Indoor air quality / Discussions

...Air.

I have developed a strong chemical sensitivity and need to be careful about toxins in introduce to my home. I'd like to get a new couch but after a lot of effort to clean my home i don't want to add any new chemicals. Where can I find non toxic or organically made furniture that is safe for someone with chemical sensit...

I have a small crawl space, about 10' x 6' that is mostly gravel, and then an L-shape extends another 3' x 4' under some steps and is a thick concrete slab. I have a radon mitigation tube through the concrete slab (about 2' from the exposed earth) and weaves it's way to the roof (fan in attic). 3 of the crawl space wal...

...air's use of a heat pump. Their heat pump will draw a lot more heat from the stale exhaust air versus the standard ERV using passive conductive plates/fabric. The Pentacare V12 home ventilation system by Minotair is a very promising looking product for home efficiency. As you likely realize, its quite different than ty...

Hi there, sorry I wasn't able to find a proper device / section in this forum but looks like I have some issues with the wooden floor in my bedroom. Looks like it's mold. Please help with some suggestions  For mold to form, it needs moisture. To deal with a mold issue you first need to find and fix the problem, which i...

I have a odor in my apartment Radon gas is dangerous to human health but odorless, so the only way to know if you have high radon in your home is to get a radon test kit. Learn all about high radon in homes and how to remove radon from homes here. You could also check this article for how to check if your home is in a ...

...indoor air quality while finishing wood inside homes with a varnish, I would highly recommend water-based zero VOC varnish. But people with MCS (multiple Chemical Sensitivity) can as you know I'm sure, have different tolerances and also different reactions to the same products so there is not a one-size-fits-all soluti...

I live in Montreal. Do you have any recommendations for which one to buy and where ? For choosing the best brand of ERV for your climate and finding where to buy one, start by looking here in the Ecohome Green Building Product Directory and search by location, but most of the major brands of home ventilation equipment ...

...air and vapor barriers Do radiant barriers work and are they worth it? But I'll leave a brief explanation here anyway - all heated or cooled buildings should be as airtight as possible so you can control the air quality with your ventilation system. And all buildings should have some control layer to manage water vapor...

...air to outside. what should I do? and can the closed cell option work with just the poly or is it not worth it.  Thank you !

I finished a basement for a contractor and what we did was put tar paper on the concrete walls the left about 3/4 to an inch of air space than a 2x4 wall I think 16 on centre and used pink fibreglass insulation with vapour barrier break under the bottom plate and over the insulation on the interior warm side and then d...

I am interested in passive/net zero home (prefab/modular).   You can see all of our LEED and Passive House ready kit houses on this page here, and yes, they are available in the Eastern US seaboard, how soon are you building? There has been a lot of demand and our manufacturers are booked up until at least next summer....

...air tight...and that we could do this ourselves.  As we have never done this before, is there any way your group can you help us to decide best practices?  We are of course willing to provide pictures and if necessary, receive a visit from a mitigation professional who has experience in these unique cases.  Thanks. Ins...

How about hurricane, flooding and heat resistant kit homes?  You can see our prefab modular kit houses available across Canada and the US here There has been a lot of demand for houses and we are currently talking to prefab manufacturing companies across the US to increase distribution, When are you building? We are al...

...airtight. The less air leakage the better, and yes, you should have an HRV to remove moisture and provide fresh air. I would say you are best to start by familiarizing yourself with the idea of mechanical ventilation, you can do that starting here on this page – Does a house need an HRV / ERV air exchanger? It is true ...

...indoor air in your home whether you are building a new home or renovating, is about material selection and finding natural building materials. Is this an existing house? Are you renovating or just looking to improve the air quality without much work?  It is a lot about material selection – first with materials in the b...

We have a late 1960s brick bungalow in SW Ontario. A few years ago we insulated with blown in insulation, which has worked well. On the coldest winter days however a small amount of condensation forms on the lower edges of most windows (reasonably decent North Star replacement windows). We have a very old air condition...

...Air Exchangers, some had no problem and some were refused. I think the best bet for anyone that wants to try Installing ductless HRV ERV ventilation systems to check with their munipality first to make sure it will pass.