Leak: What Do You Do When You Discover One?

by | building biology, buildings and health, condensation, indoor environmental health, mold, mould, water damage

What Do You Do When You Discover a Leak?

A leak may come from a tap, a water pipe, the roof, a window…

Whatever causes water to come into your home, you need to act quickly.

Why?

Because mould spores are everywhere, and they need moisture to proliferate.

A leak is one of the many causes of water damage.

Water damaged buildings are of great concern due to the impact that they can have on health, particularly in a sensitive individual.

Mould is a Moisture Issue

Moisture can be all that a dormant mould spore needs to become active and start growing.

With mould, there is bacteria and the “microbial stew.”

Moisture can also attract termites, rodents, and other pests that can cause damage to the building and possibly also your health.

Actions If You Discover a Leak:

  1. Fix the leak/hole/pipe
  2. Dry everything within 48 hours
  3. Monitor it to make sure it stays fixed

I also recommend that you create a regular maintenance schedule so that you can keep an eye on things.

Old leaks can still be a source of problems, particularly to those who are sensitive or sensitised to mould.

This is because mould, dead or alive can be a problem. Read more about that here.

Are you worried that you might have a problem? Let's talk.

Humidity – Understanding and Managing it

by | building biology, buildings and health, condensation, humidity, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health, mold, mould

Humidity is not just a present in our rainforests, it is also present in our homes

Humidity is basically moisture levels in the air.

Relative humidity (RH) is what we commonly talk about, and the ideal range is between 45-55% RH.

Why? Because at this level, it is not moist enough to for most mould, bacteria and other microorganisms to grow. Thus, this is our levels of “no concern” in our Building Biology Standards.

This image depicts different activity levels at different levels of RH (Arundel, et al).

The best way to know what the levels are in your home or workplace is to use a basic hygrometer, such as this one.

RH levels affect our comfort levels as well as our experience of temperatures

When RH levels are high, temperatures feel a lot more oppressive… Think “tropics” and “wet seasons.”

When RH levels are very low, we feel dry – our eyes, throat and mouth can become irritated as a result. Too, we may experience more static electricity.

Why is Humidity an Issue?

Humidity is an issue because when a material is cold enough, this moisture will condense out of the air and can result in the proliferation of mould. Read more about condensation here.

In a recent trip to far north Queensland, I witnessed first hand what regular high levels of RH were like. The temperatures remained stable in the high 20s (celcius) and the RH levels were around 86% night and day. The buildings I saw had the air conditioning running full pelt, and as a result, there was water streaming down all the windows.

On further investigation, it was apparent that the building materials had varying temperatures, and some were cold enough to be below dew point. The result? In technical terms: mould in the interstitial spaces of the building… hidden mould – aka “invisible mould.”

Discover more…

In the video below as I share with you how to manage humidity in our homes.

Understand the difference between desiccant dehumidifiers and refrigerant dehumidifiers and which one is best for you.

Work out what you need in your home or workplace.

CLICK HERE if you want to understand
mould & environmental stressors more deeply?

Condensation: An Enormous Issue In Buildings

by | air pollution, building biology, buildings and health, condensation, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health, mold, mould, water, water damage

Condensation: an Enormous Issue in Buildings

Condensation is an enormous issues in buildings, whether they be older buildings with single glazed windows and/or no insulation OR brand new buildings that are built to be energy efficient.

“My Building Is New, There is No Mould”

So I am told by many people when they call about at assessment of their home.

“I have NO MOULD, Everything is Dry Now…“

Others tell me. And I even hear:

“There is No Mould in My House… but There is a Musty Smell”

Mmmmm.

<<Picture me rubbing my chin and nodding slowly>>

All three of these cases do not preclude the presence of mould. The other thing to remember is that you cannot always smell mould when it is present.

Here is a video I did to explain about buildings built to code:

So why are we talking about mould when we started with condensation?

Mould has very basic needs: food and moisture.

Food is everywhere. Moisture can be controlled.

Condensation – Why is it an Issue? What is it? How Does it Form? Where Can it Occur?

It is an issue because it forms whenever a building material, or air, reaches dew point. What this means is that the material becomes cold enough to condense water out of the air – which is when droplets form… condensation. Condensation forms on the warm side of the material… Think about a bottle of cold water. The droplets of condensation form on the outside of the bottle.

In winter, a house that is warmed could have condensation forming under the metal roof or in the walls on the inner side of the sarking. As well, it often occurs on the inside of windows.

In summer, a house that is cooled could have condensation forming on the outside of windows, on the outer side of sarking and even within the building envelope where there are changes in temperatures.

This is a problem because it can result in building materials becoming wet enough to support the proliferation of mould (aka mould growth).

This can occur in roof spaces, wall cavities, window frames, and so on.

Research done by Dewsbury, et al, found that buildings built to code may be water damaged and mouldy within their first winter.

This is a big deal.

Condensation can be a large contributing factor to the mould burden in a building – so do take it seriously.

Are you affected by mould and want to learn more?
Click here to find out more about our Inner Circle.

References:

Dewsbury, Dr M, Law, Dr T, Henderson, Dr A (17 Feb 2016) Investigation of Destructive Condensation in Australian Cool Temperate Buildings Building Standards and Occupational Licensing, Department of Justice Tasmania, Tasmania