Q is for Quality of Internal Air

In this instalment of A-Z of Atlantis Damp Proofing & Timber Specialists Ltd, Q is for Quality of Internal Air.

As part of our business we deal with solving condensation problems. Most of us spend a lot of our time indoors and the toxic mould associated with condensation can affect the quality of the internal air in your home. But don’t worry, we have a solution to help you solve the problem.

Why focus on Quality of Internal Air?

When we think of air quality, we immediately turn to external air pollution caused by smog and fumes from cars and manufacturing. We all know about the potential health issues associated with these pollutants.

Have you ever thought about the pollutants in your home effecting the air quality?

The dangers from indoor air pollution can also be harmful. Indoor pollution can be caused by cooking residue, paints, varnishes and fungal spores. Also, wood burning stoves, open fires and cleaning products that we all use on a daily basis

There is evidence to suggest that long term air pollution can be extremely harmful to health. Therefore, improving the quality of internal air in your home is so important. Left unchecked, poor quality of internal air can lead to breathing issues, allergies, asthma and chronic pulmonary disease. We have had numerous reports from our customers of almost immediate improvement in air quality once out PIV system is fitted.

Additionally, health benefits aside, improving your indoor air quality can also help get rid of stale smells and provide a generally more pleasant living environment.

How is air quality linked to condensation and mould?

One of the signs of poor ventilation is the appearance of condensation in your home. This moisture and dampness can lead to mould growth. This mould is unsightly and damaging to the fabric of a building. Furthermore, it has also been found to aggravate breathing and skin conditions, such as asthma and eczema. 

How can I improve the air quality in my home?

There are things you can do to improve the quality of internal air in your home.

Tip 1

You should avoid drying washing indoors, especially on the radiators. This can cause humidity levels to rise due to excess moisture, which is what causes condensation to form. If there is no other alternative and laundry has to be dried inside, it should be done in a well ventilated room. Also, remember to keep the door closed so the moisture can not ‘travel’ around the home as readily.

Tip 2

You should leave space between furniture and the wall. Condensation and mould love tight spots in your home where there is poor circulation of air. This is where the quality of internal air is low. It is best to leave a few centimetres between your furniture and walls to enable the air to circulate. Try to ensure that your wardrobes are placed against internal walls in the bedroom. These walls will be warmer than external walls, making mould less likely to form behind them.

Tip 3

Next you can test the quality of air in your home. You can do this by purchasing an air quality monitor. This will give you real-time alerts of air pollution levels in your home.‎ If you are concerned about indoor air quality, particularly if you have children, then it’s a good idea to contact us to arrange a ventilation survey.

Tip 4

You may decide that the best way to reduce pollutants in the home and improve air quality is to invest in an effective ventilation system. A whole house ventilation system, like Positive Input Ventilation (PIV), can be housed discretely in the loft or hallway and can improve the air quality across all the rooms in the house. By introducing fresh, filtered air into a home, humidity is lowered, and condensation and mould cannot form. It also dilutes the levels of air pollutants in the home.

What is a Whole House Ventilation System (PIV) system?

As you can see, we believe that ventilating your property is key to improving the quality of Internal air. One system we have mentioned in the whole house ventilation (PIV) system. In essence this system works by taking the positive pressure from your loft space and using that to force the moisture laden air out of the property before it gets a chance to condense. Positive Input Ventilation systems are ideal for curing your mould & condensation issues and air filtration. A single system is ducted to a central area which covers your whole property. Furthermore, there are both loft and wall mounted options to suit your house or apartments.

What is Breath Easy Week?

This summer, from 18-24^th June 2018, British Lung Foundation focuses on lung health and raising awareness of lung conditions. We like to do our bit to support charities and as such, we’ll donate 10% of our profit from every PIV installation we complete in June.

Although June may not be in the official ‘condensation season’, the signs you had last winter will return. Your condensation issue may even be worse this winter so we suggest you take advantage of this offer while you can. Get fresh, clean air to help your whole family breathe easier.

Want to know more?

What next? Contact us now to see how we can help you improve the quality of internal air in your home.

The post Q is for Quality of Internal Air appeared first on www.AtlantisDamp.co.uk.

source https://www.atlantisdamp.co.uk/blog/qualityofinternalair/

N is for Nitrates and Rising Damp

In this installment of A-Z of Atlantis Damp Proofing & Timber Specialists Ltd, N is for Nitrates and Rising Damp.

In the vast majority of cases we use our experience and moisture profiling techniques to determine whether the dampness in your home is, in fact, rising damp. It could be from another source entirely. It could be a leak, condensation or penetrating damp. However, if you so wish we can confirm our findings. We do this through what is known as destructive testing. With destructive testing, we can see if there are chlorides and nitrates in the wall sample. Nitrates and Rising Damp are inextricably linked.

Damp is a salty business,

A consequence of rising damp is that it brings with it up from the ground various salts, mainly chlorides and nitrates. These accumulate in higher concentrations at the surface of the damp section of an affected wall from where evaporation takes place. This links Nitrates and Rising Damp. The greatest concentration of these salts is towards the highest point that the moisture has risen. These salts are moisture attracting (hygroscopic). Even if the rising damp that originally introduced them has been prevented, the salts will remain. They have the ability to cause persistent damp patches and spoil decorations. Especially when the atmosphere is damp and humid.

Why focus on Nitrates?

We always focus on the presence of nitrates in our samples as chlorides can be present in tap water. We’re only interested in salts that have risen from the ground.

There are three conditions that must be present in your sample to identify that rising damp is present. They are:

1. As mentioned above, you must have a rising damp moisture profile. That is a profile (think pattern of moisture readings) that is wetter at the wall base but gradually decreases with height. The maximum height is usually up to 1.0-1.5m, but this can differ depending on factors such as the humidity levels in your home or the property’s water table.

2. Furthermore, you may wish that we prove that moisture is present at depth in the masonry and that it is not enough to take surface readings from the plaster work. We  have a radio frequency mode on our high tech moisture meters, which can detect moisture at depth. We are also equipped to carry out destructive testing at your request. This will involve deep wall probes or a calcium carbide (speedy) meter to confirm this on site.

3. You will then need to confirm that nitrates are present in the damp apex of your moisture profile. This will involve doing on site analysis or us sending a sample off to the labs. A positive test for nitrates confirms that the moisture has leached up from the soil.

Salts analysis can be a very useful method of determining if rising damp is the cause of dampness. Therefore, we can provide this service if you request it as it provides a crucial aid to correct diagnosis.  We also provide an off-site remote diagnostic service.  By simply removing a small sample of your plaster or wall covering and sending it to our external laboratory, who then carry out salts analysis on our behalf and advise you if any are present. 

Want to know more?

See our blog on Hygroscopic salts and then contact Jamie or Freya for an informal chat to see how we can help you.

The post N is for Nitrates and Rising Damp appeared first on www.AtlantisDamp.co.uk.

source https://www.atlantisdamp.co.uk/blog/n-nitrates-rising-damp/