Improving Indoor Air Quality - Breathing Easier at Home

In recent years it’s been proven that, despite smog and a host of outdoor

pollutants, indoor air quality in homes is actually often much worse than

outdoor air quality. This isn’t good news if you suffer from allergies or hay

fever, since indoor air is recirculated and any indoor contaminants will tend to

simply be wafted through your home again and again.

Improving indoor air quality is a challenge that involves several steps to

insure improvement in allergy symptoms, overall breathing quality and reduction

of symptoms like red, watery eyes and itchy skin. The American Lung Association

has confirmed that indoor air pollution, especially during summer months, can

increase the odds of asthma attacks, upper respiratory infections and colds.

Indoor pollutants include molds, dust mites, tobacco, smoke (from cooking),

pollen, and pet dander and pet hair. How do you get rid of or reduce these in

your home? There are basically three recognized ways to improve air quality in

the home.

Improving Ventilation

Any time you increase the amount of outdoor air that flows into your home,

you’ll improve the air quality (there was a reason our grandmothers loved to

throw open the windows and air out the house in the spring, they just didn’t

know it). If you have an air conditioning unit that has vent controls, open

these to allow air exchange when possible as well.

It’s especially important to properly ventilate the house when you are

painting or cooking. It’s not just that the fumes smell bad - these are air

contaminants and need to be vented outside and replaced with fresh, clean air.

In some newer homes you may be able to get air-to-air heat exchangers

installed on your furnace. These actively bring air from the outdoors into the

house when the furnace runs. Check into this type of mechanical system if you

are building a new home, especially if someone in your home suffers from asthma

or severe allergies.

Controlling the Source

Source control is just as simple as it sounds. If you want improved air

quality, take better care of the air! Have your house inspected for any

potential sources of contaminants or pollution, and then correct these problems.

Does your chimney have creosote build-up? A chimney sweep can quickly get rid of

this and dramatically improve air quality.

Check all major appliances for gas bleed-off and check for asbestos in the

home. A simple adjustment usually takes care of bleed-off or emissions problems,

and asbestos areas can often be sealed. (Asbestos removal should be a last

resort, since it will temporarily kick up an enormous amount of asbestos dust).

There are a few obvious source controls as well - don’t smoke in your house.

Tobacco smoke is a highly toxic contaminant that builds up quickly in your home

and drastically reduces air quality. A few nights of shivering on your front

porch in sub-zero temperatures to have that cigarette may induce you to improve

your lung quality as well by quitting!

Pets are precious and most people wouldn’t dream of getting rid of them, but

you should have them groomed regularly and brush them often - outside. This will

get loose hair and dander off of them so that less of it is shed in the house.

You’ll be surprised by how much your pets actually shed once you start brushing

them on a regular basis.

Air Purification

There are hundreds of air purifiers and air cleaners available in all sizes

and price ranges to fit a variety of needs. You can get small units that will

fit easily on your desk or whole-house units that are expensive and quite

sophisticated. The one thing they have in common is that their function is

generally limited to removing particle pollutants such as pet dander, smoke, and

pollen. In most cases they won’t remove gases from the air.

To determine how efficient an air purifier is, check two things:

  • The percentage efficiency rate, which indicates how well it removes

    pollutants

  • The rate at which air is drawn through or over the filter, determined in

    cubic feet per minute.

The best combination is one which will be relatively high in both. Mid-range

on both is better than low in one and high in another.

Vacuuming your home regularly can also reduce contamination of the air from

dust mites, pollen and pet dander that become imbedded in carpets and

upholstery. For the best results, purchase a vacuum with a HEPA filter and

completely empty the filter cup or replace the vacuum bags regularly. A HEPA

filter will trap a number of pollutants and should also be replaced regularly.

Moisture Control is Also Important

Damp basements and other areas that retain and hold moisture also contribute

to indoor air pollution because they encourage the growth of a variety of molds

and mildews. Any time there is excessive humidity in an area, mold and mildew

will tend to proliferate.

Controlling this is key to good air quality in the home, and is essentially more

of a preventative problem than anything. You should always make sure you have

adequate ventilation in areas like bathrooms and basement rec rooms where

moisture tends to accumulate. Also clean regularly with a disinfecting cleaner

that will discourage mildew growth.

Mold and mildew can also grow in heating and air conditioning ducts, and if

you are having repeated respiratory problems or suspect mold because of stale

smelling air, unusual odors, or reactions such as repeated colds or upper

respiratory problems you should have your duct work inspected for possible mold

or mildew growth.

The air ducts should be professionally cleaned if evidence is found of

visible mold growth on the interior of the ductwork (on the sheet metal) or

within the components of your air conditioning or heating systems. If over the

course of months or years there has also been moisture leakage through to the

insulation around the ductwork, you will need to remove and replace this

insulation. You will also need to consult with a professional on how to prevent

the mold growth from recurring.

After following all of the recommended steps mentioned, your home should have

a greatly improved indoor air quality. After a few months of breathing this

improved air you’ll probably notice your overall health has improved as well,

included fewer allergy problems, fewer occurrences of itchy, watery eyes, fewer

headaches and easier breathing.

About the Author
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer. Right now she knows a little
bit about almost everything and a lot about
electrical
air purifiers,
ozone air
purifiers, and
whole house air purifiers. She has two dogs who are spoiled and one teenager who is not. They
all pollute her home.

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Posted on June 26th, 2008 by itbsuperrich
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What About the Air-Lines

It’s really easy to pick up a low cost air compressor at the local store anymore. But, how do you get the air from the compressor to your application? Folks that are plumbing up compressed air lines for their garages or workshops at home, as well as the professional plant person, have a variety of options with which to do connect the various air-lines available to them.

Usually the air compressor will come with a rudimentary kit which will include a PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) or RVC (Rubber Vinyl Chloride) air hose. If not, these kits are available as accessories.

Rather than having a clutter of air hose running across the floor (a trip hazard) consider emulating the factory installation. Have the discharge air line from the compressor run up to the ceiling in the garage or workshop, and then install “drop lines” down to the various locations on the bench where compressed air might be used.

The discharge from the compressor should have, at the very least, a compressed air filter where the air exits the receiver / tank, and the smaller home-compressors will often have a regulator there as well. Compressing air causes water problems, and you can read more about this in my article in this E-zine entitled “Why does water run out my compressed air lines…”. The regulator is necessary too, and you can read about this in an article titled “Why use a compressed air regulator” also on this site.

Commercial installations of compressed air will have a large general purpose compressed air filter at the compressor discharge, and then a filter, regulator and sometimes an in-line lubricator (oiler) at each of the points where the compressed air is to be used, to help deal with compressor generated water.

The regulator will provide the ability to control the pressure of the air to that particular application. You might want 90 PSI of air to run a grinder at one drop line, but farther along the bench you might only want 12 PSI for an air brush paint set up. Individual regulators give you this capability. If you are installing a regulator at each drop location, remove the regulator at the compressor to ensure you have full pressure and flow to the air main overhead and the drop lines.

The oiler use is dependant on what it is that the compressed air is running.

On your work bench, at the bottom of each drop line, you can install a coupler. A coupler is a device into which you can insert a connector. The coupler will be “checked”, meaning that compressed air is trapped at that point until a connector is inserted into the coupler which opens the “check” and allows air to flow.

Compressed air can then be supplied to the air tool or whatever you wish to drive with compressed air via an air-line extension cord. You can purchase ready made or you can make your own. They are lengths of air hose or tube with a connector at one end and a coupler at the other. The air tool will have a connector in it’s air port. When ready to supply compressed air to your tool, you simply insert your air-line extension cord connector into the drop line coupler, and the other end, which will be a coupler, has the air tool connector inserted into it.

Connectors and couplers are not all the same. Different manufacturers have differing styles and they are not usually interchangeable. When you first start purchasing couplers and connectors for your air line, make a note of the brand first purchased, and purchase the same brand as your needs continue.

I remember the difference between a coupler and a connector by making a mental image of a “cup” into which I insert the connector. The “cup” is the coupler.

If it were me installing an “air main” and drop legs down to my workbench in my garage, I would use soldered copper pipe. Copper pipe won’t rust, and there are more than sufficient adapters available to convert from the soldered (sweated) copper to a thread.

If opting for an overhead main, know that the longer the supply line to the application, the more pressure loss there will be. Each elbow and every turn creates a loss in available pressure at your application, so make the air main as large as practical. How big? Why not 3″‘ copper pipe at the ceiling and 3/4″ copper drop lines for the home workshop?

Remember that PVC or RVC air hose size is measure on the I.D. A 1/2″ air hose will have a 1/2″ I.D., regardless of the O.D. of the line. Different air line manufacturers will have hose with different wall thickness, so the outer diameters will vary.

To connect PVC or RVC air hose together, you can use the aforementioned couplers and connectors. Usually the coupler and connector has a “barbed” male protrusion, though other styles are certainly available. Make sure the “barb” size of the coupler / connector corresponds with the internal diameter of your air hose. A gear clamp (do yourself a favour and purchase stainless steel clamps over carbon steel. A few pennies more, but much longer life) is installed on the hose first, and then the barb is inserted into the I.D. of the hose. After insertion of the “barb” the gear clamp is brought up the air hose, over the area where the “barb” is inserted, and tightened firmly. Using a small wrench to tighten the clamp is preferable over a slotted screw-driver which have a tendency to distort the nut.

There are a variety of other fittings available to join air hose. “Barb” to “barb” connectors, “barbed” elbows, “barbed” T’s, and so on.

If you are planning on using a lot of compressed air, hours worth of tool use at time for example, your drop legs should have a manual valve at the bottom of them and the supply to your tool should be taken about six inches from the bottom. The manual valve will allow you to drain the water that will accumulate there. See ABOUT-air-compressors.com for more extensive information on plumbing for compressed air.

As to the smaller air lines themselves, perhaps running to an air valve, joining an air valve to a cylinder, or even a small air brush or air tool, P.E. (polyethylene) is the air tube of choice. It is chemically inert, won’t rust with air-borne water, has a variety of fittings available, and is inexpensive.

P.E. tube has a variety of fitting styles available.

It can be connected with compression-ring (ferrule) type fittings. A nut, and then the ring fits over the tube, and once the tube is inserted into the fitting, the compression-ring is brought down over the tube and then the nut is tightened onto the thread, compressing the ferrule and created a seal. This type of fitting is available in many configurations including straight fitting, elbow, ‘T’ and so on.

The easiest fitting for plumbing P.E. tube is the “instant” variety. There will be a hole, correctly sized for the O.D. of the tube, into which the tube, after it is cut squarely, can be inserted into the fitting. Inside the hole will be an “O” ring type seal, and then a collar of small metal fingers through which the tube passes. When the air is turned on, the P.E. tube swells a bit, and these “fingers” dig into the surface of the tube, holding it in. The “O” ring prevents escape of the compressed air. There will be a small ring on the exterior of the fitting which, when depressed, will “bend” the fingers out of the way, allowing the tube to be removed from the fitting when necessary. This should only take place if the air is off.

“Instant” type fittings may not work on soft air-line tube, such as polyurethane. Copper tube may present a problem too, as the “fingers” cannot easily grab the smooth surface of the tube.

There are some manufacturers that offer a line of miniature barbed fittings for tube. If you are installing many fittings in your application, they may offer a lower cost solution. The downside is that they significantly reduce the air flow through the smaller I.D. plastic tube.

For a good selection of air line couplers, connectors, hose, tube and fittings, consider locating and visiting your local industrial supplier of fluid power or compressed air components, rather than your local hardware or department store. Not only will the industrial supplier likely have everything you need in one location, undoubtedly, they too will have the expertise to provide the advice that will not necessarily be available at the other retail outlets.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to visit my site and send me an email through the contact page there.

Bill Wade’s experience in compressed air and other industries spans decades; from field sales positions through to the corporate presidential office. His sales agency represents a select group of industrial firms. Mr. Wade writes about all facets of compressed air at http://www.about-air-compressors.com.

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Posted on June 25th, 2008 by itbsuperrich
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It’s FRL on Purpose, Folks!

FRL is an acronym for Filter, Regulator and Lubricator, devices used to “condition” the compressed air from a compressor before it gets to your application be that through an air valve to air cylinders, powering air tools and so on.

When called in to troubleshoot a complaint from a client that their compressed air filter, regulator or lubricator wasn’t working, the first response is to ask the symptoms. Common complaints are, “the regulator is not working, and it’s leaking oil”, or “my air filter fills up too quickly”. Have you ever had these problems?

The acronym FRL is placed in this order deliberately.

These air treatment units, whether they are an assembly (combination FR + L) or a number of single components - Filter + Regulator + Lubricator - installed in a row, must always be installed with the Filter first, the Regulator next, and the lubricator last.

The filter must ’see’ the air coming from the compressed air supply line first, as it’s the defense against compressed air-borne water and particulates. If you think about it, you would want the filter to remove contaminants and free water from the compressed air before that air gets to more sensitive down-stream components, including the regulator and the lubricator.

The regulator is installed after the filter to ensure that the air getting to the regulator is as clean as that type of compressed air filter will allow, thus increasing the life span and mean-time-between-failures for the regulator.

The regulator’s purpose is to regulate a lower pressure to the downstream application. Some folks are of the opinion that the regulator can be used to “dial-up” the pressure. This is true, as long as it’s understood that the pressure that’s being selected is at a level below the upstream supply pressure. You cannot use a regulator to increase the pressure downstream higher than the supply pressure upstream of that regulator.

Compressors are usually cyclic, meaning that the air pressure in the lines from them varies according to where the pressure is in the compressor receiver. When the air pressure in the compressor receiver falls to the low level set point, the compressor will kick in, and bring the pressure in the receiver up to the high level set point, at which point the compressor will stop. This cycle repeats, sometimes quite quickly, depending on the compressed air demand in the shop. A regulator will dampen the pressure swings from the system as the compressor kicks on and off, ensuring that your application, if the regulator pressure is set at the correct level, will see a constant, steady pressure.

If the regulator is incorrectly installed, upstream from the filter instead of after it, not only is the regulator not protected from air-borne water and particulates, it will negatively affect the flow of air to the filter, decreasing its effectiveness.

The lubricator’s purpose is to provide a steady, metered stream of the appropriate lubricant to the downstream application, be that an air tool, or an air valve / cylinder combination.

The lubricator is installed last in the FRL series to ensure that the lubricant has ready access to the components desired to be lubricated though many modern pneumatic circuits may not need a lubricator at all, what with the high cycle type lubricants that are commonly used by air actuator manufacturer’s.

If the lubricator is incorrectly installed after the filter and before the regulator, the lubricant flow will negatively affect the operation of the regulator. The regulator may be over lubricated to the point where it doesn’t work properly. This may be the cause of the “lubricator’s all gummed up and not working properly” complaint. Most compressed air regulators are relieving type, and if the lubricator is “feeding” lubricant to the regulator, lubricant will wick from the relieving port, hence the “regulator’s leaking oil” complaint.

If the lubricator is installed upstream from the filter and the regulator, the lubricant stream from the lubricator will simply be intercepted by the filter, and not get downstream to the application at all. Thus the filter is “filling up too quickly” complaint.

In the absence of the lubricator, the correct installation if filter first, then regulator.

If the unit you have is a combined filter regulator, it’s internally plumbed to have the air filtered through the filter ‘half’ before the compressed air gets to the regulator.

Remember, it’s FRL on purpose!

Bill Wade is a former sales representative, sales manager, marketing manager and president of companies that use and sell compressed air, along with other equipment and supplies. His sales agency currently represents a select group of companies. Mr. Wade writes about understanding compressed air, how it’s compressed, how it’s treated, and how it’s used at http://www.about-air-compressors.com.

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Posted on June 8th, 2008 by itbsuperrich
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