Comments on: I…Can’t…Breathe…

By: Kris

Kris — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 15:54:39 +0000

Allison,
Allison, Quick question. What's the deal with the State of Georgia and its refusal to adopt 2012 or 2015 IECC? My understanding is that GA only adopted 2009 IECC because Federal/Taxpayer Funds were doled out to states that did so.

By: Avery Colter

Avery Colter — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 20:53:16 +0000

I am pretty much resigned by
I am pretty much resigned by now that our house will be an energy hog, and the one element of it I can't control is from all the air cleaners my wife needs. She doesn't yet use equipment, and I think my pay is too high, to qualify for lifeline rates. On the plus side, if I ever do manage to get PV installed, it will begin by knocking out a cartload of Tier 3 charges.

By: Al Tibbs

Al Tibbs — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 14:46:57 +0000

Thanks Allison. I am one of
Thanks Allison. I am one of those persons and I perform IAQ investigations daily. I can tell everyone that each person is different. Myself, I can have issues on days like Thanksgiving if I eat too much. I do agree, that many of the UV lights, etc. are not the answer. A good indoor environment is. That means promptly dealing with existing issues and trying to prevent them before they enter your home. Understand your triggers and your environment. Those two things are the root of the problem in majority of cases. I think accusing global warming may be a stretch at this point in time. Let's wait for further studies on that subject.

By: RJ

RJ — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 23:50:01 +0000

They weren't around hundreds
They weren't around hundreds of strangers every day.

By: Charles

Charles — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 21:26:09 +0000

I was rushed to the emergency
I was rushed to the emergency room when I stopped breathing when I was little – they connected it to bringing a smally chrysanthemum plant in a pot into the house – allergy induced asthma (yes it is a thing, actually one of the more common forms of asthma). I have an inhaler but fortunately I am knowledgeable enough now about cause/effect that I can avoid situations. But please don’t leave me stranded in the tall grasses…. But you raise in interesting point. When I was working in tech industry with many people that grew up in small villages on the other side of the world they said they were never sick, but their own children growing up in a nice home in California were sick all the time. They reasoned it was because the environment here was much cleaner and their children had not developed the natural resistance. Of course I know that I grew up in a very air “dirty” house that caused problems for half the people in my family. It does make you wonder about growing up in a super-air-clean house – will our children be less resistant to natural pathogens?

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 21:19:39 +0000

Your 5 points are spot on.
Your 5 points are spot on.

By: Arthur

Arthur — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 21:09:17 +0000

I will be able to recognize
I will be able to recognize the sound of an asthma attack for the rest of my life. Thank you for the powerful post.

By: Dale

Dale — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 19:27:42 +0000

Allison, doesn’t it make you
Allison, doesn’t it make you wonder about the IAQ of your childhood home?

If the general IAQ checks out as good, fragrances, localized triggers (pillows), stress, and foods are the next possible sources to investigate. The National Institute of Health also found a correlation between increased global CO2 levels and the increased incidence of asthma globally. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3196488/

While our focus as home performance professionals is on IAQ, lesser known asthma triggers are foods and food additives such as sulfites, bisulfites, dairy and gluten. All we can do is suggest they discuss possible triggers with their health care professional.

By: Curt

Curt — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 18:58:38 +0000

I wish there was some clarity
I wish there was some clarity in the world of IAQ / IEQ. We are a conservative HVAC company executing the basics:

1) Size it right
2) Get the air distribution right
3) Assist with reducing outdoor air infiltration
4) Emphasize humidity control
5) Incorporate a decent air filter – typical a cabinet at the airhandler that takes a 4-5 inch deep pleated filter; MERV11 or better.

Meanwhile an awful lot of competitor HVAC companies hawk UV lights, electrostatic preciptators. At best these are high margin add-ons of dubious value. At worst, they encourage / require user to operate system blower independent of compressor, which in the hot humid south is a humidity disaster – by re-evaporating condensate off the coil back into the airstream

I really wish the Allergy / Asthma medical practitioners were able to, essentially, “write a prescription” for individual patient’s indoor environment, and then we in the HVAC industry would work to cost-effectively supply what is really needed.

Meanwhile my wholesale suppliers endlessly darken my door with UV and other supposedly “buy or die” vital additions to HVAC systems.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 18:52:37 +0000

Whoa! I thought this was a “I
Whoa! I thought this was a “I fell down and I can’t get up!” Moment

Not to in any way trivialize an asthma attack, but I thought, “What an odd way to reach out for assistance.”

Allergies are the issue in this home 😟.