EZ Breathe for a Healthy Home in the New Year
- January 19, 2021
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Was living a healthier lifestyle one of your New Year’s resolutions? Us too. It’s helpful to realize that while eating healthier foods, exercising more, and losing weight are all admirable goals, improving the quality of the air you breathe is just as important. You can’t do much about the air outdoors, but if you have a crawl space or basement with a history of moisture problems, you can easily improve your indoor air quality by installing the EZ Breathe crawl space air exchanger.
Your Indoor Air Quality vs Outdoor Air
Did you know that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air in an average U.S. home may be 2-5 times more polluted than the outdoor air? Part of this has to do with the fact that 40% of the air in your home originates in your basement or crawl space, and then makes its way into the rest of the home.
This air can contain numerous pollutants, contaminants, and irritants, including:
- Radon gas
- Mold spores
- Mildew
- Allergens
In most homes, your HVAC system continues to recirculate the air that is already in your home. This inadequate ventilation can cause all of these pollutants and contaminants to build up in the air in your home. This can cause health problems including an allergic reaction, asthma attacks, and other respiratory illnesses. Long term exposure to radon can even cause lung cancer.
By installing an EZ Breathe system, you can help improve your home’s air quality and greatly reduce the amount of many of these pollutants and contaminants.
How the EZ Breathe Crawl Space and Basement Air Exchange System Works
The EZ Breathe is a ventilation system for your crawl space consisting of an intake fan, dual exhaust fans, and vents.
- The exhaust fans expel the moist and contaminated air that collects in your basement or crawl space.
- The intake fan brings conditioned air from your living space into the basement or crawl space.
- This process results in 6-10 whole house air exchanges each day.
Video Courtesy of EZ Breathe.
Benefits of the EZ Breathe Air Exchanger
There are a number of key benefits of the EZ Breathe air exchanger, with the overall benefit being improved indoor air quality.
Reduces Humidity
By expelling the damp air in your crawl space or basement, the EZ Breathe removes gallons of water vapor daily. This maintains healthy humidity levels in your home, and decreases the chance of mold and mildew forming.
And the EZ Breathe is better than a traditional dehumidifier, because you never have to empty any water buckets or attach a drain hose. In addition, the EZ Breathe removes air contaminants that a dehumidifier can’t.
Reduces Mold Spores
By reducing the humidity in your crawl space and home, this air exchanger helps prohibit the formation of new mold. But it also provides mold spore reduction in the air you breathe. Air testing before and after installation shows a 50% reduction in total mold spores for the tested home, and a 99.5% reduction in mold spores in specific rooms.
Reduces Particle Allergens
The EZ Breathe can reduce particle allergens such as plant pollen, insect particles, and pet dander by up to 33%. In combination with a better air filter for your HVAC system, it can help keep your family from sneezing due to allergens.
Reduces Radon Levels
As we all know, radon is a major cause of concern for homeowners throughout Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. The EZ Breathe can be a useful part of radon mitigation by ventilating the radon gas to the outside. Scientific testing of the product shows it can reduce radon levels by up to 75%. Using a Kidde Radon Test, here are the before and after levels in a basement exercise room at a home in Duncansville, PA:
Before EZ Breathe: 5/13/2009. -Radon Level (pCi/L) of 6.2
After EZ Breathe: 5/27/2009 -Radon Level (pCi/L) of 1.3
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is we believe in the EZ Breathe system so much that many of us here at Value Dry Waterproofing have it installed in our own homes. It is an energy efficient means of helping to protect your home’s foundation and improve indoor air quality. And since we spend so much time in our homes (even pre-COVID-19) it makes sense to do all we can to make sure the air we breathe is healthy for us.
An Air Exchanger as Part of Crawl Space Encapsulation
In most situations, we would install the EZ Breathe crawl space air exchanger as part of crawl space encapsulation. Crawl space encapsulation is a proven, multi-step technique to manage the water infiltration into your crawl space via the foundation. Installation of the air exchanger is one of the last steps in the process.
Schedule a Free Basement or Crawl Space Inspection
If you want to improve indoor air quality and breathe easier, the EZ Breathe crawl space air exchanger may be right for you home. To find out, schedule a free crawl space inspection. Value Dry Waterproofing provides this service for free to homeowners throughout Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia as well as Kent County and Sussex County in Delaware.
Our inspectors are experienced, thorough, and honest. We’ll show you what we found, give you our recommendations to improve, encapsulate and condition your crawl space or waterproof your basement, as well as answer any questions you may have. We offer competitive rates and superior products as well as timely installations.
Call at (888) 768-2583 or complete the online form and we will get in contact with you to schedule a free inspection.