Sick Building Solutions News
June, 2010
Miss BC Contest
Sick Building Solutions recently sponsored a contest in the Miss BC contest: Miss Christy Hammill. You can read more about it here: Christy Hammill
Summer has arrived
And with it comes storms and rain. This isn't normally an indoor air quality issue, but one common problem that we see here at SBS is leakage in the older clay drainage pipes that eavestroughs drain into.
How does this affect indoor air quality? Many of the older homes with this type of drainage system do not have sufficient waterproofing on the outside of the basement walls. With underground leakage of the drain pipe, water can easily make it through the wall and into your home. That water can lead to the growth of mould on materials used in the construction of the basement (especially if it's finished).
What's the solution? Actually, it's quite simple: make sure that the eavestrough drain pipe does not go into the ground pipe. Instead, divert the pipe so that it flows out away from the house using a simple elbow and a pipe piece long enough to get the water away from the house itself.
Preventative measures are far better than having to deal with a problem down the line. However, if you've already got water in the house, mould may be growing behind the wallboard. As we often tell our clients - deal with the moisture problem first and the cleanup afterwards. In the case of leakage due to underground eavestrough drains, removing the drain part from the ground is the ideal solution.