Fw: Examining Moisture in Homes

[Guest guest]

HUD USER eList

You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails.

20 January 2011

Examining Moisture in Homes

Residential humidity is an important factor affecting the quality of the built

environment. Its influence is felt in terms of thermal and respiratory comfort,

occupant perceptions of indoor air quality, and the energy required for heating

and air conditioning. High relative humidity also favors growth of biological

contaminants such as dust mites and mold, while elevated moisture levels over a

prolonged period of time can damage homes. However, data related to moisture

levels and residential building features has traditionally been lacking.

To expand the information available, HUD's Office of Policy Development and

Research has released Monitoring of Internal Moisture Loads in Residential

Buildings. This study is based on a full year of indoor temperature and humidity

data in a sample of 60 homes across three different climate regions — the

hot/humid Southeast, the cold Northeast, and the marine Northwest. HUD expects

that these data will improve our understanding of the relationships between home

characteristics and humidity, and subsequently lead to improved indoor air

quality and building durability achieved through more informed design and

engineering.

Follow us on:

In all three regions, visible mold or moisture damage was most frequently found

on or around windows and in bathrooms, though in the hot/humid Southeast it was

also seen near the cooling coil of air handlers in unconditioned spaces, such as

garages.

Although humidity levels seen in the homes of the marine Northwest was

consistently above 50%, the Northeast experienced the highest level of moisture

problems.

In the cold Northeast, moisture problems included musty odors within conditioned

spaces.

Major differences reported between housing in the 3 regions were in age, air

leakage, foundation type, cooling equipment, and heating equipment.

Further investigation of relationships between increased humidity levels and

high air-change rates, high-occupant densities, unfinished and unconditioned

basements and crawlspaces, and the use of materials with higher condensation and

mold potential is merited.

You were sent this HUD USER News update because you expressed interest

in receiving a weekly email to stay informed of new HUD research and

resources. If you no longer wish to receive this email, please send an

email to hudusernews@... with " unsubscribe " as the SUBJECT.

HUD USER

P.O. Box 23268, Washington, DC 20026-3268

1-800-245-2691 | 1-800-927-7589 (TDD) | 202-708-9981 (fax)

This email was sent to patito12@... by hudusernews@... |

Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribeâ„¢ | Privacy

Policy.

HUD USER | P.O. Box 23268 | Washington D.C | DC | 20026-3268