Excessive Wet Weather Can Lead to Mold

Posted September 26, 2011 By Lucas Hamilton and has 3 comments.

Lucas Hamilton

The historic rain that the United States has endured in 2011 has increased moisture levels in places where moisture has never been a problem. I have heard from many people around the country who have never had water in their homes but have recently sustained water damage and are now concerned about potential mold.

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, mold needs four things to grow:  moisture (liquid water), food (typically starch or sugar), temperature between 41° and 104° and oxygen.  When water is trapped behind walls or paneling, the other elements will most likely be present and the potential for mold growth will exist. Try to clean and dry areas subjected to water within 48 hours to help prevent mold growth. After cleaning and drying, continue to be sensitive to musty odors in the affected area.

Check the exterior of homes and building regularly for accumulating ground water.  Many parts of the country have far exceeded saturation and mold can begin for form outside and find its way inside. If water is accumulating against your foundation, take measures to drain the water away from your building. Keeping things dry is the key to preventing mold growth.

There are many products available today to help protect the home or building from moisture infiltration and mold growth.  There are coating products that can be applied to dry materials to mitigate any mold growth potentials for that surface in the future. If materials are wet and can’t be cleaned or completely dried, remove them from the building and replace them with new materials which may be more mold resistant. Fiber glass doesn’t have the food needed for mold growth but often when insulation gets wet, the water which intruded into the cavity was dirty and brought food along with it. If you have wet insulation, replace it with new fiber glass.  If replacing drywall, consider selecting a board that that contains mold and moisture inhibitors.

Many people have sensitivities to mold and it can be a health concern.  Make sure that you take extra care to check for mold especially if this is the first time you are dealing with water inside your home or building. Use a mixture of common sense and caution- if it smells or looks bad assume that it is bad and take appropriate measures.

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed

A Fistful of Pencils – Measuring Solar Radiation on a Building

Posted September 16, 2011 By Lucas Hamilton and has no comments yet.

Lucas Hamilton

Earlier this week during a webinar I conducted on working with solar radiation, I gave an example to help people visual how the energy of solar radiation strikes a building or object. 

In physics and mathematics we would picture this energy as a vector component. I know that is not clear to a majority of non-science or non-mathematics practitioners so I often use an example with a fistful of pencils to help people visualize exactly what this means.  This is a fun little exercise but is not meant to be a scientific determination of the impact of solar radiation on a surface. This is simply a way to visualize the invisible.

Imagine the sunlight or energy coming across space and beating down on the surface of the roof at a normal angle which is a mathematical term for a 90-degree or right angle. To understand the impact of the solar radiation on that roof, take a piece of paper and draw a 1-inch square. Take a fistful of pencils (as many as will fit comfortably in your hand) making sure all the tips are even and bring your fist straight down on the paper striking it within the square.  Then count the number of strikes within that box and if you imagine each one of those strikes as being a unit of energy it gives you some idea of the impact of solar radiation on your roof.

If you want to imagine how that same sunlight is striking your wall, picture the angle that your wall is from that sun – usually about a 45-degree angle give or take.  Take the pencils in your hand and while sliding them to keep them flat to the paper turn your hand to a  45-degree angle and strike them into a 1-inch square box, you can see the number of strikes and what that impact would be significantly less. So if you again imagine that the pencil points are units of energy, you can see that only a fraction of the energy hits your wall compared to the roof.

This can be done with any angle and it gives you a very general idea of the solar energy impact on a surface.  While this does not give you scientific data to help you determine where your peak power would occur, it is one method that can be used to help visualize the best angle for solar panels on a roof. 

There are some online tools that can help calculate the intensity of the solar radiation based on geographic location. One example of such a tool can be found at: http://www.kahl.net/solarch/.

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed Corporation

About Lucas Hamilton

Lucas Hamilton is Manager, Building Science Applications for CertainTeed

Categories:
 Building Science, solar

PVC Trim Enhancements Make Installation Easier

Posted September 8, 2011 By Patti Pellock and has no comments yet.

Cellular Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) trim has changed the way we view decorative trim on the outside of a building.  The ability to enhance the look in a low maintenance, paintable product has enabled building professionals and homeowners to elevate the appearance and value of their building.

Beadboard continues to provide a great alternative to wood and new profiles make it faster and easier to install and create more design possibilities for homeowners seeking show-stopping curb appeal without having to worry about future maintenance. Some of these enhancements improve the tongue and groove and fastener applications to provide a more seamless look to porch ceilings, skirting and deck surrounds.

When working with wood trim there is a great deal more work that takes place, in terms of finishing and installation, especially without the tongue and groove design. 

Beadboard’s TightLap™  progressive notched shiplap edge design provides for a larger concealed nailing area and allows two adjacent panels to seamlessly overlap, providing better hold.  The reversible bead/channel repeat creates a smooth transition between panels.

Homeowners are utilizing outdoor living spaces more today than ever before and this trend will continue as people choose to stay in their current homes longer – even into retirement.

About Patti Pellock

Patti Pellock is Senior Marketing Manager for CertainTeed Fence, Railing and Deck and Restoration Millwork Trim Products

Categories:
 RM Trim

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