Title: Assessing and Remediation of Moisture and Mold in Residential Housing
1Assessing and Remediation of Moisture and Mold in
Residential Housing
2What is mold?
- Biological Pollutant
- A living organism
- Can grow on almost anywhere and on any surface
- Needs food, temperature and moisture to grow
3Mold or Fungi
- Multi-cellular and unicellular
- Multi-cellular formed of microscopic filaments
called HYPHAE - A colony looks velvety, granular or leathery
- May appear black, red, green, yellow or brown
- Most common aspergillus, pennicilium, and
stachybotrys.
4Mold and Fungi
- Outdoors mushrooms, puffballs, truffles
- During lifecycles spores are formed
- Spores small, light, travel by air
- Need food from external sources
- Water is critical to digestive process
- Volatile compounds can be released called
mycotoxins
5Mold and Fungi
- Grows on organic materials
- Wood
- Paper
- Foods
6Health Effects of Mold
- Allergenic
- Pathogenic
- Toxigenic
7Allergenic Molds
- Allergic reactions to mold are common
- Inhaling or touching may cause allergic
reactions to sensitive individuals - Mold can be dead or alive
- Repeated exposure may cause sensitivity
- Symptoms include Hay fever reaction, sneezing,
runny nose, red eyes, skin rash
8Pathogenic Molds
- Cause infections
- Only small group of molds associated with
infections - Most dangerous for immune compromised individuals
- Some infections include Hypersensitivity
Pneumonitis, Histoplasmosis
9Toxiogenic Molds
- Cause disease
- Exposure thru inhalation, ingestion and skin
contact - Mycotoxins
- Some molds have been proven to cause liver
damage, central nervous system damage
10 Building Science Basics
- Moisture Flow Concepts
- Air Flow Concepts
- Indoor Air Quality Concepts
11Liquid Flow
- Driven by gravity or air pressure
- Examples roof Leaks and plumbing leaks
- The most serious threat for a home
12Capillary Flow
- Liquid water creates a suction of its own as it
moves through tiny spaces within and between
building materials - Examples Capillary action can also move liquid
water into a home through damp soil and a porous
concrete slab or stem concrete wall
13Air Movement
- Air movement carries water vapor into and out of
the building and its cavities - Example Hot air rises through the cracks and
crevices in the top of the building shell taking
water vapor with it.
14Vapor Diffusion
- Water vapor will move through solid objects
depending on their permeance and vapor pressure - Is the the slowest form of moisture movement
15Moisture Rules
- Moisture moves from warm to cold
- Moisture flows from more to less
- Moisture hitchhikes with air
- high pressure to low pressure
- Gravity pulls water down
- Water wicks up
- l
16Air Flow Basics
17Air Flow
18 Air Flow
- High pressure flows to low pressure
19Air Flow
- A hole a driving force Airflow
20Driving Forces
- Natural
- Wind
- Stack Effect
- Mechanical
- Bath Fans
- Kitchen Fans
- Dryers
- Forced air heating
21IAQ Basics
22Most vulnerable to the effects of indoor air
pollution
- Elderly
- Children
- Disabled
- Immune deficient or chronically ill
- Pregnant woman/unborn child
23Children the most vulnerable
- Their bodies are still developing.
- Their immune systems are still developing and may
be less protective - They take in more food, water and air per pound
of body weight than adults - They are smaller and therefore closer to
pollutants on or near the ground. - They put their hands in their mouth more than
adults - Early environmental insults may have a lifelong
consequences
24Indoor Air Pollutants
- Moisture Tobacco smoke
- Pressed wood furniture Carpets
- Moth repellents Insects
- Dry cleaned goods
Household chemicals - Dust mites Pesticides
- Personal care products Lead based paint
- Car exhaust Woodstove
- Paint supplies Pets
- Paneling Cleaners
- Radon Products of combustion
-
25Seven Steps to a Healthy Home
- Dry and Clean
- Water, clutter and dust permit or encourage the
growth of mold, insects rodents and mites.
Keeping a home dry and clean controls mold and
pests. - Well ventilated
- Ventilation provides a mechanism to remove
contaminants. - Combustion Product Free
- Combustion products like carbon monoxide should
not be present in a healthy home
26Seven Steps Cont.
- Toxic Chemicals Free
- Toxic cleaning compounds, pesticides, oil based
paints and solvents can lead to poor indoor air
quality. - Pest Free
- Pests lead to allergic reactions and pests lead
to pesticides. Food and water lead to pests. - Comfortable
- Uncomfortable homes can make people take action
that makes a home unhealthy. If people cant
afford to heat their home they wont ventilate
their home.
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28Review
- Mold spores are everywhere
- Mold needs a temperature range from 40F to 100F
to grow - Mold needs food to grow
- Mold needs moisture to grow
- Mold can cause moderate to severe reactions
- Mold is a symptom of a moisture problem
29Assessing for Mold and Moisture Problems
- Procedures for assessments
- Guidelines for assessments
- Tools for assessments
30Procedure for Assessing Mold and Moisture
- Client interview
- Pollution Source Survey
- Physical survey of the building
31Client Interview
- Very valuable in assessing a IAQ problem
- May have a complaint that should be recognized
- Often know a lot about their home
- A chance for further IAQ education
32Pollution Source Survey
- Documents existing conditions
- Can indicate possible problems
- Identifies risks
- May help in designing solutions
33Pollution source survey
Pollution source survey
34Physical Survey
- Survey possible moistures sources from outside
and document - Examples
35Physical Survey
- Survey possible sources from inside and document
- Examples
36Assessment Tools and Measurements
- Eyes, ears, nose
- Measure relative humidity
- Measure building materials moisture content
- Measure surface temperatures
37Measuring Relative Humidity
- Thermo-Hygrometer homeowner model
- Digital
- 19
38Measuring Relative Humidity
- Sling Psychrometer
- For measuring RH takes 2 minutes
- 35
39Detecting Moisture
- Pin tester
- The process requires making holes in the material
to tested - Works on wood,sheetrock ,plaster, concrete
- 350
40Detecting Moisture
- Non destructive tester
- Slides across material to be tested without
damaging it - 200 to 400
41Measuring Temperature
- Infrared Pointer
- Measures common surface temperatures
- 350
42Guidelines for Evaluating Mold Contamination
- New York City Guidelines
- CMHC Homeowners Guide
43Small Areas
- NYC defines as 10 sq ft or less designated LEVEL
1 - CMHC defines a small area no larger than one sq
meter and no more than three of those areas
44Small Areas
- NYC remediation conducted by trained maintenance
staff - Training includes clean up methods, personal
protection and potential health hazards
45Small Areas
- CMHC say homeowners can clean up with detergent
and gloves and dust mask and guidance from
Homeowners Guide
46Mid-Sized Areas
- NYC defines as 10-30 sq ft. designated as LEVEL 2
- CMHCC considers mid sized to be more than three
patches, each smaller than a sq meter or there is
one or more isolated patches larger than a square
meter but smaller that three sq meters
47Mid-Sized Areas
- NYC remediation conducted by trained maintenance
staff - Training includes clean up methods, personal
protection and potential health hazards
48Mid-Sized Areas
- CMHC recommends assessment by a professional but
if proper procedures are followed can be cleaned
up by the homeowner
49Large Areas
- NYC defines as 30-100 sq ft
- CMHC considers an single patch greater than sheet
of plywood extensive
50Solving Problems
- Mold is the outcome of another problem
- MOISTURE
- Solve the moisture problem and you solve the Mold
problem
51Moisture Sources
- Interior
- Exterior
- Quantifying
52Moisture contributions from inside
- Respiration, perspiration 4pints / person / day
53Moisture contributions from inside
- Unvented dryers
- 5.0 pints / load
54Moisture contributions from inside
- Plants
- .96 pints / day / 7 plants
55Moisture contributions from inside
- Crawlspaces
- 0 to 105 pints / day
56Moisture contributions from inside
57Moisture contributions from inside
- Dishwashing
- .044 / pints / day / 4 people
58Moisture contributions from inside
- Showering,bathing
- .52 pints / 5 minutes
59Moisture contributions from inside
- Floor mopping
- .03 pints / sqft
60Moisture contributions from inside
- Cooking
- .088 pints / day / 4 people
61Moisture contributions from inside
62Moisture contributions from inside
- Drying laundry inside
- 4-6 pints per load
63Standing water in crawl space
64Moisture from outside
- This can be the largest source of moisture in a
house - Roof leaks
- Broken or disconnected gutters and downspouts
- Improper site drainage
- Broken footing drains
- Improperly functioning landscape irrigation
65Roof Leaks
66Improper flashing details
67Site Drainage
68Disconnected Downspout
69Broken Footing Drains
70Moisture Problems are either
- A surface temperature problem or
- A vapor pressure problem
71Common Surface Temperature Problems
- Poor air circulation
- Closets
- Exterior corners
72Common Surface Temperature Problems
- Wind washing and Low insulation levels
- Exterior wall line at ceiling
- Near leaky windows or doors
73Solving problems
- Reduce vapor pressure
- Source control
- Dehumidification
74Psychrometric Basics
75Dry Bulb Temperature
- The air mixture temperature as measured by an
ordinary thermometer - It is plotted as a family of lines along the
x-axis
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77Absolute Humidity
- The ratio of actual amount of moisture in grains
of water per pound of dry air - Absolute humidity ratio is plotted on the y-axis
of the chart
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79Relative Humidity
- Relative humidity is the ratio of the amount of
moisture in the air compared to the maximum
amount of moisture the air could contain at the
same temperature and pressure. - It is a family of curved lines that slope upward
from left to right - 100 relative humidity line is called the
saturation curve and it forms the boundary on the
left side of the chart
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81Wet Bulb Temperature
- Wet bulb temperature is another measurement of
the amount of moisture in the air. - Measured with a wetted cotton wick placed over
the bulb of a thermometer. - As the wick evaporates it lowers the reading on
the thermometer due to evaporative cooling. - The lower the amount of moisture in the air, the
lower will be the wet bulb temperature because a
higher rate of evaporation will occur in dyer
air. - These values are shown along the saturation
curve.
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83Dew Point Temperature
- It is the dry bulb temperature at which
condensation first occurs as heat is removed from
the air. - The dew point is found by moving horizontally
along the chart from the given point to the
saturation curve.
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85Enthalpy
- It is the total amount of heat contained in the
air mixture - Enthalpy is plotted as a family of diagonal lines
on the chart that slope upward from right to
left.
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87Specific Volume
- Is a measurement of the volume occupied by the
air based on its weight. - Its measured in terms of cubic feet per one
pound of dry air. - Specific volume is is plotted as a family of
diagonal lines that slope sharply upward right to
left.
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89Psychrometrics Exercise 1
90Psychrometrics Exercise 2
91Psychrometrics Exercise 3
92Mold and Rot
93MOLD
94Mold
95More Mold
96Mold
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