The Importance Of Setting Up Dust Control Before Starting Home Renovations

This is an example of a professional dust control setup we did before doing renovations for a home in Brantford. Over the years many of our customers have expressed dire concerns about having to deal with the potential dust pollution that occurs during an interior renovation and how long the dust lingers after the job is complete.

So what we created during this job is what is called a negative air pressure system, and what’s involved in creating that negative air pressure is sealing off all the entry points to the area in which we were going to be working in.

To begin with (see in the image above), we applied and sealed a plastic sheet over the main entrance door; applied taping to the perimeter of all doors in the vicinity of the work area and  sealed off another entrance with a plastic sheet and quarantined that entrance as the room that will house the air filter system. The plastic for the exhaust room has been cut to allow for an air cleaning system to be fit into it and is properly sealed off with tape so no dust can penetrate through it. We’re practically air-tight now.

The function the air cleaning system

What the air cleaning system does is intakes the surrounding air and filters it prior to exhausting it again. As mentioned above, the reason we do this is because of a few reasons: for one, customers just do not like having to break in or be exposed to dust in their living areas, and surely don’t want the job of cleaning it up; secondly, we don’t like working in that type of environment either and thirdly, it’s just not healthy.

Applying dust control during a renovation is also important because once dust floats throughout the home, it can take more than several weeks to clean it out.

The air cleaning system also uses a two-part filter system. The green filter you can see in the image is called an internal bag filter which will filter particles as small as 1 micron. This filter is installed into the air cleaning system first, and then the general intake filter is installed over it; hence the two-filter system.

Creating the negative air pressure work space

To create a negative air pressure in the renovation area the entire area has to be sealed. As you’ll see in the video below that task has been done, and the area is ready for work. Watch the video below, and you’ll see the negative air pressure system in action.

The bottom line is, if the renovation company you hire doesn’t even mention dust-control, you’re probably dealing with the wrong company. There’s no real reason to risk damaging your furnace with particles, and allowing dust to float throughout your home when it really only takes a few minutes to set up proper dust management.

If the system is set up right, all air will be pulled into the filter system, and exhausted out as clean fresh air.

Turning off the furnace and blocking air vents

You’ll also note that before we start any renovation or remodeling work that we seal up all floor intake grills and turn off the furnace.  The intake grills are used by the home to intake air and the furnace disperses it throughout the house. If your furnace is running while the dust is in the air it will be dispersed everywhere in your home. When this happens you’re facing a giant mess to have to clean up.

The furnace is shut off, the air vents and grills are covered and sealed with a piece of plastic, and everything is protected from this point on from dust and debris. Now while your renovation is going on you’re home is 100% protected from any form of air contamination.

When should the air filter system be used?

If there’s going to be dust and particle debris created during your renovation you’ll want to set up the dust barrier so below we’ve listed of some of the types of renovations where the barrier would be applied:

• certain interior painting jobs
• drywall renovations combined with other work
• mould or asbestos removal
• sealing smoke damaged walls
• ceiling work
• finishing basements (if needed)
• demolitions

The above is just a small list of examples, but rest assured that when and air filtering system is needed, we apply it. Preserving the air quality in a home during a renovation is just one aspect of the care we take when doing our work. You can visit the following link for more information about our services and how we can help you.

https://www.bcjreno.com/home-renovations/