Indoor Air Polution

Clearing The Air

Indoor air pollution, mould and asthma are a serious issues in many homes!

When it comes to assessing your family’s indoor air environment there are 5 categories of concern to consider! South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs is not concerned with residential indoor air quality! As a result, we need to learn what indoor air quality is from America’s Environmental Protection Agency. They have identified 5 danger levels of indoor pollution. Indoor air pollution is a major human health issue worldwide under normal conditions. However, poor indoor air quality and mould cause asthma attacks that are worsened when you and your family spend most of your time indoors.

Homes with windows and doors closed lack adequate ventilation. In addition, the lack of airbricks increased insulation and better-sealing windows and doors make new homes much more energy-efficient than older houses. As a result, in new homes, it is even more difficult to get fresh clean air into the home.

19/04/201928/08/2024

Mould and Sleep Loss

Health Risks of Mould in the Home: Sleep Loss

Do you suffer from sleep loss?

Did you know that one way to identify a mould problem in your home is by watching your water bill? Leaks and damp surfaces are primed for mould growth, especially in areas that are prone to collection surfaces and warmth—think your bathrooms, kitchen and basement.

In addition to leaky pipes, many people don’t realize that mould can form in other disguised areas of your home such as on your mattress. Whether you sleep in a damp room, spill a glass of water that is absorbed into your mattress, or sweat a lot at night, your mattress may be primed for mould growth. Mattresses can include soft, porous materials such as cotton covers or foam comfort layers, any of which can absorb moisture both inside and outside of your mattress.

So, while you may know to check your pipes or understand that your basement, kitchen, and bathrooms are often culprits of leaks and potential areas of mould growth, keep in mind that places such as your bedroom may hide a serious mould problem.

Here are five ways indoor mould causes sleep loss

Sleep Loss

Mould impacts the air quality in your house by releasing glucans which can cause an inflammatory response to your respiratory system. In turn, it affects your ability to breathe effectively by prompting your body to go into a fix-it mode such as an increase in mucus production which builds up and makes it difficult to breathe.

Sleep Apnea

It is estimated that nearly a billion people worldwide are affected by sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a dangerous and potentially deadly problem wherein a person momentarily stops breathing. The result is gasping or snoring as the person’s brain tries to readjust breathing. Sleep apnea and sleep loss are caused by the blockage or narrowing of the airways that is often the result of congestion associated with mould.

22/11/201830/01/2025

Stormwater

Homes without Gutters and Downpipes

Stormwater management in the form of gutters and downpipes or perimeter paving is essential. This protects every home’s foundation and structure.

If you are like many homeowners, you have probably wondered why some houses have no gutters and downpipes to protect against stormwater damage. You may have wished your home had none because of the cleaning and maintenance issues.

Gutters and downpipes are not required by law on a sloping roof. Many modern homes have none, even in instances where they would benefit from having them. There are alternatives that architects sometimes prefer such as concrete paving around the perimeter of your house.

To decide whether rainwater gutters and downpipes are necessary for your home, it is best to see what the building regulations require.

The Building Regulations do not require roof gutters and downpipes if another suitable means of drainage has been provided. This is to remove or disperse rainwater from the roof away from your home.

However, the Building Regulations do require that any stormwater that flows from your roof or any area near your home must not cause damage to the interior of the building, its structure or its structural elements. The regulations require steps to ensure that stormwater does not accumulate. This is to avoid “undue inconvenience” to you as the occupant of your home.

Furthermore, the system used must:

not undercut the foundations by erosion or flooding
drain stormwater away from your home
not allow stormwater to accumulate against or close to the external walls
make provision for the drainage of any areas on the property where water pools
be capable of being easily maintained and cleaned

02/09/201828/08/2024

Leaks at Window Sills

Moisture Intrusion at Window Sills

During many property inspections, I keep coming across moisture problems associated with water leaking into window sills and at windows.

Moisture absorbed into brickwork and plasterwork causes them to expand slightly. When the brickwork and plasterwork dry they contract slightly. The water absorbed by the bricks and plasterwork usually causes a slight vertical crack at the edges of the internal sills. The paint then starts to bubble along the vertical crack. This crack may continue around the length of the window sill before you notice it. What started as a small vertical crack then became a horizontal crack along the bottom of the window sill on the interior face of the wall.

The cracks are usually not significant unless allowed to continue unabated.

Rising Damp

Sometimes the moisture intrusion at sills is mistaken for rising damp! Water leaking in at the window sill may bypass the damp proof course (DPC) built in under the sill as a water-resistant barrier. The moisture may then appear as bubbling paint or crazing cracking of plasterwork, or both, below the window, extending down to floor level.

On external face-brick walls, this may appear as efflorescence (a white powder).

Internally, this may appear as bubbling paint above the skirting or discolouration of the skirting itself.

Tag: damp