Indoor Air Quality / IAQ

What determines the air quality inside a home

• ✓Particulates: dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke, and construction debris
• ✓Gases: volatile organic compounds from finishes and cleaners, plus combustion byproducts like carbon monoxide
• ✓Biological contaminants: mold spores, bacteria, viruses, and dust mites
• ✓Humidity: too dry irritates airways, too damp feeds mold and dust mites
• ✓Ventilation: how much stale indoor air gets exchanged for fresh outdoor air
• ✓Distribution: whether ductwork is clean and moving air where it should

No single device addresses all of these, which is why effective IAQ work is layered: capture particles with quality MERV-rated filtration, control humidity in both directions, ventilate, keep the duct system clean, and monitor for carbon monoxide.

Improving IAQ in Philadelphia-area homes

The region's housing stock creates its own IAQ patterns: older rowhomes and stone houses accumulate decades of dust in original ductwork, damp basements push humidity and must into the air upstairs, renovations stir up construction debris, and tight summer humidity makes coils and ducts hospitable to mold. Practical first steps are upgrading the filter, having ducts inspected and cleaned if they have never been serviced, adding humidity control sized to the season, and verifying CO detectors work. PJ MAC HVAC provides air duct cleaning, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and other indoor air quality services, and can prioritize which layer will make the biggest difference in your house.