Re: When was the boom for AC units?

[Guest guest]

I agree with you. Most buildings were not designed to be sealed up with a

window AC stuck in them. I have a friend in Germany who said just that but her

house in the summer is getting more uncomfortable. She has put it off but is

considering buying one this year. Then I fear it will just be a matter of

time before the house begins to develop problems.

Just my opinion.

Sue

>>

Do you remember what year it was (approximately) when AC units became

so affordable that ordinary people started to buy them on a large scale?

[Guest guest]

Branis, might be. Here it was alot earlier. I recently sold my

greataunt's 1965 Cadillac and it had automatic windows already and a

thermstatically controlled heated and cooled cabin. I also just

recently sold her 40 year old furnace with built in air conditioner.

It was put in about 1968. So air conditioning was in homes in the mid-

1960's here. The other mold culprit, drywall, from my reading became

popular here after the end of WWII, in which it was used to quickly and

cheaply build barracks for the military and then builders started to

use for home building as well, so about 1945-7. My aunt's house is all

plaster, and not any drywall, built in the mid 1930's. So that means

here in the U.S., drywall met up with indoor air conditioning in the

mid 1960's, but may not have been widely used until the 1970's. Indoor

humidification became popular a little later I believe.

>

> Do you remember what year it was (approximately) when AC units became

> so affordable that ordinary people started to buy them on a large

scale?

>

> If I remember well, in my country it was the beginning of 1990s.

> Before that time one couldn't just walk into a store and buy an AC

> unit for himself. Sure, they existed in large state institutions such

> as banks, post offices but I suppose those were well maintained.

>

> I think all my problems started with the mass production of AC units.

> Their rise in popularity has brough about the downfall of my health.

>

> -Branislav

>

[Guest guest]

I think that the changes in building materials has been a big reason why

people are being made sick by buildings..

The materials they often use are inherently unhealthy and much more prone to

delamination, microbial decomposition, offgassing glues, etc. they use them

because they are cheaper and many people don't realize the dangers.

Many old style materials, like wood, did grow *mold* if they got wet and

*stayed* wet.

But many of the newer materials actually offvent toxic gases without even

getting wet.

Even worse, if they do get wet, they delamainate and spew formaldehyde or

other noxious materials at an accelerated rate for months or even years

after getting wet that once, briefly.

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