Air purification, humidifiers, and ventilation.
Tight modern homes hold heat better and air worse. We install whole-home air purifiers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and ventilation systems that fix the side effects of good insulation.
What we cover.
If your home feels stuffy in winter, dry enough to crack lips in January, or musty in July, the answer is rarely a candle. We diagnose and fix the underlying air problem with whole-home equipment that ties into your existing HVAC system.
Across Duluth, Hermantown, Superior WI, Two Harbors, and Cloquet, we install whole-home humidifiers, dehumidifiers, HEPA filtration, UV purifiers, MERV-13 media filters, and energy-recovery ventilators (ERVs) for tight new builds.
Signs you need indoor air quality service.
If one of these is happening at your house, do not wait. The longer you run it, the more it costs to fix.
Static shock when you touch a doorknob
Indoor RH is below 30%. Common all winter in Duluth. A whole-home humidifier fixes it for the whole house, not one room.
Wood floors cupping or cracking
Same root cause as static shock. Hardwood needs 35 to 50% RH year-round. We size humidifiers to your house.
Home feels stuffy or smells stale
CO2 is building up in tight modern construction. An ERV brings in fresh air without losing heat. Often the fix is invisible until you have it.
Allergy symptoms worse indoors than out
MERV-13 media filtration handles 90% of airborne allergens. Sized right, it does not choke your blower.
Visible mold or mildew
RH is too high somewhere in the home. Dehumidifier or ventilation fix, after we measure where the moisture is coming from.
Newer construction (post-2015)
Tight homes need active ventilation. Code-minimum air leakage in modern Twin Ports builds often requires an ERV or HRV.
Four steps from your call to a comfortable home.
Air quality assessment
Temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 readings in each main room. We measure before we recommend.
Targeted recommendation
We do not sell every IAQ product to every customer. We pick the one or two that solve your actual problem.
Clean install
Tied into the existing HVAC system, properly bypassed, ducted, and wired. No DIY-looking aftermarket clutter.
Verification
Re-measure RH and air quality after a week of operation. We confirm the fix worked, or adjust.
Real numbers, before you call.
We are not afraid to publish prices. Final quotes are flat-rate, written, and itemized after we see your system.
Whole-home humidifier
- Aprilaire 600 or 700 bypass install
- Tied into supply or return plenum
- Annual humidifier pad replacement included on Comfort Club
MERV-13 filter cabinet
- 5-inch media cabinet, not the disposable 1-inch
- Static pressure measured before and after install
- Replacement filters once a year
ERV ventilation system
- Energy-recovery ventilator with HEPA prefilter
- Ducted to bring in fresh air, exhaust stale air
- Required by some new-construction codes
UV lights at the coil $300 to $600. Whole-home dehumidifiers $1,800 to $3,200. We measure first, recommend second, never the reverse.
Why homeowners pick Northland Air for indoor air quality.
Measurement-driven
We measure CO2, relative humidity, and particulate count, then recommend based on data, not catalog upsells.
Whole-home, not portable
We install equipment that ties into your furnace or air handler, so every room benefits. Not a $400 portable that treats one room.
Tight-home expertise
Newer Twin Ports homes are insulated to a level your grandparents' house never was. Modern construction needs modern ventilation. We design for it.
What homeowners say about our indoor air quality work.
Tuned up our furnace and humidifier in October. Tech walked me through everything he saw and made one small recommendation (a new flame sensor) that he had on the truck and installed in 10 minutes. Painless and professional.
Brands we service and install: Aprilaire · Honeywell · Lennox PureAir · Trane CleanEffects · Carrier Infinity
The numbers we look at before recommending anything.
IAQ is full of catalog upsells. The honest version of this work starts with measurement. Three numbers tell us what you actually need.
| What we measure | Target range | If outside the range |
|---|---|---|
| Relative humidity (winter) | 35 to 45% | Below 30%: whole-home humidifier. Above 55%: dehumidification or ventilation. |
| Relative humidity (summer) | 40 to 55% | Above 60%: AC short-cycling or dehumidifier. Below 35%: rare, usually OK. |
| CO2 in main living area | Under 800 ppm | 1,000+ ppm: stale air, consider an ERV. 1,500+ ppm: ventilation is urgent. |
| Particulate count (PM 2.5) | Under 12 ug/m3 | Persistent high: MERV-13 media filter at the air handler. |
Measurement is included in any IAQ consultation visit. We do not sell every IAQ product to every customer.
Indoor Air Quality questions, answered.
If your indoor RH is below 30% in winter (very common in Duluth), yes. Dry air causes wood-floor cracking, static shock, dry skin, and respiratory irritation. A bypass humidifier on the furnace runs about $700-$1,400 installed.
Most homes do not need true HEPA. A MERV-13 media filter cabinet on the furnace handles 90% of airborne allergens at a fraction of the cost and airflow penalty.
Energy-recovery ventilator. Required in some new tight-construction builds, optional in older retrofits. We measure your CO2 levels and tell you honestly.
For coil sterilization yes, for whole-air sterilization the evidence is weak. We install UV at the coil where it has measurable benefit.
A poorly sized one will. We measure static pressure before and after install to make sure we did not choke your system.
Filters annually, humidifier pads annually, UV lamps every 18-24 months. We include reminders with your seasonal tune-up if you are on the Comfort Club plan.
Available across the Twin Ports.
Same-day indoor air quality service in your neighborhood.