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Thread: Is Your Home Making You Sick?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    Manawatu - NZ
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    Default Is Your Home Making You Sick?

    I found a really intereting article in a 'Home' magazine here today whilst in the waiting room at the solicitors. I hope they don't mind the fact that I ripped the page out so that I could relay some of it you you guys.

    The following kind of puts paid to all that 'tough Kiwi - get use to it' attitude.

    Is your home making you sick?

    Too many New Zealand homes are damp and cold, leading to colds, flu and perhaps worst of all, aggrivated asthma. Mildew and dampness occur in nearly half our homes, and we have colder houses than many other countries. We have one of the highest rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in the world.

    A recent study undertaken by the Housing and Health research programme, involving people with respiratory problems in over 1400 homes, showed significant benefits for both adults and children whose homes were insulated half way through the study versus those that were not. The same study also reported drier, warmer homes, improved energy efficiency, health, well-being and less visible mould.

    A healthy home is dry:

    Even in cold parts of the country New Zealand has a humid climate, so managing the moisture content within the home is important. This starts with keeping the damp out and reducing the amount of moisture we create around the home. You'll notice improvement, with fewer musty smells and feelings of dampness. Here's how to keep damp out and create a drier environment.

    Check for leaks from guttering, plumbing etc and repair them.

    Plant away from the walls of the house to allow air movement and to use the sun's free heat.

    Make sure air can circulate freely under the house.

    Ensure adequate drainage around your home.

    FACT. Dry air is easier and cheaper to heat !!

    Short showers with ventilation are better than a long soak in the bath.

    If building a new home, consider installing double glazing.

    Make sure no moisture is venting into the ceiling.

    Air the house at least once a week.

    Put lids on cooking pots.

    Dry your clothes outside.

    FACT. A healthy home is warm !!

    Every type of heating has a cost, so it is important to choose heating that is both healthy and efficient. For greater savings, choose heaters with smart electronic timers and thermostats. For the healthiest heating, avoid heaters that give off large amounts of moisture.

    FACT. Mildew and dampness occurs in almost half of all New Zealand homes.

    FACT. the average temperature inside many New Zealand houses is well below that recommended by the World Heath Organistaion.

    FACT. Up to 15% of the population is allergic to moulds, spores and their toxic by-products that grown in most New Zealand households. The allergies manifest in asthma, headaches, eczema and sneezing fits.

    .....................and so it goes on .......................

    If I stay in this country until the day I die I'll NEVER get my head around the housing. Thankfully the people who sold us our house had a modicum of sense and insulated it throughout, installed warm air heating and it's properly ventilated. I wouldn't have looked twice if that hadn't been the case.

    All this 'Clean Green New Zealand' twaddle kinds of flies out of the single glazed, metal framed, ill fitting window when it comes to energy efficiency in the home.

    There are so many wonderful things about this country, but sadly their housing isn't one of them. It's just plain stupid !!!!!

    Diny

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Auckland to UK
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    1,120

    Talking

    Diny, thanks for sharing

    I saw some quotes that say something like this .............

    Dust is a natural, protective covering for all furniture.

    You either make dust or eat dust.

    There's no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the dirt doesn't get any worse!


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    Default

    This is really intersting. I was under the impression that a big problem we had in teh UK was that our homes were TOO warm and dry, and that this was contributing to the high incidence of colds/ ashma and other health problems - especially in children.

    The theory was that double glazing, central heating, and wall to wall carpeting was causing an reduction in air moisture and quality.

    I wonder if that was wrong - or if theres a "middle ground" we ar supposed to aim for?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    Default

    I think you have a good point there. A middle ground - somewhere between roasting and freezing - with plenty of fresh air in between.

    Regardless of the health factors - you can stick these NZ houses where the sun don't shine. They have to be at the top of my 'things I hate about NZ' list.

    Diny

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    Inland Canterbury, NZ
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    Default

    Just a bit of advice that we got from a Brit here who learned from experience - the wood in the floors and frames of old villa's etc may have a high level of moisture in them, and that may have been constant for a long time. When us Brits go and put in our central heating systems and warm up the houses considerably, this dries out the wood and it shrinks and can cause wooden floors to crack, doors to stick and other probs... take advice first.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
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    UK
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    Default

    Good advice moorf that does seem logical, do they have timber and damp blokes over there?

    Funny last night I was on the phone to an ozzy friend who passed on a link to another thread elsewhere (in oz) where they are all desperate for double glazing to keep the heat out!!!

    I wish i had a lottery win or something to get out there with and buy up some big factory to make upvc windows to help everyone out.

    What about a dehumidifier? We used one in a house we had and it made such a great difference. The water it collected was great for watering plants.

    From all that in Dinys article it really looks like when you get a house out there, its a problem as to which bit you start with first. Drains, walls, windows?

    Our son has asthma here and I was hoping it would be better over there. Makes you wonder where they get their facts from. Quote "We have one of the highest rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in the world". I hope they are wrong.

  7. #7
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    Sep 2004
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    north of Wellington
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    It never ceases to amaze me how many times I have to empty my dehumidifier.

    Oh for a proper, insulated, centrally heated, double glazed home.......

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
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    Bay of Islands (ex Essex)
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    This is a fascinating subject as at the moment we are looking at house designs with regard to heat and dampness.

    The tatty rental we are in is, on the whole, not damp. It is of weatherboard construction on a brick plinth and apart from the roof space probably has no insulation. The main room and two upstairs bedrooms have a ceiling height of 2.6m (8'6"), the kitchen and master bedroom are octagonal and have a height of possibly 3.5m (11ft?). What is so great about the house is that the rooms benefit from generous north-facing window area, so the sun does a great job of warming up the house.

    It can get chilly in the mornings, but not for long. On a grey day the air is warmer anyhow - well, it is here in the north of the north island.

    It is not all good - there are two small downstairs bedrooms facing west/south with normal ceiling heights. These do smell a bit musty and have very little sunlight.

    I will be fascinated to see how hot it does get in here during summer - there are generous overhanging eaves which I wonder could protect from the summer sun as it does the rain.

    Position, design and ventilation seems to be the key with this house.

  9. #9
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    The house we've bought has had EVERYTHING done to it, it's insulated, ventilated, main living areas are north facing, had new windows, new roof, warm air pumps, new super efficient wood burner, etc etc etc....... in fact it's perfect for us. Like I mentioned above, we wouldn't have taken a second glance if it wasn't totally up to OUR spec.

    My eldest son suffers from Asthma and it's been MUCH worse since we arrived, at times his breathing possitvely rattles. Thankfully our days in this darn rental are now VERY few !!!!!!!!

    If you don't know what to look for and what questions to ask when you're looking for a house there's alot of things that can cause potential problems. Aswell as any LIM reports etc you may want to get when buying, my advice is to employ the services of a builder to go over the place with a fine tooth comb, somebody with local knowledge who knows exactly what to look for. This is what we did - and seeing as he was a friend of my brother in law it only cost us the price of a slab of beer. Money very well spent.

    Remember ... fore warned is fore armed.

    Diny

    p.s. When all is said and done ....... I still think this country is stupidly backward where houses are concerned.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    Behind the Redwood Curtain of California
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    I do agree that a relatively dry interior environment is important in controlling respiratory ailments. I love my central heat and openable windows. But I still have to bleach a couple of poorly ventillated spots now and again to keep the mildew under control.

    Do be aware that many modern home materials (e.g. paints, carpets, upholstery) contain substances that offgas and can cause respiratory problems, too. While with my last employer, we moved into a new office space with fresh paint and carpets. Within a couple of days I had a sore throat & raspy breathing, and soon had a horrible case of bronchitis. This lasted about 6 weeks, until we got the HVAC working & venting properly, and the nasty chemicals were mostly offgassed. Several years later, I dropped in to say hello, went into a new addition, and began getting the same reaction. Now I seem to be more sensitive to this stuff, which hampers the "tough girl" image of myself. Just can't inhale the space age polymers like I used to.

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