Air Quality Monitoring in Home
At the time being of A.I. and Analytics Technologies.
not a store. a trade show.
A Table of Contents
When you smell it, you already breath in. Allergy is one of these outcomes.
Overview
Sources of contaminants. Standards of Air Quality to meet for home.
Our Demo
One model and one brand will be chosen to discuss for each category of issue matters. A range of prices is given.
Other Brands- Ratings
A good magazine is chosen for providing a list of best products of the year with a comprehensive analysis.
Remediation Area
Each area of house has different air quality parameters: Living Room, Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom, Utility Room, …
Resources
Documents used for this business protocol: university and government papers.
Venmo me if you like
If you enjoy this visit, Venmo me a few bucks at @ecoWinstonVo. Not a requirement.
Facts about the Quality of Air in your home.
The air in a house is contained so ventilation is needed to circulate it. However, the pollutants still exist, as the circulations and filters are not efficient enough and your garden where the air exchanges happen is polluted. When you see or taste it, it worsens your health. Especially, with our past experiences are with the Covid-19 pandemic.
On the market, there are a few companies solving this issue. However, they are in charge of either testing or monitoring but do not provide the solving of clean up. Among some of the companies that provide our air conditioner (HVAC) services do not participate in this cleaning process. That was my perception in 2010 and still is a fact right now. The diagnosis device is now available, but the test samples of bacteria still need to be sent to the laboratory to process.
Signs of indoor air quality problems
- Unusual and noticeable odors.
- Stale or stuffy air.
- Noticeable lack of air movement.
- Dirty or faulty central heating or air conditioning equipment.
- Presence of molds and mildew.
- Feeling noticeably healthier outside.
Common Sources of Air Quality Problems
- Moisture and biological pollutants- traces from Covid-19.
- Combustion products.
- Formaldehyde (HCHO) from durable press draperies and other textiles.
- Radon- a radioactive gas from soil and rock beneath and around the home’s foundation, groundwater wells and some building materials.
- Asbestos found in most homes more than 20 years old.
Monitor devices
- In beginning, we need to take a test sample and send them to laboratory as before for results and interpretation of your data. After that, we can monitor these parameters with electronic devices. Because there are sensors to collect and procedures of diagnosis, the current technology trends still are limited for certain parameters on the market, depending on the parameters you want to monitor and to spend. Honeywell has made 1 model-HAQ for all these features, but it is so much in demand. At least, we have this technology so just wait for time to come.
- See our demo some of these products- our trade show.
The outdoor also affects the indoor Air or can tell something about
- The EPA Agency maintains these monitoring with accuracy and everywhere, not surprise as the GPS can help us for the location address. An app is available for free, named AirNow.
- AirNow– Accurate, local, free of charge!
- The EPA’s free AirNow app is easily searchable, delivers air quality readings in every corner of the US, and lets you know in advance of upcoming air quality problems.
Closing thoughts
- The service company will pick up your request from lab tests. The technology is now available, and you are now more educated to accept their recommendations.
- I encourage you to visit this service company which I once got a chance to discuss with its agent for a proposal to upgrade my HVAC in 2015 when we just bought a new house. It’s very pricey- just use for reference. (https://happyhiller.com/hvac/indoor-air-quality)
Our Demo for some of these products- our trade show.
Normal Air Parameters- measure for each space location: Only need 1 device and take turn to measure for each room.
- Measure Air Quality: a device to measure parameters that a technology is available for: Temperature, Humidity, CO2, CO, particle PM2.5, PM10, Formaldehyde (HCOCH), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
- Bacteria, Fungus, or Virus: No device is available. Take a sample and send to the laboratory. If bacteria, fungus, or virus is traceable, then a special treatment is handled by a contractor.
- if the air in house is dusty, you first need a duct cleaning first by a contractor.
- After that, buy a Air Purifier Machine
- Measure Air Quality again and then just have this machine run at maintenance.
In summary, there are two groups of devices that we need: the monitoring device and the air purifiers. On the market, there are many manufactures making each group of devices, and the prices are dependent on the parameters that devices are limited to.
Monitoring Devices
There are many stages of a process to make your home with cleaned air.
I choose Temtop as a demo: LKC-100S+ 2nd – a top line of this brand. It can measure all contaminant parameters, not include bacteria/mold. Somehow this model does not measure a CO2, which we need another small device. (Price: $169 for LKC, and $53 for CO2 Odometer)
Mold, Bacteria or Virus: use a kit provided by a company (online service). Take the sample(s) as directed and send back for analysis. It is easy and cheaper. Or Do It Yourself (DIY) Kit on Amazon for $37 (12 test plates).
- The Kayenqo Mold Test Kit contains 12 test plates, detailed mold guide and mold removal instructions, 12 swabs, label sheets and test gloves, complete kit for easy mold testing at home without needing to prepare anything else
- Tests Indoor Air, HVAC Systems, Cars and Home Physical Surfaces。 It tests for a variety of molds, including common household varieties. Test on 12 different parts of the home or office, such as walls, showers, cars, sinks, HVAC systems, indoor air and other moldy and moist physical surfaces.
Access Online:
Air Purifier Machines
All brands provide the capability of cleaning and purifying the air at home for all of our desired contaminant parameters. The size of room to treat and the velocity of air flow exchanged are normally comparable to every brand, but we only need to buy 1 and take turn to use for each room space.
They all have a feature of monitoring the contaminant parameters, but don’t have an option to optimize them, except the speed and the time to spend for cleaning.
I choose Honeywell product as a demo: Honeywell InSight Series HEPA Air Purifier for Home- HPA5300B Model. ($221)
Magazine Review:
Good Housekeeping Magazine: 8 Best Air Purifiers of 2024- Tested and Reviewed by Experts. We tested 50 devices to find the best options for removing dust, pollen, air pollution and odors in homes and offices.
Access Online:
Cleaning Air Ducts
Really dirt air: clean air ducts. Very simple method: use a mid-size vacuum with a long duct- not need person to go down to the basement. Cost: depends on the size of a whole house- heavy dirt: $300 – $600
Mold, Bacteria/Virus are plenty: need a contractor to clean and sterile.
Normally, a year, you need to deep clean again.
Service Company– a wide screen picture of duct(s) is taken with camera after cleaning.
Access online:
Professional Resources are used for conducting this protocol.
– The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality (Access online: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/inside-story-guide-indoor-air-quality) by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission & Environmental Protection Agency
– Improving Air Quality in Your House (Access online: https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/consumer/09938.pdf) by K.R. Tremblay Jr., Colorado State University Extension housing specialist and professor & M.P. Vogel, Montana State University Extension housing specialist.
Author’s Articles
The best website experience
Do You Look into the Reviews by Pro-Magazines?
Throughout this presentation, only one model of a brand is used as a demo, but a good review by a reputable magazine is provided with its link.