New, Airtight Homes With Fresh Air Dampers Have Humidity Problems — Here’s Why

Newer homes don’t necessarily mean fresher air. Instead, a lot of younger properties come with indoor air quality and comfort issues as a result of troublesome fresh air dampers.

Here’s why your home might have a damper, and what you can do when the equipment isn’t serving its purpose.

Fresh air dampers are designed to help with airtight, energy-efficient homes

It’s a common misconception that a newly constructed home will offer more comfort and cleaner, healthier air right off the bat. Unfortunately, as many of our San Antonio neighbors have found, this is simply not the case. Some of the Meritage homes have the Aprilaire IAQ Thermostat.

It comes down to the fact that many new homes feature foam insulation. This is designed to seal your home from the air outside. But it doesn’t allow enough fresh air into the house to help dilute all the hazards of stale and contaminated air. To counter this, newer homes built with foam insulation are usually fitted with energy recovery ventilation (ERV) air exchangers — also called fresh air dampers. When working properly, the dampers allow air from outside to enter and help improve the conditions inside the home.

This sounds like a great solution, and it can be — unless things aren’t working properly.

Dysfunctional dampers cause a host of indoor air quality issues

When fresh air dampers don’t work as intended, trouble ensues. As frustrating as it is, families living in newer homes can experience comfort and air quality issues ranging from mold spores and allergen-caused headaches to high humidity and strange odors.

At Tiger Services, we see a lot of trouble calls from these dampers. In spring or summer, homeowners tend to notice the issue when their air conditioning doesn’t kick in or it’s not running properly. Instead of filling up with refreshingly cool air, these homes can become humid, stuffy and uncomfortable.

What to do about a humidity problem at home

If you’re experiencing issues with humidity, odors or mold, or you’re noticing headaches and other irritations, your fresh air damper could be the culprit — or it could be a combination of issues with your home’s cooling system. The best thing you can do is ask a local service provider to take a look.

As San Antonio’s trusted indoor air quality experts, experienced technicians from Tiger Services will conduct a thorough in-home inspection. We’ll explore everything from the air conditioning unit to the ventilation system. From there, it may become clear that something was installed incorrectly, a piece of equipment has malfunctioned or perhaps a critical component is missing.

Whatever issues we uncover, we will make recommendations on how to solve your specific concerns in the quickest and most cost-effective way possible. With your approval, we can conduct the necessary repairs and leave you with a working ventilation system that will clean the air and filter out problematic airborne particles and excess moisture.

Contact Tiger Services today and you’ll finally be able to relax and enjoy your beautiful new home in comfort!