By the WY&G, Inc. team: licensed HVAC contractor, CSLB C-20 #1044922, over 25 years and thousands of customers in the Santa Clarita Valley and Orange County.
Why it shows up now
Spring and summer here are open window seasons. In the fall, wind, smoke and cooler nights close the house up, and the heating system starts moving the same air around for weeks. Dust, cooking smells, moisture from showers and CO2 from people stay inside. A system that is short on airflow or fresh air now has nothing to hide behind.
Signs your home is not breathing well
- Stuffy or stale air, especially in bedrooms in the morning.
- Dust comes back a day or two after you clean.
- Bathroom mirrors stay fogged long after a shower, or you see mildew in corners.
- Cooking smells hang around until the next day.
- One or two rooms always feel worse than the rest of the house.
- Whistling at the vents, or a door that slams when the heater turns on.
What you can check yourself
- Replace the air filter, and write the date on it. A loaded filter cuts airflow to every room.
- Look at the return grilles, the big ones with no louvers. Furniture, rugs or a closed door in front of them starve the system of air.
- Open every supply vent. Closing vents in unused rooms does not save energy on most systems and raises duct pressure.
- Test the bathroom fan: hold a single sheet of toilet paper under it. If the fan does not hold it up, it is not moving much air, often because the duct is crushed or not connected outside.
- Use the kitchen hood every time you cook on a gas range, and make sure it vents outside, not just back into the room.
What a technician looks at
- Ductwork. Leaky, crushed or disconnected ducts in the attic are very common in older homes. They pull attic dust into the house and leave rooms short on air. Sealing or replacing sections often fixes the stuffy room problem. See ductwork repair and replacement.
- Return air. Many homes have a single return for the whole house. Bedrooms with the door closed then get very little air. A transfer grille or a jumper duct solves it.
- Static pressure. We measure how hard the blower has to push. High pressure points to undersized ducts, a restrictive filter or a dirty coil, and it shortens the life of the system.
- Fresh air. Newer and remodeled homes are sealed tight. A fresh air intake or an ERV (energy recovery ventilator) brings in outside air and sends stale air out while keeping most of the heat. Ask whether it makes sense for your home before buying one.
- Filtration and air cleaning. A better filter cabinet or media filter for dust and smoke. See indoor air quality.
Ventilation and gas appliances
A furnace, water heater or gas range needs air to burn cleanly and a working vent to carry exhaust out. If you notice soot, a yellow lazy flame, or headaches that ease when you leave the house, turn off the appliance and call. Keep carbon monoxide alarms near the bedrooms and test them every fall. Checking the furnace venting is part of every heating tune-up we do.
