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Health and SafetyYou have a choice when it comes to a healthy environment!Indoor air quality can be affected by many things. A few examples: From the inside: smoking, combustion appliances, carpet, household chemicals, VOCs, fireplace, dust, and mold. From the outside: car exhaust, pollen, insects or other pests. Moisture is probably the largest contributor of property damage and respiratory problems in American homes. It can also be deceiving. Where some people think they may have a roof leak can actually be condensation build-up caused by air leakage and poorly insulated homes. High moisture in homes encourages the growth of insects like dust mites and cockroaches. Moisture can also be a breeding ground for mildew and mold. The by product of dust mites is one of the most powerful allergens known, a major cause of allergies and asthma. Mold and mildew feed on wet organic materials like wood. Spores from the mold and mildew also cause allergies and other respiratory problems. |
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How we can help: Air Sealing- Air movement carries water vapor in and out of a building. The difference in temperature and pressure are what creates this movement. Cracks and openings in the building shell are the pathway for this moisture. Pests and other pollutants also take advantage of this admission. When we seal these points of entry, we minimize the access for moisture and whatever else might come with it. It is also crucial to locate and seal where there are penetrations into the attic area. These can consist of the chimney, plumbing stacks, wiring, and recessed lighting to name a few. If you have ever noticed large icicles hanging from your eves or ice damming on the roof, air leakage and poor insulation are to blame. Attics should always be sealed BEFORE adding more insulation. The rim joist is also a very important area to seal and insulate. This is where most pests like insects, spiders and mice can get in a house. It is also part of the cause with the “stack effect”. Which, with the attic by-passes, create a flow from basement to attic heat and cooling loss. |
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Insulation- Keeping a consistent thermal barrier around your home is very important to maintain a healthy environment. Every wall cavity around the exterior walls should be full of insulation and the attic should be up to code (at least 15”of cellulose or equivalent). When re-insulating the wall cavities, RetroFoam injected foam insulation serves as the best solution. Its “shaving crème” like properties allow it to navigate around existing insulation, if present, and flow through and around other obstacles like wiring and plumbing creating a full cavity fill. Once cured, RetroFoam takes on a semi-rigid plastic foam appearance but not rock hard like spray foam. A lot of time older homes have voids in the insulation or it has settled, and in many cases it is missing completely. This leads to weak points in the thermal barrier that can eventually turn into weak points in the structure because the moisture will be funneled to the path of least resistance. Even the homes that you think are full of fiberglass in the walls and are sufficient enough should consider this: fiberglass, even when new, is not an effective air barrier. The glues that bind it together degrade over time thus losing its original effective R-value. This degradation over time adds up and greatly reduces the effectiveness all together. So, just because you know your walls at one time had fiberglass batting installed and you think “it should be fine”, THINK AGAIN! Ventilation is extremely important, especially if you have a tight house. We test to make sure you have sufficient building airflow. If you don’t, we can properly recommend the steps needed to accomplish this like continuous low-flow bath or kitchen fans with variable speeds. |
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