Air quality and pollution, both indoors and outdoors, persist as high-priority issues today, both politically and health-wise. Some clients want air quality testing to be incorporated into the home inspection when they place an offer on a house. They may be interested in a comprehensive environmental survey that covers the air, soil, water, and hazardous substances on the property, or they may be narrowly focused on indoor air because of a family member with respiratory problems and keen sensitivity.

Normally, assessing air quality is excluded from a home and pest inspection. In fact, the inspector\’s contract usually contains language identifying a number of items specifically not included. Even so, there are many items on an inspector\’s checklist that, when examined, provide either some kind of subjective assessment of air quality or an indication of conditions that have direct bearing on it. Moreover, there may be home inspectors available who branch out into offering additional services, including sampling both the indoor and outdoor atmosphere for specific contaminants. Also, the individual might be able to gain enough information by implementing some simple, informal techniques himself.

Where do the pollutants come from that deteriorate the quality of indoor air? How can we inspect for them? The most egregious contaminants are byproducts generated by burning tobacco, coal, kerosene, gas, oil, or wood. These might arise from smokers or from fuel-burning appliances without proper venting. Other pollutants that degrade air quality are emitted by some building materials, such as insulation and pressed wood, or by household products like cleansers, especially those made with volatile organic compounds. Thirdly, contaminants inside can come from outside the house; any radon gas, pesticides, and other pollutants in the outdoor atmosphere tend to filtrate into the indoor atmosphere.

Furthermore, the problem is compounded in two ways through the use of green-oriented construction practices. The first way is that tightly built and well-insulated houses don\’t breathe or ventilate very well, resulting in a stale atmosphere. The second way is that high-efficiency appliances extract more heat from the exhaust, rendering it more likely to condense moisture, thereby raising indoor humidity that encourages mold growth and air-borne spores.

The pest part of the home inspection investigates the accumulation of excess moisture and similar conditions that invite harmful organisms to invade and flourish. The main inspection checks the caliber of insulation, the character of ventilation, and functioning of appliance performance. These evaluations are helpful only to a degree in that they assess air quality indirectly and somewhat vaguely. More direct and accurate are services such as energy audits and sampling of the air to determine the nature of pollutants therein.

The homeowner is also capable of doing his own informal assessment. This starts by closing all windows and doors and acclimating to the outside atmosphere. This accentuates sensitivity to any indoor stuffiness, odors, and pathogens present when going back in. Tracking down the source of anything detected is more difficult, but remote and damp areas such as attics and crawl spaces are good places to start.

However the presence of harmful substances in the air is identified, there are three approaches to restoring it to a purer level. One is to remove the cause, another is to increase ventilation, and the third is to employ air cleaners. The character of the contaminant(s) determines how effective any approach is. Clearly not all causes are removed easily, and a cleaner is good at screening particulate matter but not at all good at filtering out gaseous pollutants.

John W. Gordon is a licensed home inspector based in Bellingham, Washington. He conducts home and pest inspection services in the northwest Puget Sound region. John\’s thoroughness reveals conditions that affect air quality and livability. Find out more at his website, www.HomeInspectionWA.net.

John W. Gordon is a licensed home inspector based in Bellingham, Washington. He conducts home and pest inspection services in the northwest Puget Sound area. John\’s thoroughness reveals conditions that affect air quality and livability. Find out more at his website, http://www.HomeInspectionWA.net.

Author Bio: John W. Gordon is a licensed home inspector based in Bellingham, Washington. He conducts home and pest inspection services in the northwest Puget Sound region. John\’s thoroughness reveals conditions that affect air quality and livability. Find out more at his website, www.HomeInspectionWA.net.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: home inspector,home inspection,air quality,pest inspection,pollutant,contaminant,ventilation