tries to light a candle or excommunicate your kids because they sprayed an air freshener (okay that might be a little extreme), take a deep breath. If you are going to us candles make sure you are using them in a well-ventilated room (goes back to our first point) and use them for a limited time. Taking a bath with a candle or two lit in a bathroom with a properly functioning exhaust fan can be a good balance. 

For more information about how to improve your indoor air quality we suggest reading through the other Air King blog posts on related topics.

Monitoring Indoor Air Quality

We have talked at length in previous blogs about indoor air quality and how to improve it, but what about monitoring indoor air quality? As we are beginning to emerge from a long pandemic, we can hopefully retain some of the knowledge gained regarding indoor air quality. While testing for things like flu or COVID in the air is extremely difficult (although there has been some advancement in that area) there are ways to take an educated and fairly accurate guess. When dealing with viruses or something transmitted from person to person, monitoring the CO₂ levels of a room can be very effective. There are all types of CO₂ monitors but utilizing one that has a digital display of the CO₂ level of the room will be the most effective way to monitor it.

We all breathe, it's kind of important to stay alive. Part of breathing is exhaling. When we exhale we omit CO₂. A term that has gained popularity during COVID times is Viral Load. Most scientists agree that there needs to be a certain amount of virus present for it to be contagious (unfortunately at this time we are not sure exactly how much). That is why almost all virologist agree that properly ventilating a room is a very effective way of mitigating transmission. It is also why there are very few cases of transmission in open outdoor areas.

By monitoring the CO₂ levels of a room, we can obtain a good picture of potentially how much virus could be in the air. Let's first look at “normal” levels of CO₂. The average level of CO₂ in outside air is about 400 PPM (parts per million). Depending on your specific location and the environmental conditions, this will be higher or lower. The average level of CO₂ inside a house is between 500 and 1,000 PPM. When you approach 2,000 PPM, especially for extended periods of time, you can start to experience things like drowsiness and even headaches. When you get over 2,000 PPM you start to get into more serious side effects.

So we now have two items – viruses and general concerns about CO₂. From a virus standpoint you want to set a baseline CO₂ level. For instance, if you test your home on a “normal” day and you get 700 PPM, that is what you want to base any rises in CO₂ levels on. This is also effective and maybe even more critical for offices as business get back to in-person workdays. Now during the day as more people are in a given space, if that CO₂ level rises you can attribute it to people breathing within that given space. The more people breathing out CO₂, the more it will concentrate in the room. With viruses transmitted through breathing, if there is an increased level of CO₂, it is logical there will be an increased level of the virus in the air. If you are having a gathering with multiple people in one room or in an office space, you will see a spike in the CO₂ level.

As for general levels of CO₂, if you have a high concentration, it might be due to malfunctioning equipment/appliances in your home. These should be checked and serviced immediately – especially if you are seeing levels in the danger areas.

Whether rising CO₂ levels are due to increased occupancy or factors inside the home, mitigation is typically the same – ventilation. Removing the CO₂ from the home or office is critical. Exhaust fans play a critical role in mitigation. Even something like opening windows can have an immediate and positive effect on reducing the CO₂ level as well as the virus load within the room. The great thing about these mitigation strategies is you can receive quick, sometimes instant feedback. If your normal level is 700 PPM and you see a rise to 1,500 PPM, by opening a window or turning on the exhaust fan, you should see a decrease. If not, it means the amount of CO₂ is building up quicker than you can exhaust or dilute it and other measure may need to be taken (more ventilation, open more windows, reduce the occupancy, etc.).

Visit the Exhaust Fan section of Air King website for more information regarding ventilation solutions for your home. Also visit the Fresh Air section to learn more about bringing air into your home or office.

Do You Have a Fresh Air Strategy For Your Home?

With a global pandemic going on, there has been a lot of talk about indoor air quality and ways to mitigate viruses. One strategy that has been almost universally accepted as an effective tool is bringing fresh air into the home. But what is a good fresh air strategy to bring that air into your home? In this blog we are going to look at the pros and cons of some of the more popular solutions out there allowing you to make a decision on what fresh air strategy is best for your specific application. As with all our recommendations, all local and national codes must be adhered to. If you are not sure what codes pertain to your location, consult a professional HVAC expert.

Strategy 1 – Open windows and doors

Pros – No cost solution, nothing to install, any home can do it – sort of.

Cons – No control over air coming into the home, not great for climates that have extreme temperatures (hot or cold)

Summary
While opening windows and doors is very easy to do, it does have its limitations. The first and biggest one is if you live in a climate that has hot or cold days, you might not want to open that window or door. Think North Dakota in February or Texas in August. A second issue is, you have no way of truly knowing how much air is actually coming into the home. If it is a breezy day and you can feel the rush of air coming in, you are probably doing very well. If there isn’t a breeze and you can’t feel any air coming in, you are probably getting some fresh air in, but is it enough? We would list this solution under the “Better than nothing” category, especially since there are much better solutions.

Strategy 2 – Window Fan

Pros – Lower cost solution that can easily be added by a homeowner.

Cons - Not great for climates that have extreme temperatures (hot or cold)

Summary
Window fans will be more effective that just opening windows and doors but they still have their limitations. As with opening windows and doors, a window fan will have even more limitations when it comes to hot or cold climates. A window fan is going to bring a rush of air into the home. If it is the right temperature, this can be extremely effective. If it is not, it will quickly make the living area of the home uncomfortable. With a window fan you will have more control and be able to have a better idea of how much air is coming into the home. Almost all fans have multiple speed settings. Generally a window fan is going to be a solution for older homes and in areas where the code does not call for a mechanical fresh air system. To learn more about Air King’s window fans click here. We would list this solution under the “Can be effective in the right circumstance” category with a check mark in the “Better than nothing” category. 

Strategy 3 – Mechanical Ventilation

Pros – Controlled solution that meets almost all the building codes across the US.

Cons – Higher initial cost, requires installation.

Summary
A mechanical solution is a dedicated fan that brings fresh air into the home. Most solutions either have an air filter installed in the unit or one can be added. This allows the air coming into the home to be filtered, which can be a big deal if you live in an area of the country where pollution is an issue. The air intake is set at a rate to match the requirements of the home, so you are in total control of how much air is coming into the home. This is important from an energy standpoint. With opening windows or using a window fan you are almost forced to turn off the heat or air conditioning. With a mechanical fresh air intake it can work in conjunction with those systems. Many units also include temperature and humidity monitors that will shut the unit off if the outdoor air is too hot, cold or humid. To learn more about Air King’s Fresh Air Intake products – click here. We would list under the “Really good” category.

Strategy 4 – ERV / HRV

Pros – Controlled solution that meets almost all the building codes across the US, lessens the energy strain on the HVAC system.

Cons – High initial cost, generally needs to be installed by an HVAC professional.

Summary
An ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) or HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation) can be classified as a mechanical solution and provide all the benefits of what was discussed above. The difference is ERVs or HRVs are going to provide energy savings. How these units work is they bring fresh air into the home while exhausting the stale “bad” air out of the home. You will hear it referred to in some case as balanced ventilation. The big benefit of an ERV or HRV is that it tempers the air coming into the home. The cool air (or hot air) coming in from outside, passes through a core where the warm air (or cool air) inside the home “tempers” it. This is a huge benefit to the HVAC system and your energy costs. As with other mechanical solutions, ERVs and HRVs generally have controls that allow you to monitor the amount of air coming in and going out as well as the temperature and humidity of the air. We would list this solution under the “Best” category. Being able to control temperature, humidity, and airflow with the added benefit of lessening the impact on the HVAC system makes it top the list, even with the higher initial cost. To learn more about Air King ERV and HRV solutions – click here.

Having a fresh air strategy for your home is an important step towards increasing your indoor air quality. A good strategy will have lasting benefits even when there isn’t a pandemic going on. For more information visit the Fresh Air section of the Air King site as well as our other blog posts on related subjects.

Indoor Air Quality Math

We bet you didn’t know Indoor Air Quality Math was a thing? In this post we are going to take a look at some of the numbers involved with IAQ.

5X

The air inside your home can be up to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. Build up of contaminates from cooking, cleaning, laundry as well as everyday living can build up quickly inside a home. People breathing creates CO2 which has a negative impact on the IAQ of the home. What should we do to combat this? The answer is to move the bad air out and replace it with fresh air. This can be done in many ways. Simply opening a window can be effective but is hard to control. The best solution is to have properly installed exhaust fans removing the air inside the home, then some type of air intake to bring fresh air into the home. Solutions like the Air King QFAM have an optional MERV16 air filter that can remove almost all particles that would enter the home. Just a quick note, in case of active wildfires or other significant pollutants in the air, it is not recommended that an air intake system be used.

85%

85% of Americans don’t realize the air in their homes poses a possible health hazard. This comes from the American Lung Association. Much like what we discussed in the above paragraph. Build up of contaminates, especially cleaning chemicals can create a hazardous environment.

50%

Up to 50% of airborne contaminates come from the cooking surface in the kitchen. Cooking is one of the largest contributors to bad indoor air quality. The normal cooking process creates all kinds of contaminates. That’s before we let those eggs cook a little too long! If those contaminates are not exhausted out of the home we can end up breathing them in. The best solution is utilizing a range hood that vents to the outside and is sized for your specific cooking surface. The Air King ECQ series has an added feature of a continuous, barely audible low speed – click to learn more.

20 minutes

The exhaust fans in your bathrooms should run for a minimum of 20 minutes after the room has been used. Just because you are done in the bathroom doesn’t mean all the contaminates are. They can continue to linger for much longer. In higher moister situations, using an exhaust fan with a humidity control, like the Air King E130SH ensures that all the moister is exhausted before shutting off.

So you see, indoor air quality math gives us some simple insight into what we can do to improve our living environment. To learn more, read through our other post on Indoor Air Quality or visit the Air King website.