Sometimes we do things with one goal in mind and find that we get the opposite, unintended result. Such experiences have been all too frequent in my consulting practice in a coastal environment. In the process of trying to do a better job of controlling indoor residential humidity, we actually can make the situation worse.

As more homeowners begin to understand that controlling humidity is crucial to comfort, interest in humidification and dehumidification solutions has continued to grow. Rick Tullis, president, Capstone Mechanical, said contractors should be aware of the factors that limit mold’s ability to multiply throughout an indoor environment.

If a house is sealed tight with spray foam insulation, it is much harder for moisture to leave the house naturally. While most spray-foam homes are required to have some form of mechanical ventilation (ventilation to ASHRAE 62.2 Standard is recommended), there are many questions on how best to provide it.

Some experts believe that more people may suffer from the effects of indoor air pollution than outdoor air pollution. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the majority of Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors. What can contractors do to help?

IAQ has been identified by the EPA as one of the five most urgent environmental risks to public health. Many factors affect IAQ. These factors include poor ventilation, problems controlling temperature, high or low humidity, remodeling, and other activities in or near a building that can affect the fresh air coming into the building.

This year’s winners of The NEWS’ ninth annual Dealer Design Awards’ Indoor Air Quality category provide more tools for contractors to defeat poor air quality and indoor discomfort.

The ComfortBreeze ™ evaporative humidifier line combines advanced microprocessor control with conventional evaporative technology. The units are available with optional patent-pending ComfortSmart™ technology to minimize water consumption while maintaining a comfortable humidity in the home.

Highly sensitive, the portable and extremely accurate AMI300 IAQ monitor has data storage with software capabilities. Interchangeable probes and modules available include CO/temp probe (0-1,000 ppm) (1-ppm resolution), CO2/temp probe (0–5,000 ppm) ( 1-ppm resolution), CO2/temp/humidity probe, and more.

Model 8000 has been added to the York® Affinity™ Series premium humidifiers. The residential steam humidifier is 10-1/8 inches wide by 7-1/8 inches deep by 20-7/8 inches high and can deliver up to 23.3 gallons of humidity per day — enough to effectively humidify a 5,000-square-foot home, the company said.

The Mini UV™ System is a germicidal ultraviolet (UV) light system designed specifically for mini-split and other ductless air conditioning units in residential and commercial applications. According to the manufacturer, the light system’s patent-pending miniaturized components fit inside all ductless a/c brands.