Professional Indoor Air Quality in Tiki Island, TX

Coastal homes deal with indoor air quality challenges that inland homes simply don't face. In Galveston, you're fighting a combination of factors that stack on top of each other: sustained humidity above 80% that fuels mold growth year-round, salt air from the Gulf that infiltrates through every gap in your building envelope, post-hurricane moisture trapped in wall cavities and under flooring, and modern construction that seals homes tight enough to trap all of it inside. The result is indoor air that can be 3 to 5 times more polluted than the air outside — right there on the coast where you'd expect clean ocean breezes.

The Humidity Problem

Galveston's relative humidity averages 75-85% year-round. Inside your home, your AC does some dehumidification, but standard systems aren't designed to be primary dehumidifiers. On days when outdoor humidity hits 90%+, most residential AC systems can only bring indoor levels down to 60-65% — still well above the 45-50% range where mold growth slows dramatically.

That sustained moisture does real damage to your indoor air. Mold colonies establish themselves on any organic surface in dark, damp areas: the backside of drywall, inside wall cavities, on the evaporator coil and drain pan, in ductwork joints, under carpet padding, and behind bathroom tile. Many of these locations are completely hidden. You can't see the mold, but the spores circulate through your HVAC system every time the blower runs.

The health effects range from mild to serious. Persistent nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, chronic cough, headaches, and eye irritation are the everyday symptoms. For residents with asthma, allergies, or compromised immune systems, mold exposure can trigger severe respiratory events and systemic reactions.

Salt Air Infiltration

Salt particles are microscopic. They pass through standard HVAC filters and enter your home through door seals, window frames, wall penetrations, and any opening in the building envelope. Once inside, salt settles on surfaces and accelerates corrosion on metal components, but it also contributes to airborne particulate matter that irritates respiratory tissue.

Homes closest to the Gulf — on the island itself, along the seawall, near Offatts Bayou — face the highest salt infiltration. But elevated levels extend well inland. We measure significant salt particle counts in homes in Texas City, La Marque, and Dickinson, particularly during strong onshore winds.

Standard 1-inch MERV 8 furnace filters capture less than 20% of the fine particles that make up salt aerosol. Upgrading filtration is one of the most impactful changes you can make for indoor air quality in a coastal home.

Post-Storm Hidden Moisture

Galveston gets hit by tropical storms and hurricanes. Every water intrusion event — whether from storm surge, wind-driven rain, or flooding — introduces moisture into building materials that can persist for months or years if not properly remediated. Many homeowners "clean up" after a storm by drying visible surfaces and repainting, leaving trapped moisture in wall cavities, subfloor materials, and insulation that feeds continuous mold growth.

We've inspected homes two years after a storm event that still had active mold colonies behind intact-looking walls. The only clue was a persistent musty smell that the homeowner had attributed to "just an old house." Thermal imaging revealed moisture-saturated drywall that was actively growing Stachybotrys and Aspergillus behind the paint.

Sealed Construction Traps Everything Inside

After each hurricane season, homeowners invest in sealing their homes — impact windows, reinforced doors, spray foam insulation, weatherstripping. These improvements are smart for storm protection and energy efficiency, but they create a problem: the tighter the building envelope, the less natural air exchange occurs. Contaminants that would have slowly dissipated in a drafty old island cottage now accumulate in a sealed home with no way out.

This is why mechanical ventilation becomes important in sealed coastal homes. An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) brings in filtered fresh air while exhausting stale indoor air, recovering most of the cooling energy in the process. In Galveston's climate, an ERV pre-conditions the incoming air to remove moisture, preventing the introduction of humid outdoor air that would raise indoor humidity levels.

Solutions That Actually Work for the Coast

Improving indoor air quality in Galveston requires addressing the root causes, not just filtering the symptoms.

Whole-home dehumidification. A dedicated dehumidifier integrated into your HVAC system maintains indoor humidity at 45-50% regardless of outdoor conditions. This single upgrade cuts mold growth potential by 70-80%.

Upgraded filtration. Moving from MERV 8 to MERV 13 or adding a whole-home HEPA bypass filter captures mold spores, salt particles, and fine dust that standard filters miss. The system needs to be designed so the added filtration doesn't restrict airflow — this is where professional sizing matters.

UV-C germicidal treatment. UV lights installed at the evaporator coil kill mold and bacteria on the coil surface continuously, preventing the coil from becoming a mold distribution system for your home.

Ductwork inspection and sealing. Leaky ducts in Gulf Coast attics pull in hot, humid, contaminated attic air on every cycle. Sealing duct joints and ensuring proper insulation prevents moisture infiltration at its largest entry point.

Ventilation. An ERV provides controlled fresh air exchange without the humidity penalty, flushing out accumulated VOCs, CO2, and stale air.

Our $129 tune-up (regularly $225) includes inspection of your evaporator coil, condensate drain, and ductwork connections — the primary points where indoor air quality degrades in coastal HVAC systems. We serve Galveston, Texas City, League City, Dickinson, La Marque, and Santa Fe with free estimates on air quality improvements tailored to your home's specific conditions.