Green Building Discussion

 

Topic: Moisture problems from flood cleanup

Discussion Participants:

• David Kibbey on moisture leftover from flooding
• Nadav Malin has posted the article on the web
• Hal Levin with some good sources
• Dave Brook offers up a paper

All postings are the opinion of the writer, and BuildingGreen can take no responsibility for their accuracy or appropriateness.

David Kibbey on moisture leftover from flooding

From: IAQKibbey@aol.com
Sent: Monday, January 06, 1997 4:29 PM

Hello everyone.

This season of serious flooding is a serious concerns to those of us aware of building health and the effects of microbiological contamination from flood waters. The toxogenic effects of molds are also of concern. Cleaning up after a flood damages a building involves much more than meets the eye. Protection for individuals doing the cleanup is also important.

A colleague of mine, R. David Bierman, of SafeEnvironments Home and Office Testing Services, has written a brief paper called "The Dangers of Secondary Mold Growth Caused by Improper Remediation of Flooded Buildings." I shall attach a Word 6.0 file of this paper in a separate e-mail to Nadav Malin. Perhaps Nadav can make this paper available in the EBN website.

David Kibbey Environmental Building Consultant 1618 Parker Street Berkeley, CA 94703 phone/fax: 510-841-1039 IAQKibbey@aol.com

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Nadav Malin has posted the article on the web

From: Nadav Malin
Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 1997 12:54 PM

That article is now online at: http://www.buildinggreen.com/elists/flood.html

Nadav

Hal Levin with some good sources

From: Hal Levin
Sent: Monday, January 06, 1997 8:42 PM

Excellent resources are also available on this topic from CMHC (Canada Housing and Mortgage Corp). Here is a draft of what I will be publishing in the next issue of the Indoor Air BULLETIN. It tells where to find them on the web.

Access to CMHC IAQ Resources

Canada does a great deal of research on housing, indoor air quality, and building environmental issues. Much of this is managed by CanadaMortgage and Housing Corporation. Many outstanding indoor air quality publications have been produced by CMHC and are available by request, many of them at no cost. CMHCís web site is at http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/cmhc.html.

At that site, web browsers can find a discussion group on Indoor Environment and another on Housing and Environment CMHCís Indoor Environment Work Group can be reached at . A dialogue on any subject can be initiated by any visitor to the site. A summary of the work on the site says: "We now have some idea of the identity of major pollutants, their generation rates, and how they are affected by residential ventilation. There is significant ongoing work in the fields of mold hazards, IAQ modelling, material emission and sink rates, and residential ventilation measurement. Synergistic effects between disparate pollutants are also in need of investigation."

A sampling of topics on the Indoor Environment discussion group site includes: Indoor Air Mold Loadings and Identification Re: unvented gas appliances Houses Fabricated From Plastics Insuite gas fired units vented to the outdoors via vents Re: HRV's Spillage from attached garages and unvented appliances Carpet/Staining/Yellowing/Emissions How to improve the air quality when you have just painted all the rooms in your house? Field investigations

Working Group on Housing and the Environment

the Working Group on Housing and the Environment of the National Housing Research Committee was initiated in 1990 to exchange information on sustainable approaches to housing construction and community planning. The purpose of the Group is to identify key areas for research and demonstration, to encourage cooperation in research, and to facilitate the dissemination and adoption of research results. An internet discussion group has been set up as a cost-effective means of communicating with a wider audience. Visitors to this site are welcome to invite other interested parties to participate.

Historically, the Working Group's interests have been very broad, ranging from building science, to municipal infrastructure, to urban form and transportation issues, and so on. Over the years, research in these areas has focused primarily on the potential resource efficiencies (energy, land, water, materials, etc.) associated with new housing technologies and alternative approaches to community planning and design. The cost-effectiveness and interrelationships between new building technologies and practices, alternative planning and engineering standards, and new infrastructure systems and technologies, have also received considerable attention in recent years.

At the last meeting in Ottawa, the following research priorities were identified, based on the results of a survey undertaken with Group members prior to the meeting:

1.More compact urban form 2.Sustainable communities 3.Integrating work and home environments 4.Indicators of sustainable development 5.Renewable energy and affordable, energy-efficient construction 6.Reducing construction waste

There is also a discussion group set up from this site to discuss the issues identified above and others.

Resource on CMHC Research Projects Housing Research Quarterly is compiled and produced on a quarterly basis by the Canadian Housing Information Centre. This publication provides information and access to research which is undertaken and sponsored by the Corporation. The publication contains information on completed research reports, new publications, videos and bibliographies, as well as ongoing research projects. An alphabetical title index of items listed is included at the end for quick reference.

It can be downloaded from the web at http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/Publications/HousingResearch/ as a pdf file, readable with Adobe Acrobat, also downloadable from the web. Publications and reports and completed projects can also be ordered from the same web address.

Contacting CMHC CMHC is Canada's most comprehensive source of information on housing, whether you're a home owner, a potential buyer, a renovator, or a builder, or if you have special housing needs. To order publications, call 1-800-668-CMHC or (416)282-2950.

Mais oui! Of course everything is available both in English and French, including the web site.

Hal Levin email: hlevin@cruzio.com 2548 Empire Grade, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Tel. 408 425 3946 Fax 408 426 6522

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Dave Brook offers up a paper

From: DBrook@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 1997 4:32 PM

I haven't seen the paper referred to in the previous message on this topic. I suspect that a large number of problems are caused by not following the instructions that are already developed. I'm sure FEMA has very specific guidelines for drying out buildings but whether they're followed remains to be seen.

AFter the Mississippi floods US DOE put out a nice publication "Rebuilding Your Flooded Home: Guidelines for Incorporating Energy Efficiency" (1994) that's availabe from their energy hotline: 1-800-363-3732 and possibly could be ordered at their web site. It has a basic section on drying the house out with the standard encouragement about insulating but no awareness of blower doors and advanced house and duct air sealing.

In hopes of providing people with info when they can use it (i.e. immediately after the flood) rather than weeks later, I've written a LONG flood clean up press release incorporating the basic info on drying the house out with my spin on energy that I'd be happy to email to anyone brave enough to ask for it. And any comments/corrections/suggestions offered will be incorporated into future editions, since I suspect this isn't the last flood we'll be seeing.

Dave Brook