For those who have been waiting for some official information from Florida, The Florida Department of Health maintains a page with current information about investigations into the Chinese Drywall issue. It contains info about how to determine if your home fits their investigation criteria as well as links to various other State of Florida articles concerning this issue. According to the site, they are expecting to update it often.
Florida Information
Title: Earth Day 2009
Location: Lowry Park, Tampa Bay
Link out: Click here
Description: Tampa’s biggest Earth Day celebration, Earth Day Tampa Bay, promises to be bigger and better than ever when it takes over Lowry Park’s Band Shell area on Sunday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The family-friendly festival will feature exhibitors offering products, information and demonstrations on ways to help you create a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2009-04-19
End Time: 16:00
Title: ECO.LUTION Festival
Location: Tampa, FL
Link out: Click here
Description: ECO.festival ‘09 will be held on April 25th,
hosted by the Urban Charrette with title
sponsors Mise en Place and the Tampa Bay
History Center. ECO.festival ’09 will include
outdoor displays from locally owned
businesses, green product manufacturers,
live music, visionary speakers, family-
friendly educational activities along with
local food, beer and wine. For Vendor &
Sponsor opportunities email
ecolutiontampa@gmail.com or visit
ecolutiontampa.com.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2009-04-25
End Time: 17:00
Markings on some Chinese drywall
Although this topic is a bit out of context for the Green and Easy Home, I’ve mentioned it before and it does appear to have an impact on indoor air quality. In following information about this issue I’m struck with a couple of observations:
- There is very little hard scientific evidence available on just what is going on
- Most of what you read on the internet is just a repeat of previous articles repackaged
- There is an awful lot of speculation and sensationalism going on over this topic
People are looking for quick answers especially if they have or suspect they have Chinese drywall installed in their home. The bottom line at this point is that there are no quick answers. Testing methods have dubious results since long term studies just haven’t been conducted yet or are not complete.
Right now, it still seems that the best methods for determining the presence of this material are listed below. These methods have shortfalls as noted:
- Visually confirming by seeing certain words printed on the back. It is possible that any given home may have drywall from several sources. This makes it difficult to find. There could be one sheet of Chinese drywall in the home, or their could be one sheet of U.S. drywall there. Random sampling may miss the few sheets located in the home.
- The sulfur or “rotten egg” smell. There are many different items in the home that can cause a similar smell such as a water heater left unused for some time. Sources of smells can be difficult to determine as perceptions can be different to different people.
- Corrosion of copper components in the house such as electrical connections or Air conditioning coils. For years, as a home
Black condition of coils on A/C unit
inspector, I have been noting a condition which we refer to as “black copper”. Electrical wiring is generally affected by this and appears either with a shiny black sheen or in some cases a powdery substance. This condition pre-existed any importing of Chinese drywall. Before jumping to conclusions, make sure you are sure you’ve explored all possibilities.
Unfortunately, this appears to be a large problem which is not going to go away and the scope will probably continue to grow. Beware of those looking to get rich quick through someone elses misfortune. If you want to know about your home, hire a professional who is knowledgeable and can provide accurate and unbiased information about the issue.
When I started this blog, my intention was to provide information about various ways and products to improve the sustainability, energy efficiency and or healthiness of your home. As an ASHI home inspector for the past 10 years, I have seen countless “improvements” or “upgrades…some with the best of intentions, and some, well let’s just say misdirected! Sometimes the results are good but sometimes things go horribly bad.
As part of the economic stimulus plan, the federal government is offering tax credits for a wide range of energy-efficient products, from windows and doors to solar water heaters. This can be a great program helping people to improve their homes. However, these increases in efficiency if not planned with the “whole house” in mind, could lead to some serious “unintended consequences”. As we start to increase the efficiency of homes, building science comes more and more into play as we must take into consideration what negative effects may be brought on.
One of the most common improvements is to upgrade or replace the heating and air conditioning system. This used to be a relatively straight forward job. You just replaced the existing system with an equivalent system. These days, with the very high efficiency systems and different options available like variable speed fans, there really needs to be new calculations done to determine exactly what size is needed. If other energy improvements have been made to the house such as additional insulation or high efficiency windows and doors, it’s even more important.
For example: Say that the existing system in a home was installed in the mid “90’s and is perhaps a 3 ton system and the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) rating might be 10. Now with a little encouragement from the government and a desire to decrease energy bills, the home is upgraded to a new 14 or 15 SEER system with perhaps a variable speed fan. If it is replaced with a similar sized 3 ton system, the home could develop humidity and mold related issues as it may be oversized. When all these factors are not taken into consideration, you end up with at best a poorly performing system but at worst what a colleage calls “a science project” in your home. Excessive humidity, mold, poor indoor air quality and increased rather than decreased energy consumption could result.
This is just one example dealing with heating and air conditioning, but there are often “unintended consequences” from any high efficiency upgrade. Just remember that changing one system in the home often affects another. Does this mean that you should shy away from improvements for fear of related problems? Of course not, but keep in mind these things:
- Do your homework on the improvement you are planning. Is it the best for your money? Are there known downsides?
- Hire a reputable contractor who is knowledgeable about and willing to discuss the interactions of the systems in the home.
- Never accept the explanation “that’s the way we always do it”. The times they are a changin!
The St Petersburg times just ran a quite comprehensive breakdown on what energy efficiency projects around the home may qualify for some of the tax credits provided by the Economic Stimulus package. I expect that since we are in the early days of this program, there may be limited products to qualify, however, as time goes on expect the qualifying products to multiply. Here is a link to the article. Extra Credit Projects
Here’s a good repost about Radiant Barriers from Gary N. Smith, the Green Building Inspector in Central Mississippi!
Before the days of gun powder and lead the mighty shield was used for protection from unwanted elements
during battle.
In our struggle to save energy consider using one of the most protective and cost effective “shields” developed. The Radiant Barrier.
It’s a foil backed product that’s placed in the attic of your home, foil side down, to help protect you from the sun’s radiating heat that drives your energy use up and the size of your pocket book down. A radiant barrier:
- is placed foil side down in your attic (opposite of the way you think a shield should face!)
- will lower the cost of your cooling dollars by 40%
- will not effect your roof warranty (when installed as roof sheathing)
- can be installed directly onto your attic insulation
- lowers the negative effects of high heat on stored articles in your attic
- can be installed by you, the homeowner, with little or no experience (however, always take special care when working in the attic)
Coupled with caulking and sealing your home’s air leaks the radiant barrier has immediate payback.
For more information on energy savings and home inspections call Gary Smith toll free at 877.809.6139 or visit him on the web: http://www.garynsmith.net
From Eco Green Fire
Many people feel that having a fireplace in the home is a necessity. Even here in Florida, there are many existing homes that have them and in new construction homes it is a popular option. Certainly not needed in some parts of the country, a fireplace speaks to some inner need or childhood memory. I have to admit that there are often times when we say how nice it would be to have a fire going there in the corner of the room. If we put our emotions aside and think practically, it’s easy to see a number of downsides to the traditional fireplace. For one, it’s an energy hole. Most of the air that it heats gets sucked out of the chimney. Another downside is that whatever you burn in that fireplace contributes to air pollution and it destroys trees. If the tree harvesting is done in a sustainable responsible way, there’s not much problem but generally it is unmanaged. The faint smell of a single fireplace on a cold morning may be quite pleasant, but think about what it would be like if all the homes were burning wood or coal!
If you have an existing fireplace in your home, think about what you really want to do with it. If you never use it, consider hiring a qualified contractor or Chimney Sweep to properly seal it off to reduce energy loss.
If you must keep the fireplace for the ambiance and plan to use it only occasionally, then burning some wood or fossil fuel, while not being very green probably is probably the best choice. Keep in mind thought that some states have restrictions on fireplace usage, so check to see what is allowed in your area. If you’re going to burn wood, here are some tips from the www.GreenLivingIdeas.com site:
- Buy local wood harvested by the owner of a woodlot who has an investment in the sustainable management of his acreage.
- Only burn dry hardwoods. Wood energy is a function of the dry (cured) weight of the wood. Dense, heavy species such as oak, hickory, or eucalyptus give more heat for a given piece of wood, and burning these is thus a more efficient use of a tree than burning lightweight woods like pine and fir. Burning green, uncured wood produces a lot of polluting smoke and is also inefficient, since much of the heat is used to drive off the water (if you can even get the stuff to light).
- Replace your old wood stove. Use a properly sized, installed, and maintained appliance with an EPA rating. In the 1980’s, the EPA began limiting the sale of new stoves to clean-burning designs. They produce 90% less air pollution and are at least 30% more efficient than the old stoves, but there are still many old smoke-spouters around. Don’t get an old, illegal stove—it may be cheap, but it’s not a bargain for the environment or for your safety.
- Never burn garbage, chemically treated wood, or plywood, as it sends poisons into the air.
- Insulate and weather-seal your house. Don’t waste those BTUs!
If you’re building a new fireplace or plan to use your existing one quite a bit, there are many options out there. Consider Biofuel options such as:
If you’re planning to use artificial logs, make sure that they are made from recycled wood waste from lumber milling. Look for manufactured logs that contain no paraffin, a petroleum product that emits toxins into the air when burned.
As with all things, it’s important to do your homework whether keeping an existing fireplace or adding one. Consider the climate you’re in, the location, whether you want heat or ambiance, and how often you use it when making your decision.
Title: 4th Annual Smart Sustainable Tampa Bay
Location: St Pete Carillon Park Hilton
Link out: Click here
Description: Get the latest on the green revolution that\’s sweeping the world of business and government from the green design and sustainability experts who are leading the way.
Join key business and government leaders as we learn how to apply these cutting edge principles to helping the Tampa Bay region and our own organizations build a more sustainable and profitable future.
Start Date: 2009-04-02
End Date: 2009-04-03
Title: BAYPO
Location: St Petersburg, FL
Description: Bay Area Young Professionals Organization is “Going Green”
Please join us for a Green Festival!
March 25, 2009 from 6:00 - 8:00pm
Featured Charitable Organization: www.AmericanForests.org
Networking, giveaways and games
Enjoy organic wines, hors d’ oeuvres and great information on
conservation, recycling and “Going Green”
Hosted by Synovous Bank
12450 Roosevelt Boulevard North , St. Petersburg, FL 33716
The favor of a reply is requested by March 23rd
by contacting: BAYPO.info@gmail.com
Donations for our featured charitable organization
are welcomed and encouraged. ****BAYPO is looking for green vendors to participate FREE vendor space for charitable donation*****
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2009-03-25
End Time: 20:00
