New Home Construction

IAQM has designed several programs for new home builders and renovators.  Indoor air quality is quickly becoming a hot button for home buyers. You can rely on our over 20+ years of experience in how to look at the home as a “system” and understand the cause-and-effect relationship between HVAC, plumbing, framing, etc.  

IAQM offers new home builders four preventative services:

Crawlspace – with a lifetime warranty

In pier and beam builds one of the biggest problems we see is crawlspace moisture. In our climate an average of 12 to 15 gallons of water vapor per 1,000 sq ft. infiltrates the crawlspace daily. Over the years we have provided our crawlspace services to many new home builders. In some cities, code requires the builder to install insulation on the sub-floor on the crawlspace side. Insulation has a paper backing which is mold candy! Mold and pests love dark damp spaces and wood rot can quickly take hold.

Many new home builders are called within months of the new owners moving in for mold problems in the crawlspace or even inside the home. As much as 40% of the air in a pier and beam home can come directly from the crawlspace causing health issues, musty odors, and even surface mold on contents and inside cabinets where there are plumbing penetrations. Many new home builders use IAQM to install our lifetime warranty product. This removes the liability from the builder and gives homeowners peace of mind.

Fresh Air Systems

Ventilation is the key to indoor air that is good for you.  To eliminate indoor air pollution generated from off-gassing building materials, consumer goods, cooking chemicals, gases, and particles you must first identify the source.  Source removal is ideal but not realistic because almost everything we buy is made with chemicals or through a chemical process. These items can off-gas for up to 20 years!  How then do you make sure you are breathing healthy air? Create positive pressure within the living space. 

Positive pressurization of the living begins by bringing in outside air to force indoor-generated pollutants out and prevent outdoor pollution from entering. To bring in outdoor air, we must filter it using sub-micron filtration. The most damaging pollutants to the human body are sub-micron in size (less than one micron). So small they can enter the bloodstream and over 90% of all air pollution is made up of these particles.  These originate from building and road construction, auto emissions, and manufacturing. Recent studies have linked poor indoor air quality and these pollutants to asthma, allergies, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and cancer.

Custom Designed Dehumidifiers

The average 24-hour humidity in North Texas is 62%. Mold, dust mites, and even your comfort become a problem when humidity reaches 50% to 55%. By adding the additional outside air needed to positively pressurize the living space, we must dehumidify the air we bring in. Dehumidification also provides many other benefits like a comfortable living environment and less workload on the existing HVAC system, thereby prolonging its lifespan.  

Our custom-designed dehumidifier is used as pressurizing equipment to transform how residential spaces cope with humidity and provide the positive pressure we need. By removing up to 33 gallons of water per day while not adding to the heat load, we can bring in more fresh air from the outside. The HPD is the most efficient, cost-effective way to control humidity, enhance comfort, and boost indoor air to a level unattainable before. The HPD is the total solution. It provides all the benefits of dehumidification with none of the drawbacks: heat load, noise, or vibration.  The HPD features the ability to supply truly dehumidified air for increased ventilation. The HPD allows customization per location for ventilation, dehumidification, filtration, and recirculation, functions not commonly available in residential or light commercial markets.

Preventive Maintenance and Inspection Plan

The preventative maintenance and inspection plan will include infrared inspections to locate and thereby prevent water intrusion or buildup of moisture in walls and ceilings.

1.     Building envelope (roof, windows, walls, and foundation)

2.     Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment (dehumidifiers, humidifiers, heating systems, ventilation systems,

3.     plumbing systems)

4.     Documentation and/or verification of plumbing leak testing (water pipes and sewer pipes)

5.     The plan will also include a detailed protocol that outlines processes and frequencies for inspection using IAQM checklists for

6.     Documentation. IAQM will provide checklists for client review.

Mold & Moisture Proactive Service Protection

Plan in case of litigation. The client maintains the right to:

1.     Audit all documentation associated with this program with proper notification at the client site

2.     Inspect all remediation, decontamination, and treatment work for quality, completeness, and effectiveness

3.     Inspect and verify all anti-microbial agents and the application process

4.     Quarterly - amend the requirements of this program based on the audit results and location inspections