Mold And Moisture Control

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Mold And Moisture Control

North American Press Syndicate - New York,NY*

http://www.napsnet.com/articles/58389.html

(NAPSI)-When there's a fungus among us, damaging your home and your

family's health, the solution can be simple.

" If you control moisture, you'll control mold, " explained Mike

Poellinger, chairman of the Responsible Solutions to Mold Coalition,

a building industry trade group.

To prevent moisture and mold, the coalition recommends:

• Make sure that moisture-sensitive building materials are not

stored outside or exposed to weather before installation.

• Roof designs should be designed to drain freely and allow water to

move rapidly off roofs and away from the building.

• Use water-resistive barriers behind tub and shower tile

installations, so water permeating through tile grout drains back

into the tub or shower pan-not into the wall cavity.

• Gypsum wallboard should be installed only when buildings are

closed in from the weather.

• Before wallboard and other moisture-sensitive interior components

are installed in buildings that have been exposed to the weather,

provision must be made to dry the framing and subfloor. This may be

as simple as providing time and ventilation to allow for drying.

Depending on the climate, mechanical drying and dehumidification

equipment may be required to supplement ventilation drying.

• All windows, doors, roofs and chimneys need to have flashing

installed around them.

• The ground around buildings should be graded to maintain a slope

of five percent that drains away from the building.

• All earthen crawl spaces should be covered with impermeable

plastic sheets. Do not store anything on top of the plastic sheeting

as this can lead to damage that will allow water vapor to enter the

crawlspace from the soil below.

• Avoid excessive indoor humidity-run exhaust fans over stoves and

in bathrooms for 10 minutes after use.

• Watch for water stains or standing puddles in the basement,

bathrooms or under kitchen sinks. Treat water leaks as you would a

smoldering fire-eliminate the cause and dry the water immediately.

The coalition, which is funded by grants from USG Corporation,

National Gypsum, and American Gypsum, created Guiding Principles for

Mold and Moisture Control. It is available on the organization's Web

site, www.responsiblemoldsolutions.org, in an interactive format in

which visitors can explore mold and moisture control steps by

clicking on various parts of a typical house.

Moisture-sensitive materials like drywall need to be kept dry before

installation.