Homeowners often wonder about what they should be focusing on for low cost projects. Saving money and keeping a sharp focus on "the bare necessities" is important. Another thing most homeowners don't know is that 40% or more of the air you breath originates in your basement. Air filters through the foundation, windows, bulkheads, and other openings to eventually join the rest of the air mass in the home that rises to meet the other floors.
Air purifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners and humidifiers can all run less if the basement humidity and moisture levels are under control. This means saving money on electricity and getting better air quality at the same time
Less moisture in the air makes the air easier to move and to handle. Before an AC unit can cool the air, it has to remove the water from it. By removing the water and moisture from the air in the first place, the AC unit will run less and cool more air with ease.
Air purifiers are great, but they too can be working harder than they need too. By filtering the air at the beginning of the Stack Effect (the technical term for the air rising to circulate throughout the home) you can not only remove mold and mildew spores from the air, you can have cleaner air joining the rest of the home. Your air purifier can now help you maintain air freshness in the kitchen or where ever you need it the most with less effort and less energy.
If you're running a dehumidifier on the 1st or 2nd floor, then you really need to focus on the basement. Focusing the use of a dehumidifier in the basement will help the series of units I've already mentioned. By removing the moisture from the air, making it easier to filter, the 1st and 2nd floor units will run less and be more effective, if they're still needed at all.
By upgrading to a higher end model of dehumidifier you can gain the filtration of a HEPA filter (and even different grades of filtration). Depending on the style and company you buy from you can also get the ease of no longer having to empty countless buckets filled with water. These collection bins are not only a pain but are more often than not located next to heating coils in the dehumidifiers, essentially turning that area of the dehumidifier into a humidifier (talk about working harder and walking backwards!).
When talking about necessities focus on the health of your home. Start with the air quality originating in your basement by upgrading your dehumidifier and addressing any excessive moisture and water issues you might find there. By doing this you run fewer powered units less upstairs with better effectiveness for the air in your home.
Contact your local basement waterproofing or air quality company to get started in finding out what you can do with very little money to start improving the air quality in your home!
Jacob Lee- pioneer basement
http://www.pioneerbasement.com
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