Re: Re: How to predict if mold will grow inside of gypsum wallboard-faced walls..

[Guest guest]

I think the reason mold grows in a lot of wall cavities is condensation.

Used to be, people left windows open and holes open. Now they seal up

everything and if they don't fix ALL leaks, and ventilate, along wth their

A/C there are problems. There also is lots of fake wood in buildings which

are designed to be ventilated. But people turn it off because they think

they are wsting money. You can't have tight - increasingly toxic buildings

without some kind of AC too, the humidity gets too high. You need both AC

and dehumiidification AND powered ventilation. But some people think they

can't afford both AC and ventilation.

Older buildings can be better, assuming that they have been maintained well.

But many older buildings had spells of bad maintainance and so they won't be

healthy until they are cleaned up... That can be as simple as opening up

all the cavities and vacuming all the dust out, then sealing them back up

again.. using open cell foam to insulate and GOOD waterproofing to ensure

they won't get wet again.

Its a good investment. Older buildings are cheaper than new buildings.

On Sun, Aug 10, 2008 at 10:37 PM, barb1283 <barb1283@...> wrote:

> Therein lies the problem. I had no idea and I doubt that alot of

> people do. We expect more and more from homes, to be 72-78 40-50% RH

> while the outside swings wildly in temperature and humidity, and no

> wonder there is stress put on the wall cavities.

>

>

> >

> > Walls are dynamic systems that have a lot going on in and on them!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this post, Live,

What would you recommend for ventilation if the people live in a chronically

humid area? Wouldn't the humid air mixing with hvac make more problems. Not only

would there be more humidity, but also outside molds? Are there proper air

filtering systems and dehumidifying equipment that would serve to minimize this?

Thanks,

Jac,

[Guest guest]

That's a question for Jeff or Carl.

My feeling is that you always need fresh air.

When you tighten your house, you need to ensure that there is a

constant supply of fresh air.

That may bring in humidity along with it but thats part of what air

conditioners are for.. to remove that moisture.

If there is no air exchange, whatever was in your home or workplace

would build up..

Balanced ventilation is the best way to make a home healthier. (an HRV

or an ERV) Pull in as much as you push out..

Also, completely aside from mold or VOCs from any other source,

remember all the fake wood they use in new construction..

I think that some people whose houses are built with lots of the worst

high-formaldehyde fake wood probably need ventilation literally for

years to remove that formaldehyde. Year round..

Most people leave one or two windows cracked open a bit..But, If you

close all your windows, seal up all leaks, etc. you need to bring in

fresh air some other way..

Carl or Jeff really would explain this far better than I can..