----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom C" Subject: Re: OT - GFM - Really Bad News
> It would *seem* that if the assessment showed a health risk, even one of > allergens, that there *might* be a regulation that requires the owner to > pay > for both the assessment and the cleanup. Right you are. We have very strict regulations in this regard, and generally, the authorities don't cut landlords much slack if they attempt to obfuscate things. It's kind of funny about mold though. It wasn't a problem until people decided they wanted low odour paints and everyone jumped on the latex paint bandwagon. This necessitated the use of polyethelyne vapour barriers behind the drywall to keep moisure out of the insulation, since gypsum is hygroscopic. So, what happens now is you get a moisture layer behind the paint in the wallboard, and eventually, mold is guaranteed to happen. I haven't seen a house yet that is mold free. If you really want a mold free environment, use alkyd paint, and several coats of it, after stripping all the walls back to the framework and reboarding. If you want high insulation value, pay the extra that it costs and get the structure sprayfoamed. This completely eliminates vapur leaks through the walls, and will turn a 2x4 construction wall from a nominal R12 to close to R20, or a 2x6 wall from R20 to about R36 IIRC. Also, a layer of foam insulation on the outside of the sheathing before the siding is installed will add at least another R4 (or more depending on the thickness of the foam), and will give a thermal break at the studs, which are only R4 for 2x4 spruce, R6 for 2x6 spruce. William Robb -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
