Garage Affects Your Indoor-Air Quality — Here’s How

Did you know your attached garage could be compromising your indoor-air quality? Garages are often full of toxic fumes created by vehicle emissions, stored chemicals and gas appliances and tools. The pressure levels in the garage are usually higher than those in the house, and this is especially true in winter. Lower household pressure levels pull polluted air in from the garage. Stopping garage leaks can go a long way toward improving your indoor-air quality.

Here are a few ways contaminants decrease indoor-air quality in garages:

• Emission fumes can be released for several hours after you turn off your car.
• Even if you start your car with the garage door all the way open, not all of those fumes find their way outside. High concentrations of toxins may be trapped when the door is closed again.
• Tools and appliances running on gas may have emission systems that aren’t so efficient, releasing pollutants continuously.
• Chemicals stored in the garage create toxic fumes, including cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, paints and more.

They’re difficult to find, but many small cracks may exist in the wall between your house and garage. Some residences actually get most of their “fresh” air as high-pressure garage air is sucked into the house.

Caulking any cracks or joints you can see on the garage side can improve indoor-air quality. If your garage doesn’t have drywall, or if the drywall could be removed with little trouble, sealing may be simple. Finishing it with compound, caulk and paint can also decrease air leaks.

Consider installing a fan to exhaust high-pressure air from the garage to the outdoors. This will change the airflow, pulling household air into the garage instead of the other way around. If done correctly, it shouldn’t raise your heating load too much, but running the fan will use energy.

The most effective way to learn whether your garage is ruining your indoor-air quality is with an expert evaluation. Contact Stack Heating & Cooling for assistance. We’re happy to help keep northeast Ohio homeowners healthy and comfortable in their homes.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Stack Heating services Cleveland, Ohio and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!