Working with Mother Nature to safeguard your family's health
THE PROBLEM
A contractor asked for help with moisture problems in a home they had just weatherized.
There were eight occupants and a dog living in the 828 square foot house.
Water was running down the walls and windows. A newborn baby was sick with respiratory issues.
CASE STUDY: Uninformed Homeowners
THE FIX
Our suggestion was to supply heat from the furnace to the basement so the homeowner wouldn’t disconnect the dryer again.
Our work scope included air sealing the open top of the concrete block foundation walls, air seal, then insulate the top of the basement perimeter walls, and air seal the chimney chase going through the center of the house.
WHAT WE DISCOVERED
We found that the dryer exhaust was vented into the basement.
The contractor had vented the dryer to the exterior, but the homeowner was using the basement as a play area for the children and had disconnected the dryer vent to help heat the basement for the children.
And, we designed a bathroom exhaust fan system and control system to help remove the moisture within the small home.
We had the contractor install a transfer grill from the bathroom to the main body of the home so the entire home would get ventilated.
We also instructed the contractor on how to do a “Worst Case Depressurization test on the gas furnace to diagnose if a back drafting flue gas issue wasn’t created.
RESULTS
In a follow up three months later, the family reported that the baby's physician found his respiratory system to be clear.