Remodeling Your Home? Have You Considered Indoor Air Quality?
Finishing or remodeling your basement can be a very rewarding project for you and your family. The extra living space your family can enjoy, and the extra room for whatever you choose to use it, is always nice. But before you start putting the drywall in the basement, you must ensure the walls and all crawling spaces in your house are free of mold and mildew. How do you then control the moisture in your house to avoid those problems? Here we are bringing you information on moisture control techniques that will certainly help you with those issues. Please follow the link above for a more detailed explanation on those techniques.
7 Moisture Control Techniques:
1. Manage water outside the foundation walls.
The ground around the home’s foundation should be graded to slope down and away from the house at a rate of 1/2″ to 1″ per linear foot to drain surface water away from the house. Water from down spouts should be directed away from the house, discharging at least a few feet from the foundation.
2. Manage water inside the foundation walls and in the basement or crawl space floor.
If the basement or crawl space has a dirt floor, cover it with 6 mil poly, overlapping edges by at least 12 inches. Seal any cracks or joints in the foundation wall or slab with an elastomeric caulk.
3. Use construction techniques to control water, air movement, vapor diffusion, and condensation. Use construction methods and materials which promote the drying of building assemblies.
Use construction techniques which reduce the likelihood that warm, moist air will come in contact with cold surfaces, leading to condensation, mold growth, and rot.
4. Roofs
It is important that the roof and flashing details and construction effectively keep water out of the house. It is also important that the roof and attic design addresses the issue of moisture in the form of water vapor to avoid condensation in building cavities.
5. Ensure the home is properly ventilated, with at least exhaust fans in the bathroom and kitchen and preferably a mechanical ventilation system designed to ventilate the entire house.
High relative humidity (RH) can lead to problems with mold, dust mites, and other biological pollutants. Using exhaust fans in the bathrooms and kitchen can remove much of the moisture that builds up from everyday activities and help to keep RH below 50%.
6. Size Air-Conditioning Equipment correctly.
More is not always better. Incorrectly sized equipment can lead to operational and cost problems. Oversized air conditioning systems can “short-cycle” leading to rapid cooling without reducing indoor humidity levels. This can lead to a variety of problems associated with high relative humidity.
7. Low Relative Humidity.
Below 30 percent relative humidity, people can be uncomfortable and can suffer from dry mucus membranes which can lead to nosebleeds and infections. In general, low relative humidity is only a problem during the winter months, when the outside air contains very little moisture.
