There are many reasons that new construction can be done with wet lumber:

* Use of green wood
* Inclement weather during construction or delivery of materials
* High humidity
* Working more quickly than wood can dry

Unfortunately, the use of green or damp lumber in new construction can lead to mold problems before a house is even complete.  You can have a sick building before you have a building at all!

How dry is dry enough?

The USDA recommends wood used in construction be between 15% and 19% moisture.  Eventually, the moisture content of wood used in construction will level out relative to the climate of the area where the structure is built, which could be a very low 6% or as much as 12% in damper climates.  Problems crop up, however, because of shrinkage of the wood after construction is complete.

What kind of problems arise from using wood with a high moisture level?

Using lumber for framing that is too wet leads to all sorts of problems including:

* Air leakage around doors and windows, increasing the cost and inefficiency of heating and air conditioning systems
* Squeaky floors, doors and windows
* Weak ceilings and roof deformation
* Doors and windows that won’t close or won’t open properly

Unfortunately, none of these problems can be corrected later, so it is important to take care of them during construction.

There are also health issues associated with the use of wet lumber in construction.  Anything that is damp can be a haven for mold growth, and new construction is not immune.  Even if your home has never had a leak, you can have mold growing in the framing that you cannot see, but only suffer from symptoms which include: headaches, allergic reactions, asthma attacks, infection and even death.

The best way to prevent all of these problems is to dry out the framing before enclosure and the best way to do that is with the ThermaPureHeat process.  ThermaPureHeat reduces the level of moisture in timber framing 6-12%, allowing it to reach a moisture level balanced with the climate, and allowing the structure stabilize before enclosure.  ThermaPureHeat prepares framing for the process of becoming a safe and healthy home.

Alliance Environmental Group offers ThermaPureHeat for construction drying, as well as mold remediation, pest control, termite treatment and odor reduction, all of which we will be discussing on the blog.  If you are in California and are building a new house, make sure the wood used in your framing is dry and balanced with your climate.  Take a look at the wood and make sure it isn’t moldy.  If the wood is wet, green or has mold issues, contact Alliance for a high heat treatment with ThermaPureHeat to be sure that your structure will be stable and healthy before you get too far into the construction process!

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  We welcome your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!

ThermaPureHeat for Mold

Mold is everywhere.  You can’t escape it entirely.  Especially in the rainy season in Southern California where our corporate offices are, we get a lot of mold issues since it’s damp and then it’s warm.  But everyone has had a little mildew in the bathroom or damp areas in the basement, for example.

Consistent and regular housekeeping can keep mold at bay, thank goodness, but sometimes mold can get out of control:

* In an unoccupied structure, like a foreclosed home
* After a water leak, especially one that was not discovered right away
* After a flood or other natural disaster

A friend of mine recently found out that her neighbor’s pipes had been leaking into the space behind the drywall in her bedroom closet for months.  Months!  The evidence didn’t turn up until the ceiling fell in and ruined everything in the closet, but, of course, that wasn’t the worst of it.  The walls were all full of mold and they needed to move out of their condo for weeks while it was cleaned and restored—a huge problem!  I’m sure Penny is glad that is finally over!

How does ThermaPureHeat work for mold?

To kill mold, ThermaPureHeat raises the temperature of the damaged area to at least 150° for at least 2 hours.  The entire treatment takes longer than that, since the area needs to be prepared, plastic items removed and it takes some time for the entire space to reach that temperature.  Alliance Environmental Group’s highly trained teams test temperatures throughout the area to make sure they reach the appropriate level for the type of mold that is present and ensure that it is all dead.

ThermaPureHeat kills mold where you can see it and where you can’t, which is very important.  The mold you can see is like the tip of an iceberg—there is always more in cracks, crevices and under surfaces that is not easy to see on a visual inspection.  The highly heated air of ThermaPureHeat reaches every inch of a structure, including behind the drywall, under the wallpaper and under the floorboards.  You could never clean there with chemicals—the mold would remain to perhaps damage your health.

ThermaPureHeat also takes care of many of the ways mold gets into your home or other building, as well as the things that often travel with it:

* Eliminates bacteria that also often grows in damp areas along with the mold
* Kills any insects that may be carrying mold from place to place in a building
* Dries out the area where mold has grown, wiping out one of the things mold needs to grow—water.
* Reduces any lingering odors from mold growth

Alliance Environmental Group is proud to offer ThermaPureHeat treatment all over California for Mold and other environmental challenges you might have in your home or commercial building.  Our professional crews are available to quickly respond to any mold problem you have and eliminate it in one treatment of high temperature air.  Contact us if you find yourself in need of mold treatment before it affects your health, the quality of your indoor air or the value of your property.

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  We welcome your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!

You can still help us make this the best Dinner With Friends EVER!

Join us at the event! Tickets can be purchased HERE!
Let us know you’re coming on the event’s Facebook Page!

If you cannot be there in person, you can still donate HERE! You can also donate items to our Silent Auction! We are looking for:

• Vacation and travel – vacation homes, resort/hotel stays, golf or spa packages, airline tickets, cruise tickets, winery/brewery private tours, etc.
• Sports and recreation – golf or tennis packages or equipment, tickets to Chargers or Padres games, fitness club memberships, personal trainer sessions, etc.
• Entertainment – Museum or theme park memberships or tickets, movie tickets, restaurant gift certificates, kids birthday party packages, etc.
• Retail – donations and gift certificates from local and major retailers; electronics such as iPads, laptops, digital cameras; bottles of wine to be used in the “wine bottle grab;” etc.
• Services – maid service, teeth whitening, chiropractor services, accounting/tax services, etc.

Contact Matt Teeter at matt.j.teeter (at) gmail (dot) com if you have any items you would like to donate or any other goods or services that could help with the event!

Come on!  What are you waiting for?

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  She welcomes your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!

This bed bug infestation was found in an apartment and treated with high heat to kill bed bugs at all stages of their development: eggs, nymphs and adults.  Watch them freak out!

The high temperatures dry out the bed bugs until they are dead, dead, dead.  And they don’t come back because the eggs are dead, too. 

If you have a problem with bed bugs in California, please don’t panic!  Let the bugs to do that!  Contact Alliance Environmental Group and we will send one of our highly trained professional teams to your location to eradicate bed bugs with one treatment, which leaves no chemical residue behind!

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  She welcomes your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!

Did you know…

The White House wasn’t always white!  It is built from gray sandstone and was not painted white until the building was reconstructed after being set on fire by the British in 1814.  The first paint used on The White House was made of rice glue, casein and LEAD.  Aha!  Here is a picture of The White House after the fire.  Although it does not show any damage, the interior of the building was destroyed and the exterior badly charred.  The White House was reconstructed enough to be lived in by 1817 when President James Monroe and his family moved back in, but even then it was not completed.

Lead was often used in the 18th and 19th centuries on roofs and eaves, but was found to be unusable for The White House because of the climate of Washington, DC.  The extreme temperature changes and summer heat would make the roofs crack and leak and lead could even slide down the roof.

LEAD also makes an appearance in stories about The White House plumbing, but although widely believed, it was a hoax.  Then Vice President Millard Fillmore was reported to have seen a mahogany and sheet lead tub in Ohio and ordered one for The White House when he succeeded Zachary Taylor.  The hoax was perpetrated by journalist H.L. Mencken, who said that he had created the story to distract people from the horrors of World War I. The story was later known as “The Mencken Hoax.” But, of course, the piece was reprinted even after the author confessed to making it up.  The hoax was even referenced seriously by the Washington Post in 2001!

Do you remember this dog?  This is Millie, the family dog of President George H.W. Bush.  A lovely English Springer Spaniel born in 1985, she was the “Second Dog” while Mr. Bush was Vice President, but was promoted when he was elected President in 1988.  Unfortunately, she died in 1992 of lead poisoning from lead dust released in White House renovations.  Remember, environmental hazards affect pets as well as humans!

I have one more and then you can get back to your long weekend.  The White House heating and air conditioning system was renovated in 1986 as the last phase of a 10-year project begun in 1977.  Asbestos which had not been exposed until the renovations was removed while the Reagans were on vacation in California.  It had been removed from the Executive Office Building the previous year.

Today’s White House is safe from asbestos and lead contamination, thank goodness!  If your house was built before 1978 or you are doing renovations and find asbestos containing materials during the process, you may need lead paint removal or asbestos abatement services.  If you are in California, contact Alliance Environmental Group for a consultation. We have highly trained crews ready to tackle your worst environmental challenges!

And Happy Presidents’ Day to all!

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  She welcomes your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!