Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? Maybe a family member? Do you have bad reactions to mold spores? Lots of people suffer so much and spend so much money on medications and continue to suffer. Way too often the home they live in can be contributing to the suffering. Home problems come in various degrees of severity but these kinds of problems are preventable in the first place and fixable when they have occurred. Expensive homes can be sick too. In fact, I am going to tell you a grizzly, scary story about a very expensive dream home.
A few months ago, I was called to consult on how a very expensive home might be contributing to the illness of the wife. We aren’t going to use any names here to protect privacy but the details are shocking and true.
This house was intended as their dream home. It was less than 5 years old. The house was so big it had 2 HVAC units- each operating in opposite ends of the house. A nightmare of a sick home gradually unfolded over this time period. The realization that the house was causing illness became increasingly apparent.
The wife had a sensitive respiratory system with a low tolerance to allergens and dust and particles. She visitied clinics and doctors and specialists here in Texas and all over the country. She tried a variety of medications, which were debilitating in their affects, and less than satisfying in their results.
A clear pattern began to develop. She did much better away from the house than in the house. When away for a while, she began to feel just great, more energy and vitality; but in her home, she would relapse into shortness of breath, itchy watery eyes, and asthma attacks. The stress and discomfort accumulated until she actually had to use oxygen at night so she could get some rest. Can you imagine needing oxygen to get any kind of restful sleep at all? The thought is just plain nerve racking.
By the time I was called in, this family was ready to sell their dream home. I was physically shaken by the wife’s harrowing story. She told me this story sitting on her bed quietly crying. She was devastated and despondent. I reassured her that something could be done.
I knew what the problem was and I knew the chain of events which had caused it. The builder had concentrated his investment on pretty things that look great and impact buyers. He scrimped on the HVAC system. Out of sight, out of mind. Who pays attention to the HVAC system when building their dream house? Unfortunately this idea is too true. That is why I am telling you this story. That is why we are doing our best to make people aware that cheap HVAC systems are not cheap to live with and can impact your health.
So I need to describe what happened with the HVAC system. The HVAC system was low bid and the specifications were bare minimum.
Each end of this big house had its own HVAC unit and each AC system had a single undersized return. HVAC systems blow out conditioned air into the house and the return ducts are what circulate the room air back through the system. Careful examination revealed that the undersized returns in the attic were leaking. Undersized returns mean that the HVAC system starves for air. The system strains for return air.
Have you ever tried to take a breath through a straw?
Well the straining blower system is actually creating a negative pressure gradient in the duct which is sucking in dust and particles through the duct leaks and dumping these back into the living space.
The house had a standard filtering system that traps the big stuff but the dust and spores and pollen and irritants were going right through the system and right into the house, right up the nose, right into the eyes…
The house was tightly constructed with one exception. Tight doors, even the light switch covers were sealed. Unfortunately the ceiling lighting fixtures were recessed. This generation of “can” lights are hot and must be allowed cooling space. This means you cannot seal against them which means you have leakage paths for hot air rising. These multiple avenues allowed heat and moisture and VOCs to enter the attic.
Does everybody know what VOCs are? Volatile Organic Compounds have generated bad news for several years. There is an ever widening effort to control them and keep them out of carpets and new furniture, out of paints and sealers and plywood. Hot attics help drive VOCs from plywood. VOCs are a hazard for people with respiratory problems. They are just plain unhealthy to breathe in. Now VOCs escaping into the attic is better than them hovering in the living space, but here they were being sucked back into the living space by the leaky and undersized return air ducts.
Well sealed houses recirculating air from the attic space is a common characteristic of home built in the building boom of since 1995. Tighter housing cuts down on the availability of fresh air through exterior doors and windows, and with light fixtures and bathroom venting and poorly sealed ducts in combination, air infiltrates into the living space from the attic. Can you imagine? It is a horrifying image. Have you been in the attic recently? Do you really want your home refreshed with attic air? There are other serious problems associated with air leaks into and out of attics. Warm air leaking into a cool attic space can cause moisture problems and mold. We will save that subject until later.
Let look at what we were able to do to rehabilitate this sick house.
We added extra return air ducts in both ends of the house to greatly improve the air circulation within the house. We sealed every accessible leaky duct. We installed a high efficiency electronic air cleaner on each of the HVAC units. We installed a whole house HEPA system. We also added a damper to bring outside fresh air into the system as needed.
These changes made a very quick difference around the house. Within a week, the wife was off oxygen and resting well. Itching eyes quit itching. She was able to catch her breath and relax and enjoy her home.
They were actually quite eloquent with the praise for yours truly. I did enjoy the attention. This is my most rewarding experience with helping turn around a sick house. This story is exceptional. But people all over North Texas suffer from combinations of HVAC equipment shortcomings and their personal tolerance level for respiratory irritants.
Too many times, people battle with illness and try to treat the symptoms of a sick house with half measures and personal medications. It really makes sense to know what you are up against in your personal home. Imagine how many people are out there impaired by afflictions that are preventable, but they don’t understand what is happening or what are the chief sources of their problems. They are debilitated, it affects their energy levels, it impacts their ability to motivate themselves, hinders getting work done.
We will be revisiting the issue of indoor air pollution, sick houses and poor HVAC system design. Please add your comments or questions below. Feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors. The better we all understand these fundamental issues, the sooner we can just say no to building practices that are cheap to build but not cheap to live with and instead, increase the potential for human suffering and illness.
OK, I am going to start relaxing a little now. This subject gets me riled up. Please ask any questions or add any comments. Do you have your own personal story to tell? Fine, let us know. Leave a comment, send an email, or call. We want to hear from you.
- Richard Howard Comfort Specialist
