Posts in category: Building Science

• A not-so-good situation is when warm, humid air comes in contact with cold surfaces inside of a building. Condensation can occur, resulting in water droplets forming on the surface, just like when water droplets form on a cold beverage while sitting outside on a humid summer day. This can occur on concrete walls/floors, air conditioning ductwork or water piping. This situation can occur during a warm, humid day if basement windows are open. Humidity can build up in a basement even when the windows are closed which is why it is important to keep a dehumidifier running throughout the summer months. It can also happen if air conditioning vents are not properly insulated. Many combinations of this process happen in homes and buildings. This can lead to mold or wood rot and is a condition you should try to avoid whenever possible.
• So when is Condensation good? New high-efficiency boilers and water heaters take advantage of the fact that heat is released when condensation occurs. So this new equipment is designed to capture the heat released from condensation inside a heating unit or water heater. This “second step” results in substantially higher efficiency in these types of systems.

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Infrared cameras can “see” temperatures of objects immediately and at somewhat of a distance. So, an inspector can walk into a room and immediately see if the HVAC system is putting out warm or cool air (depending on the season). An infrared camera can also help identify water leaks, hot water temperatures, and a slew of other things, like being able to see the location and functionality of radiant heat pipes in floors, missing attic or wall insulation, and a lot of other items. They can even speed up inspections.

The bad news is, they are expensive. A good quality camera for use in a home inspection can range from $5,000-$15,000. In addition, inspectors also need to be trained to interpret the camera results properly.

Infrared cameras are not required by New York State, and a good inspector can still do a good inspection without using an infrared camera. However, these are good tools and may pick up a problem that otherwise could not have been detected. For that reason, Safe Harbor Inspections Inc. has elected to provide all 10 of our inspectors with infrared cameras.

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https://safeharborinspections.com/blog/

The “stack effect” is a term used in building science which means the whole structure acts like a chimney, simply because warm air rises.  So, in the winter, cold air comes in from the lowest parts of the structure and exits the building at the highest point.  If you open a window in the basement during the winter, you feel the cold air rushing into the building.  If you go to the attic you will find the air leaving the attic through attic vents.

Again, air gets pulled in from the lower part of the structure and pushed out at the upper part of the structure.  Now, take this into consideration knowing that air intrusion in the winter causes the largest loss of energy efficiency.  Air movement coming in, and then out, is the “low hanging fruit” on the energy efficiency tree.  Look at it this way, you can have all the insulation in the world in the walls and ceilings of the structure, but if the windows are open, and there is air movement, the insulation doesn’t do much!

So the moral of the story is make sure you have good windows in the basement and seal any openings to block air movement.  Take a close look for openings in the basement walls and at the top of the foundation where the concrete meets the wood part of the structure.  Apply caulking or other sealant where appropriate.  Taking these simple steps could save you a lot of energy dollars over time.

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When we do our inspections on Long Island in the winter, the temperatures typically hover between 20° and 40° which means that water is continually freezing and then thawing.  So if something is wet, and then there is a freeze, the water turns to ice and expands with substantial force and can stretch or break whatever the material is.  As an example, water gets into the substrate of your driveway and a puddle forms.  And then there is a deep freeze which creates expansion breaks up the asphalt and creates potholes.

The freeze thaw cycle also can cause problems with foundations.  Let’s say there is a heavy rain and water has collected in the soil next to the foundation.  We get a deep freeze and again, the water turns to ice and expands and puts pressure on the foundation wall.  If the foundation is made of poured concrete it probably won’t have any impact, but once in a while, we do see foundation cracks from soil expansion.

If the foundation is made of masonry blocks, serious problems can happen with the foundation, including long horizontal cracks which can be very problematic.  A long horizontal crack indicates that the foundation is “bulging” inwards.  As time goes on, the bulging increases to the point where expensive repairs may be required.  This is one of the reasons that proper roof drainage is so important.  Make sure you don’t have water draining towards the foundation.  It must drain away from the foundation.

We hope this information about the “freeze-thaw cycle is interesting and beneficial for you.  As usual, we hope you stay safe and healthy! Be careful out there!

For more related information click on this link: https://safeharborinspections.com/