Over-Sealing Your Toronto Home to Conserve Energy? Get An Indoor Air Test
It seems Toronto is never going to get a break from this heat. Sure, the Weather Network promises a nice thunderstorm with torrential downpours day after day, but she’s just teasing. Many Toronto homeowners will take to using air conditioning in order to cool off or get a decent night’s sleep. Smart homeowners also know that the smallest crack or opening will seriously lessen the efficiency of their air conditioning unit, and will seal up their homes to prevent their precious cold air from slipping out through drafty windows.
Hidden mold found after a Toronto homeowner started feeling ill, right after shutting all the windows and turning on the air conditioner.
If within weeks of sealing up your home and cranking up the air conditioning, you begin to feel a little funny… you might have a mold problem. You can’t see it, but it might be hiding within the walls, especially if they’re made of drywall and your home has experienced any kind of leaks, flooding or water damage in the past. Older homes, new homes and impeccably spotless homes – mold does not discriminate.
Symptoms of a mold infestation can vary greatly from person to person. You may have traditional allergy symptoms like watery eyes and a runny nose, or very serious symptoms that don’t make any sense, like a very sore throat and trouble breathing.
An indoor air quality test can help you determine whether you have a problem or not. Some mold can be toxic, while some is merely an irritant or is completely harmless. If air quality testing is done and finds mold, samples can be sent to a laboratory to determine what you’re dealing with and what kind of action needs to be taken.
It’s important to act on your intuition if there seems to be a problem, because repeated exposure can lead to asthma or extremely severe allergic reactions that require hospitalization.
Indoor air quality testing also has another added bonus for home sellers: home buyers are becoming increasingly concerned about their indoor air quality, and it’s one of the criteria required for LEED certification in new buildings. A recent indoor air quality assessment (whether it comes up clean or you can show action has been taken to rectify any problems) will tell prospective buyers that you and your home are on the “green” side. Mold is also a hidden defect that needs to be disclosed to future buyers to avoid serious problems down the road.
Over-Sealing Your Toronto Home to Conserve Energy? Get An Indoor Air Test is a post from: Toronto Real Estate Updates