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Homeowners, scientists, manufacturers, and designers are just recently becoming more aware of the things that easily win the game of “hide and seek” in your home. And these game “winners” can unfortunately make your health a big loser. The following is a list of materials, particles, and gases that can lurk in your home, causing not only health issues, but also structural issues to your home.
Excess moisture can affect the structure of a building and health of its occupants. Moisture settles into materials, causing mold and bacteria. These things, as most people know, can cause a variety of minor to major illnesses. The structure of the building is weakened by the moisture settling on materials and causing wood framing to rot or metal framing to rust. Excess moisture most commonly points to an airflow issue within the building.
Biological pollutants are things that are sometimes able to be seen, but not always. Pollens, bacteria, soil, plant debris, and dander fall into this category. These things are typically brought into the house by the inhabitants on clothes or shoes, or via the wind, and affect different occupants in different ways.
Radon is a radioactive gas caused by the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. This gas is thought to be the second leading cause of lung cancer, gaining access to buildings through cracks in floors and walls, construction joints, and pipes. It is estimated that 1 in 15 homes in the US have high radon levels; a simple test can tell you whether or not your home is one of that percentage.
Gas-fired appliances emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, and water vapor. Not all of those particles are bad, but the ones which are not healthy are also less easily seen. This does not mean that a home should stay away from gas appliances, but merely realize the gaseous output and make sure all appliances are vented properly.
VOCs are becoming more of a talking point due to green initiatives. Many materials and furnitures are striving to achieve the ranking of low or no-VOC.These VOCs come in the form of formaldehyde in carpets and other materials, pesticides, cleaning materials, paint, gasoline, adhesives, and office equipment. They are known to cause illness in both short term and long term periods.
This category is a no-brainer for most people. Most local governments have begun initiatives to remove smoking from indoor public buildings for the same reasons that it’s not good to smoke in your home. The carcinogenic off-gas embeds and clings to materials in the home, essentially making your home’s interior covered with chemicals that cause cancer.
This category is a reiteration of what was spoken of when we talked about combustion products and VOCs. It is important to realize, however, that even though it may seem safe in your garage instead of your home, these materials can easily find their way in if there is not an airtight separation on homes with attached garages.
These things are merely the main players in the fight against your home’s health. In the upcoming weeks we will talk about things you can do to win the game of “hide and seek” and take back your home.
The EPA provides quality information about indoor air quality suspects, which can be found here.
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Per the DOE, 50-70% of energy use in homes goes towards heating or cooling of some sort. Most people, when thinking about the heating losses of their homes quickly look to the insulation of their walls (which is good), but forget another easy place where heat can evaporate. Water pipes!
If you cannot insulate all of the hot water piping that is visible, be sure to focus your efforts on a 3′ diameter of piping around the hot water heater. Be sure to use a quality insulation wrap and make sure the fit is snug. If you have a gas hot water heater, leave at least 6″ of space around the flue before applying insulation. By insulating all visible portions of hot water pipes, a homeowner can rest easy knowing that they are saving energy, and therefore money, as well as helping their hot water heater work more efficiently.
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When it comes to energy saving, much can be done around the home. Obviously if you are starting out with a clean slate, it is easier to reduce energy use by choosing energy efficient products and appliances, as well as designing the home to work as naturally as possible (come to us for that, we can help). If your home is already built, or you’re buying an existing house, there is no need to worry. There are still things you can do to reduce your energy intake! One of the most talked-about things you can do is to not only turn off, but also unplug appliances when they are not in use. The “ghost load” or draw that still occurs from the appliances amounts to around 10% of your energy bill.
Something that is not as widely spoken of, however, is maintaining your dryer. We all know that as a kid learning how to do laundry, our moms told us to “always clean the lint trap”. Some of us loved seeing the lint pulled from clothes, and others didn’t want to have anything to do with it. One thing’s for sure though: mom probably didn’t explain WHY you were supposed to clean that out. Not only does it help keep future clothes lint-free, but it also helps your dryer do the best job it can. A clogged lint trap reduces the efficiency of the dryer, and can also start a fire (yes, it has happened). So next time you go to do a load of laundry, give your dryer some love and keep it clean.