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GBlist: Re: Insulation/ attic- crawlspace



Hi John-
   I thank you very much for responding to my post.  My husband and I
spent Sunday afternoon- learning from your book-"The Healthy House', and
certainly it answers a lot of questions for us.  I do however want to
respond to your note to me, as well as go into a bit more detail on why I
asked the question in the first place.

You wrote:
Insulation is only a problem if it migrates from where it is located
>(inside building cavities such as walls and attics, and crawl spaces) 
>to
>where people are located (the living space). There are a variety of 
>ways
>that such migration takes place.
>
>A low-tox insulation (such as AirKrete) can be quite costly, so I
>usually recommend preventing the insulation from getting into the 
>living
>space. The thinking is this: if the insulation stays out of the living
>space, you aren't exposed, so it can't affect you.

This is one of the things that concerns me.  I had started noticing a
problem when  it started getting hot and humid here.  The air coming
through the ducts (central air- electric)- smelled like a cardboard/ wet
paper/ sheetrock, type of smell.  At first I thought somehow this "toxic"
odor was coming  from the garage- because with the garage doors closed,
that is how it smells out there.  It is an attached garage, Anything like
cardboard boxes, or extra clutter has been removed and stored in a shed. 
There was a fairly new sheetrock wall ( I know)  put up in there in the
spring to divide the laundry room and air handler room form the rest of
the garage.  There is a door from the garage to the house where that
laundry room is.  No work has been done in that room- due to my
sensitivities, except for my husband covering over the sheetrock wall
with stainless steel- to help rid the area of some of that odor.  The
door to the house seems well sealed-  we worked on that.  At first we
thought this smell was coming from the garage-  but that was just too
obvious.  We have by the way, a stucco ranch, on a slab.

We had a popcorn ceiling in the house that had been scraped off
professionally, for other reasons, that I don't want to bother you with. 
So the ceilings in the house to the touch have a powdery residue, then
just the sheetrock.  Since I can't paint and live here, that situation
remains.  I am still trying to figure out alternatives to "sealing in" or
protecting myself from that ceiling.  We vacuumed the ceiling again,  and
my symptoms were better.  So, many area of concern here.  I'm trying to
say,  I don't know if  I am really protected from the attic space, due to
the ceiling situation for one,  and I wanted to give you a better picture
of the situation.


In new construction, you can build a very tight house (don't forget
>mechanical ventilation), and the insulation, no matter what kind it 
>is,
>can't get into the living space. I've done this several times with
>sensitive people with great success, even using insulation that would 
>be
>bothersome if a sensitive person is exposed directly.
>
>In existing houses, you are limited as to how tight you can make a 
>house
>simply because you can't get to all the leakage points. Yes, you can
>often tighten a great deal, but you just can't get an existing house 
>as
>tight as one you are building from scratch and tightening as you put 
>it
>together.


We covered around ceiling fans with foil tape,  and any openings we could
detect in any way.   The air handler in the garage seems really tight,
and the ductwork is all new metal, that was scrubbed clean of residue,
that was done well, and wrapped at the seams with the foil tape.  The is
no insulation in the system - it's on the outside.  I might not be
explaining this well, hope it makes sense.

>My suggestion in your situation is this: use a fan to blow air from 
>the
>outdoors into the living space to pressurize the house. That way, air
>will enter the living space via the fan, then it will leak out through
>the structure, through building cavities, and toward the outdoors. 
>Thus
>there will be no air (or pollutants) traveling from the
>insulation-filled cavities into the living space, the air will be 
>moving
>in the opposite direction. Please be advised that I would not make 
>this
>same recommendation in a cold climate. You said you lived in a warm,
>moist climate. Pressurization in a cold climate can lead to hidden
>moisture problems. For more information see my book Understanding
>Ventilation.


Thank you so much.  We did read that and more.  We have gotten other
advise as well about that fact that an "air-exchanger' would benefit me. 
You listed in your book 'Heat Recovery Ventilator"-  I'm not sure if they
are the same thing, but if I am understanding this correctly, they are
the same principle.

Since we live in a warm moist climate, we need an air exchange that will
filter the air and dehumidify it before bringing it into the house.  It
would also have to be set up to have a manual on/off switch  because at
times the air is not desirable to bring in-  for example-  pesticides, or
any chemical odors,   My understanding is that these units exist,  one
type that is a separate unit that can be installed in any room, and the
other type that can be installed in relation to working in conjunction
with the air handler.

I really need info on these air exchangers. I don't know anything more on
them except one was mentioned to me called a 'Sahara"? .  No one seems to
know anything more.  Is there a web site for locating, getting info on
them and investigating them, or some places i could call?   I'd really
like to get going on this aspect at least-  so I can hopefully start
feeling better, and get some better quality air in here.

In your book I saw the names of companies for the 'Heat Recovery
Ventilator', but I don't know if I'm really dealing with the same thing
as just an air exchanger. 
 
>Having said all that, in the majority of cases, sensitive people are
>bothered by materials that are actually within the living space. 
>Things
>such as carpet, cabinets, wall paneling, furnishings, cleaning 
>products,
>etc., are more often the problem than someting going on in a building
>cavity.

Well, by now you know the ceiling is a problem.- It didn't "seem" to be
such an immediate problem until it got hot and humid, and the air coming
through the system got that smell.  Could be I suppose, that I'm just
recirculation this "bad air, and " with a ceiling like this It still
doesn't change the fact that we feel the air exchange is necessary for
me.  

 I just want to mention,  that a 'Pure Air' whole house filtration system
was installed to the air handler- and all did seem well until the heat
and humidity came.  Whatever is happening it over rides the filtration
system of the house.  I'm sure I am being very inaccurate explaining this
situation, but I'm doing the best I can with this.  I also believe
strongly that this positive' negative air flow is a very important factor
as well.  
My husband and I are very appreciate of being "steered in the right
direction" that can be provided for me, so I can feel better, and
hopefully have some recovery. I'm supposing also that I need to hire an
engineer about measuring this  positive/negative air flow.  I've taken up
too much of your time already,  but  certainly wanted to respond, 
hopefully with more accuracy,, and give you a better picture of the
situation, and why I asked the question in the first place.  Any steering
me in the right direction is much appreciate, I'm sure you know.

Thanks Again,   Beth  
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