Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, drowsily make your way to the thermostat to lower the temperature setting, only to find out it is showing that the room is already at a surprisingly low temperature? In a humid climate, such as the DMV area, this is a common occurrence during the warm seasons, and your air conditioner might not be at fault. Most air conditioning systems are designed to only monitor and control the temperature of your house. During the cooling process, your AC unit will also extract excess moisture from the air. However, on summer nights the temperature drops significantly, but the humidity stays relatively high. This means that your AC system must work less to achieve the set temperature. The less time the system is running, the less humidity is taken out of the air in your home. This problem can be exacerbated if the AC unit installed in your house is bigger than it needs to be. A larger system with higher capacity works even less to reach the temperature it is set to.

High levels of humidity slow down the evaporation of water, which means that any wet surface may stay wet or damp for a long time. This provides ideal conditions for mold to grow in your home. You may notice that the area around the kitchen sink, bathroom, or shower smells moldy, or you may even see the mold forming in these areas. This can be a serious problem. Molds can be hazardous to your health and well-being, and some cases of mold infestation cost thousands of dollars to fix. If you notice mold forming in your house, it is always better to fix it ASAP.

If you notice water damage on your ceiling or the walls, it is important to investigate the reason why. You might expect a water leak from a pipe, but to your surprise, you find out that there are no pipes but air ducts in the damaged area. This can be caused by built-up water condensation on cooler surfaces, which are usually air ducts and their surrounding surfaces. Unfortunately, this type of issue can also cause mold growth inside the walls.

Signs of a malfunctioning HVAC system are often easily noticeable. If the house is too hot or too cold, we all know something is wrong. However, signs of poor indoor air quality can be subtle or seem irrelevant. Here are a few warning signs that you might have an air quality problem in your home.

• Having a hard time keeping surfaces clean of dust.
• Dry or itchy skin, particularly when you are home.
• Frequent nosebleeds with no underlying health problems.
• Frequent signs of sickness and seasonal allergies.
• Frequent coughing with no underlying medical condition.

If you are suffering from one or a combination of these signs, it is a good idea to have your house checked for indoor air quality. Our IAQ experts perform a multi-point investigation to assess your indoor air quality. These investigations include, among other things, checking the humidity levels in your house, checking your air ducts for signs of dust build up, checking the filter or filters of your HVAC system. Based on the results of these investigations, they will provide you a summary of the diagnostics with recommended interventions.