Signs Your Home Is Making You Sick
Mold, mildew, rotting wood, critters and insects are all things you never want to see in a home, let alone breathe in. Your air circulates throughout your home, even in the damp, cramped areas like crawl spaces, ducts and attics that are out of everyday view. If these areas become infested with moisture and other pollutants — that means you and your family are breathing it in.
These pollutants may literally be making you sick. Respiratory issues, allergies and asthma can be signs that moisture is festering in your home. That means no matter how much dusting, vacuuming and cleaning you do, it won’t make much of a difference. You’ll have to address the source of the problem, which is often lurking in areas you can’t easily access.
At Bradley Mechanical, we’ve compiled a list of the top areas and home solutions that work to reduce the risk of added moisture and keep your indoor air clean and healthy.
Duct Cleaning & Sealing
Your ducts are an integral part of your HVAC system that ensure the airflow in your home remains comfortable, efficient and safe. If your ducts are not properly sealed, it can lead them to pull moisture from the air surrounding your home. Moisture isn’t the only contaminate that faulty ducts can draw in — dust, insulation and even asbestos can also enter your air system and circulate without you knowing.
Leaky ducts are also the cause of high energy bills. The average home or business loses a significant amount of its heated or cooled air through faulty ducts that are either improperly installed or sealed. This is why it’s important to get your ducts right from the beginning.
Bradley Mechanical’s certified technicians are thorough and bring years of knowledge and experience to their work. Our duct cleaning and sealing services include a full inspection for multiple issues and provide you with recommendations and next steps that fit your timeline and budget. Learn more about duct performance tests, the sealing process and more.
Attic Sealing
Whether or not your attic is finished, it can contribute to your home’s performance. Attic sealing can help keep out moisture, prevent leaks and reduce the energy costs in your home. By air sealing your attic, you can stop many major air leaks and help to maintain the desired temperature throughout your home. Air sealing, combined with attic insulation, can drastically lower your energy bills.
Older homes often require attic sealing, but so can new construction properties. If you suspect your attic is contributing to a rise in your utility bills, or if you find your attic a particularly unpleasant space to be, it’s time to ask us about our attic sealing services.
Crawl Space Sealing
Often enough, homeowners aren’t aware of how much their home’s crawl space contributes to their indoor air quality. And we don’t blame them! Crawl spaces, by nature, are dark and sometimes damp due to their location. For these reasons, it’s important to keep an eye on moisture levels in your crawl space to avoid mold and mildew growth.
Aside from increased respiratory issues — you can tell if your crawl space needs to be sealed by a few other indicators.
These include the following:
- A gap or gaps between the sill plate and the foundation
- Gaps around ductwork, wiring holes, plumbing holes
- Wet or damp insulation
- Cold in summer or warm in winter
- Any mold or growth on ducts or wiring in the crawl space
Sealing your crawl space is an investment in a healthy, efficient home. You will not only block out mold, mildew, and other pollutants but banish them completely. Bradley Mechanical uses a pure, white foam technology to seal your crawl space and kill any mold that has formed.
Keep Your Home Healthy
While air purifiers and regular cleaning can help keep dust and allergies at bay for some, it’s often not enough. If you find yourself or your family members constantly sneezing, coughing or struggling with other allergy and respiratory issues, it’s time to take a look behind the curtain. Your home is a safe space that should shield you from contaminants, not introduce them to you.
We have been protecting homes and homeowners from issues like mold, mildew, excess dust, drafts, pests and more in our community for more than 50 years. Give Bradley Mechanical a call today to learn how we can make your home healthy and energy efficient.
Stay Healthy with Bradley Mechanical.
