When You Renovate Don’t Forget To Ventilate!
Most homeowners will at some point do some remodeling or renovation in their homes. Sometimes it just means painting the walls or adding some shelving. But in many cases the renovations are more dramatic and including adding or tearing down walls and ceilings or adding a room or two.
Whenever you tear down something, paint a wall, cut some lumber, add tile or carpeting you are generating a lot of dust and particulate into the environment. This is inevitable especially when you are removing sheet rock or adding sheet rock and sanding the joints. Cutting wood or flooring also adds a lot of dust into the area. During this part of the renovation you need to be aware of a few things.
First, if you are cutting wood or flooring or sanding sheet rock it is advisable that you cover the return air grills in the affected area and also turn off the HVAC unit. The fine dust generated during the cutting and sanding procedures will find its way into every crevice of the room and if you HVAC unit is running the fine dust will be pulled into the HVAC unit. Second, you need to open a window or door and place a fan in the opening blowing out the door or window so you are moving some of the fine dust outside, assuming it is not 20 degrees outside. Third, you need to put a new furnace filter in your HVAC unit prior to the renovation and then remove it once you are done. If you are using a HEPA filter system or high end media it is recommended that you remove the HEPA altogether and put a general duty filter in its place during the duration of the renovation.
If you allow the fine dust particles that are generated during the sanding and cutting to get into the supply side of your HVAC system you will have dust blowing out for months. These fine particles are very small and hard to see until they form a layer of dust on a dark surface. This is why you want to cover the return air grills in your home.
Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems since 1985 and also offers a complete line of furnace and HVAC filters. For more information on the complete line of filters available from PAS as well as information on a wide variety of air pollution issues please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com