Can My House Be Too Well Sealed?

Reasons for Sealing

• With rising costs for heating and cooling, builders and homeowners have good reasons to seal and insulate homes well. To create an energy-efficient home, builders must seal leaks in walls, around windows and doors, near the foundation and other places where cold air could enter the home or warm air could exit in the winter. Correct amounts of insulation also help keep the home well sealed.

Reasons to Ventilate

• On the other side of the coin, homes also need enough proper ventilation to avoid a buildup of too much moisture, dangerous gases and allergens. If a house has high energy efficiency, but becomes too tightly sealed, it cannot breathe, and indoor air pollution builds up, causing unpleasant odors and health hazards. Without proper venting, the home does not bring in fresh air or remove stale air.

Signs of Poor Ventilation

• If people in the house experience itchy, red eyes or other allergy symptoms, or you smell mold or a sour odor from walls or other structures, suspect poor air quality. Musty smells, moldy walls or windowsills, paint peeling from walls and even insects invading can all signal a home with inadequate ventilation. Allergens, like mold, can trigger health problems, and if moisture and air can enter where they should not, dangerous gases like radon and carbon monoxide might, too.

Fixing the Problem

• Open a window for an easy fix for the short term to improve air exchange, but your home will need a fan or ventilation system to repair the problem permanently. Contact a professional to have the right type of in-home ventilation system installed. You can prevent the problem when building a new home by making sure a proper ventilation system gets built into the structure. Modern home construction methods strike the correct balance between energy efficiency and proper ventilation so the home can breathe and keep everyone comfortable year-round.