Mould is one of the greatest problems encountered in thermo-modernisation of buildings. Housing communities receive hundreds of notifications about mould appearing on walls every year. Inhabitants expect that mould shall be removed. Is this the administrator’s fault? How to handle the problem of mould that is extremely dangerous to your health?
From one extreme to the other: tight windows. For many years draughty windows have made apartments overly chill. Nearly everyone is looking for tight windows hoping to make their homes warmer and economise on heating. The effect is temporary and the consequences to health and to the building itself are surprisingly negative. Gravity ventilation functions in nearly all apartments, which means that aside from ventilation grills carrying ‘used air’ out an apartment also needs air inflow. Until recently this function was performed by draughtiness in windows and doors required by the Building Code and appropriate construction standards.
Replacing old windows with new, tight ones results in problems with fresh air. The humidity resulting from normal life processes (washing, cooking, laundering) must be channelled somewhere. Tight windows make proper outflow of humid air impossible. The first sign of this phenomenon is water mist on panes. After that excess humidity condenses in walls resulting in mould development. Air becomes of poor quality in premises with tight windows.
Oknoplan suggests that our customers use automatic air ventilators to avoid such risk.
Tight windows guarantee high heating savings in the first stage of use. However, the long-term consequences are rather miserable. Air exchange in buildings and its role as the only way of channelling out water vapour and other compounds such as: carbon dioxide, solvents, formaldehyde, saprophytes – is highly underestimated.
The amount of water vapour generated inside living quarters is presented by the compilation below:
- pot plants – 7 to 15 g/h,
- bathing – 1000 to 1100 g/h,
- showering – 1500 to 2000 g/h,
- cooking one meal – 1000 to 2000 g/h,
- a dishwasher – around 200 g/one round,
- laundering – 200 to 350 g/one round,
- drying laundry – around 2000 g/h,
- inhabitants sleeping – around 50 g/h,
- lighter duties – around 90 g/h,
- heavier duties – around 340 g/h.