How do I maintain ideal humidity in my home?
How do I maintain ideal humidity in my home?
How pleasant the indoor air in your home feels is often related to humidity. Is the humidity in the house too high or too low? Then it can cause ailments and health problems as well as damage to your home. But what is the ideal humidity level? And how do you check it?
What is humidity?
Under (relative) humidity we mean the number of particles of water damp circulating in the air at any given time. A good humidity is between the 40% and 60%. At that time, the air consists between the 40% and the 60% of particles of water damp. The ideal level of humidity in the home is 50%.
What if the humidity in the house is not right?
There are two possible scenarios: the humidity in the home can be either too low or too high. Each of these situations has its own consequences.
What are the consequences of a too low humidity?
When humidity is too low, the air in the house is too dry and the relative humidity is below 40%. Low humidity is especially common in winter because the cold air contains less moisture. Typically, too low humidity can cause the following:
Nevertheless, too low humidity in the home is not a major problem. The problems really start when the humidity is too high.
What are the consequences of a too high humidity in the house?
Is your humidity too high? Then the relative humidity is higher than 60%. For this, there are many different possible causes, which are often not always easy to detect. Everyday activities from washing, cooking, ironing to simply breathing and perspiring contribute to increased humidity. In fact, scientific studies show that an average family produces up to 15 liters of excess moisture per day. That's not nothing! But an underlying moisture problem can also cause humidity levels in the home to be too high.
The consequences of too high humidity in your home are worse than those of too low humidity; both for your home and for your own health.
So it is not a luxury to do something if you suffer from excessive humidity in your home.
Measuring humidity
You can measure the humidity in your home yourself using a hygrometer. This is a measuring instrument specifically designed to measure humidity levels in the home. This can help understand humidity levels in the indoor environment.
To ensure an accurate reading, it is important to place the hygrometer correctly. You obviously want to get a representative reading of the humidity so that you can take appropriate action if the air turns out to be too dry or too humid. That's why we recommend not placing the hygrometer on the wall of an exterior wall or near a window. This is because the humidity near external walls and windows often differs somewhat from the rest of the house.
A hygrometer is available these days for as little as 15 euros. Usually these handy devices also have other useful functions.
How can I optimize humidity in my home?
Tips for better humidity in the home
We list our tips:
A universal and definitive solution: balanced ventilation
The best optimal solution, in other words the solution that guarantees the best humidity in the home, is the installation of a mechanical ventilation system, preferably a balanced ventilation. With balanced ventilation, you have total control over the air in your home. Does the indoor air have excessive humidity? Then you can easily exhaust that air outside and bring in fresh air. Not only does this help control the number of water vapor particles in the air in your home, but it also provides fresh air with plenty of oxygen. Things that allow you to breathe better and thus make your lungs and airways less likely to suffer.
Get assistance from AquaConsult
Are you suffering from excessive humidity somewhere in Flanders? Contact Aquaconsult now and our experts will be happy to help you.
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Air cleaning: the most underrated barrier against corona
Air cleaning: the most underrated barrier against corona
We all want to protect ourselves and our families from corona as best we can. Balanced ventilation and ionization are good tools for that, but what is the difference between balanced ventilation and ionization? And how do they help clean the air keep your home corona free?
The coronavirus and ventilation
Ventilation is not only a solution to moisture problems such as condensation. It is also employable in the fight against coronavirus.
We all know that corona is spread through close contact, but it is also spread through the air. Through aerosols. Those aerosols are even a more important dispersant than close contact. Therefore, ventilation should not be underestimated.
But good natural ventilation is sometimes difficult or even impossible. In some buildings, you simply cannot create a good natural draft. Then comes mechanical ventilation useful.
With mechanical ventilation, there are several more options. For example, you can install a ventilation that only carries air from inside to outside. Such a ventilation is good for small places, but if you want to ventilate your house really well, you can choose balance ventilation. Balanced ventilation does both: it brings out the dirty air from inside, but also brings in fresh, clean air. Still, even then you are not completely protected against COVID-19. That's when you need ionization technology.
What is ionization?
Ionization is a technology that you can have built into a balanced ventilation system. It purifies the air of all the dirty particles you don't want to breathe: pollen, particulate matter, tobacco smoke and so much more. The biggest advantage to ionization? It also cleans the air of germs; of both bacteria and viruses. So it also cleans the air from coronavirus.
What is the difference between balanced ventilation and ionization?
Balanced ventilation purifies the air: it brings dirty air out and brings clean, fresh air in. But this doesn't purify the air of microparticles we don't want to breathe. That's where ionization comes in. Ionization technology cleans the air of pollen, particulate matter and germs by filling the air with ions.
How does ionization technology work?
Ions are positively or negatively charged molecules. The technology produces billions of electrons per second that attack microparticles in the air. Among those microparticles, therefore, are viruses such as coronavirus.
The ions cause the microparticles to cling to each other, making them heavier and sink to the ground. This prevents people in the room from inhaling those microparticles.
Scientifically proven: ionization works.
That ionization works in the fight against coronavirus is scientifically proven. The designer of the technology (Global Plasma Solutions) had an independent scientists test the ionization for various viruses and bacteria.
Specifically, the scientists examined how quickly the spread of viruses is reduced when exposed to ionization. The coronavirus was reduced by as much as 90% after a one-hour exposure to the ionization technology. So it is definitely worth investing in.
Where is that ionization technology available?
For balance ventilation and ionisate technology, Aquaconsult works together with Aeroconsult. The first company in Belgium to offer ionization technology to individuals. Technology that approved by the Belgian government in the fight against coronavirus. That same technology is used in Boeing's aircraft to keep the air fresh and healthy on long flights.
Ionization at your home?
Want to know more about AeroConsult and ionization? Then be sure to visit their website.
Request more information and brochure
Answer the questions below and get more information and our brochure based on them. Would you like to have the cost calculated? Then indicate this clearly in the text field below and we will do the necessary.
AquaConsult's expertise in the media
We are excited to share the news that AquaConsult has been in the spotlight repeatedly over the past few weeks! As a company, we nurture a passion for moisture control and strive to make a healthy home a reality for everyone. It is therefore great to see our expertise recognized by reputable media companies.
Wet Basements
We notice it more and more often. A lot of homes are experiencing damp to wet basements. This does not only include homes that are located on a street that has flooded. Even people who never had problems before are now facing damp basements. How does this happen? And why is this becoming more and more common? This is why AquaConsult's expertise was called upon. Our business manager Luc Lambrechts explained this topic to some well-known media companies.
In the Spotlight
AquaConsult's expertise appeared on several media outlets:
- VRT NWS: In a recent article titled "Exceptionally high groundwater levels: important for drinking water and agriculture, but it also has nasty consequences," we were interviewed. It was a great experience to share in-depth insights with the readers of VRT NWS.
- News Sheet: Our business manager Luc Lambrechts gave a fascinating interview at Het Nieuwsblad. We discussed what best to do when you have a wet basement.
- Radio 1: Our business manager was also interviewed to explain the extraordinarily wet first weeks of 2024.
Our Thanks
Our sincere thanks go to VRT NWS, Nieuwsblad, and Radio 1 for the opportunity to share our knowledge and insights. We appreciate the recognition and look forward to future opportunities to work together.
Discover More
Would you like to learn more about moisture problems and their solutions? Then be sure to take a look at our blog. Do you have a damp basement or are you experiencing another moisture problem? Then please feel free to contact us, and together we will see what the best moisture solution is for you.
Request more information and brochure
Answer the questions below and get more information and our brochure based on them.
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Is black mold dangerous to your health?
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What is black mold?
Many fungi are dark in color. But, when we talk about black mold, this refers to one specific species: the Stachybotrys Chartarum. It is - as its popular name implies - black or very dark and occurs mainly in damp places in the house. This can be on the walls, but also in the kitchen or in the bathroom. In the initial stages, the mold will take the form of small black dots. If it is not remedied immediately and the room remains damp, the heavy dots will spread to larger spots. Black mold becomes increasingly easy to spot in this way.
How dangerous is black mold in the home?
Having heavy mold in your home really only brings negative consequences. Black mold is not only a detriment to your health, it is also harmful to your home.
Black mold: a danger to your health
Black mold is also sometimes called the toxic mold. Once it has nestled on walls, it can pose a lot of health risks. They emit mycotoxins . It is not deadly, but it can cause a lot of symptoms:
Children, seniors and vulnerable people - with chronic diseases, for example - are especially susceptible to this. With small black spots in the shower, don't panic immediately. Are there already large black spots on the wall? Or does it smell musty? Then you do need to take action. On the other hand, are there black spots in the children's room? Then do something about it right away, because it is anything but healthy. Especially children will quickly experience negative effects.
Black mold: a danger to your home
Not only is black mold dangerous to your health, but in some cases it can also be a hazard to your home.
Fortunately, this is something you can prevent. Black mold does not affect the structure of your home overnight. If you catch it in time, you can protect your home.
What are the causes of black mold? And their solutions?
Black mold usually develops as a result of moisture problems, such as a damp basement or rising damp. The spores of black mold are often already floating in the air, but pose no danger until they can spread and multiply on and in the walls as a result of moisture. The severity of moisture problems can vary, but mold generally thrives in damp conditions and at temperatures between 17 and 25 degrees Celsius.
Below are some common causes of moisture problems:
1. Inadequate ventilation
Do you find black mold in rooms where it is often damp, such as the plumbing or basement? Then chances are the cause is poor ventilation. If the moisture can't get out, it settles in the walls. That's the perfect place for black mold to develop.
The solution is - rather logically - a ventilation system which purifies the air and removes moisture.
2. Condensation moisture
Do the black spots occur on windows, in room corners, on the outside wall or in other random cold places? If so, it is most likely about condensation. Condensation occurs when you generate hot air; for example, when you cook or when you take a shower. That warm air settles on the cold surfaces where it condenses. When that happens day after day, those cold surfaces are constantly damp, giving mold a chance to reproduce. Again, the solution is a ventilation system so that the moisture disappears from the air.
3. Penetrating moisture
Are you finding black spots in random places on the walls? Are they found on all floors of the house? If so, you may be suffering from penetrating moisture.
Penetrating damp occurs when rainwater passes through the walls without a cavity, making its way inside.
4. Rising moisture
If black mold is present mainly at the bottom of the walls and is slowly migrating upward, with no water pipes running in that area, it probably indicates rising damp. This is groundwater flowing through poor foundations, faulty water barrier, or the lack of a water barrier in the walls pulls up. To address rising damp effectively and cost-effectively, it is injecting the walls the most recommended solution.
Beware: These are not uniform causes. Other moisture problems can also be the cause of black mold. Be sure to contact a professional To get the right diagnosis as well as the best solution.
How do I remove black mold?
Are there only black dots on the wall, in the kitchen or in the plumbing? That means it hasn't been there long and hasn't yet nestled deep into the wall. You can feel free to work on your own.
Beware: Never tackle mold dry. Then there is a danger of inhaling the mold spores. Also, always wear a mouth mask and non-porous gloves during treatments to guard your own health.
What if the mold is extensive?
As mentioned earlier, black mold can be dangerous to your health as well as your home, and it's not always a good idea to tackle it yourself. Especially for the large and stubborn mold spots. Also, removing the mold yourself is not always a permanent solution. A moisture expert addresses the cause. This way, we ensure that the air in your home is clean again and your health and the health of your family members are no longer at risk from black mold.
Are you suffering from black mold? Request a free moisture expertise from AquaConsult.
Request more information and brochure
Answer the questions below and get more information and our brochure based on them. Would you like to have the cost calculated? Then indicate this clearly in the text field below and we will do the necessary.
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