How PIV Systems Reduce Pollen in Your Home

If you suffer from hay fever, then the summer months can be miserable. While other people can enjoy the fresh air and warm weather, the pollen released from trees and grass can cause severe allergic responses including streaming eyes, blocked noses, and breathing difficulties.

Staying indoors isn’t always protection from the effects of pollen in the air. If windows are left open, pollen grains can be carried into your home on the breeze and quickly build up to levels where they cause problems. Worse still, a lack of fresh air in your home can make it stuffy and humid – particularly on hot days, and this can lead to a build-up of moisture in the air that will ultimately lead to condensation and potentially mould.

Good ventilation is essential in reducing the concentration of pollen in the air and stopping condensation, but natural ventilation isn’t an option if it simply lets more into your home. Thankfully, there is an option. Positive Input Ventilation Systems (PIV) like EnviroVent ATMOS are an effective way of keeping the air in your home fresh and free from pollen.

How PIV systems work

PIV systems are a whole house ventilation solution with a central unit that draws air into your home at roof level and then gently distributes it around the home. The fresh air that is brought into the property displaces the stale air through the natural ventilation of your home – such as air bricks and doorways.

PIV systems and pollen levels

There are two main advantages of PIV systems when it comes to reducing the symptoms of hay fever:

• Air filters for incoming air
• Positive air pressure in the home

The central unit of a PIV system filters the incoming air as it is drawn into the home. This is done to remove any particulate matter including some types of pollution as well as mould spores and pollen grains. This helps to improve the indoor air quality of your home as well as stopping many allergens from getting inside.

The second advantage of a PIV system – the positive air pressure – also helps to stop pollen entering the property. Because a PIV system draws air into the property from outside, the airflow throughout the rest of the home is outward. Stale air is pushed out through the natural gaps in the envelope of the building, and this takes dust, water vapour, and light particles such as pollen and mould spores with it. The higher indoor air pressure also reduces the amount of air that enters the property when people open the door to come into your home.

Other advantages of Positive Input Ventilation

Positive input ventilation systems such as EnviroVent ATMOS are highly efficient in use. The efficiency of the ventilation system itself also contribute to reducing overall energy use in your home. The gentle circulation of air helps to create more even temperatures, which means that central heating does not need to be on for as long to warm the property to a comfortable level.

In areas with high levels of radon, PIV systems are highly recommended. The systems draw air in at roof level where the radon levels are much lower than at the ground, and the airflow reduces the concentration of dangerous radon gas in the property which is important in keeping the air in the home safe.

As with other ventilation, PIV systems reduce the amount of water vapour in the air and stop condensation permanently. Less condensation reduces the risk of damp and mould in your property.

Find out more

There’s no need to suffer with hay fever indoors. Simply enter your postcode below to find a ventilation specialist in your area who can visit your property to carry out a free home survey.  This will identify causes of condensation and mould in your home as well as giving you the opportunity to get advice about the best form of ventilation to reduce the amount of pollen in the air.