Henderson Indoor Air Quality

MERV 11 to MERV 13 in a 4-inch or 5-inch media slot is the sweet spot for most Henderson homes. Higher MERV in a 1-inch slot creates static pressure problems that hurt airflow. We measure first.

If your home runs below 30 percent indoor humidity in winter (most do), yes. Dry air dries skin and sinuses, increases static, and damages wood floors and instruments. Whole-home humidifiers are a mid-range add-on, and the number depends on the model and whether the plenum and water line need work.

MERV 13 plus a properly sealed return duct is the front-line defense. We can also add an Aprilaire E100/E130 portable-class media cleaner for severe smoke events. Run the HVAC fan continuously during smoke days to keep the filter active.

It depends entirely on which piece you need, and they are not close to each other. A UV system is the cheapest thing on the list. A filter slot upgrade with Aprilaire 5-inch media is a step above it, and a whole-home humidifier a step above that. An ERV install is the big one, because it means new ducting, an exterior penetration and controls, so it can run several times a humidifier. What sets the number on any of them is the same handful of things: your equipment, whether the plenum has room, how the water line and drain get run, and what the ductwork will actually carry. We quote after measurement, not from a brochure.

Yes. Constant Air Balancing & Services is an Aprilaire-partnered installer. We carry Aprilaire-certified diagnostic and install training, and we stock Aprilaire filters, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and ERVs.

Itchy skin, chapped lips, and morning sore throats in a Henderson home almost always come down to bone-dry indoor air. Winter humidity here sits in the teens, far below the 30 to 40 percent comfort range. A whole-home humidifier tied into your ductwork raises moisture across the whole house and usually clears up the itch, the static shocks, and the cracks opening in your hardwood floors. It is one of the most-noticed comfort upgrades we install.

They can help. Very dry air dries out nasal passages and airways, which makes them more reactive to the dust and pollen that already circulate in a Henderson home. Bringing the humidity up into a healthy range keeps those passages from drying out, so many people breathe easier. For allergy relief we usually pair a whole-home humidifier with a good media filter, since the filter removes the particulate and the humidity keeps you from reacting to what remains.

It can if the system was not set up for it, which is exactly why we measure first. A dense high-MERV filter jammed into a thin one-inch slot chokes airflow and starves the coil. We read the static pressure across the air handler, and if a better filter would restrict the system we widen the slot to a 4-inch or 5-inch media cabinet. That way you get the cleaner air without losing the cooling capacity you paid for.

A surprising amount of it never touches your filter. Leaky returns and unsealed duct joints in a hot Henderson attic pull dusty attic air straight into the system and blow it back into your rooms, bypassing the filter entirely. That is why we check the return and the duct sealing as part of an air quality job. Sealing so all the air actually passes through the filter does more for a dusty house than any filter upgrade on its own.