healthetank

@healthetank@lemmy.ca

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Insulation scandal: ‘I have to scrape mould off the walls every two weeks'⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Civil engineer with a number of courses in building science (aka this).

  Can’t tell for sure without seeing what kind of insulation it is, but there are a few factors.

  First, as other people have mentioned, having temperature gradients cause moisture issues. Typically, in modern construction in cold weather climates like Canada, we install a single waterproof layer. Cold weather, this goes inside of the insulation (between the insulation and the drywall), and in hot weather places, it’ll be installed outside the insulation. ::: Explanation why The reason (simplified) for this basically boils down to hot air holds more water. As the air cools, it drops off the extra water it can no longer carry on nearby surfaces. You want to make sure hot air stays hot, and cold air stays cold. If you allow air that is hot to cool down, it will create moisture. ::: My understanding of the houses this is being done in, there is no vapour barrier, meaning damp+ moisture can accumulate.

  Second, new houses in NA have a “minimum air exchange”, which is a specific amount of air that needs to move through the house within a given time frame, typically air changes per hour (ACH rating). This is usually accomplished by means of a central heating/ductwork units, and bedrooms are generally somewhere around 4-8, meaning all the air in the bedroom should be refreshed 4 to 8 times per hour. My understanding of many of these houses is that there is not central air system. Before the insulation, it is likely that small gaps or holes in the walls/exterior siding were sufficient to allow enough air to move through, however that air slows down when there is insulation sprayed into the cavities. Any slowdown will exacerbate moisture problems, as still air is bad. More air exchanges also would allow the house to dry out more, as evaporation would help.

  Those are the general situations that would likely be a problem.

  In this case, from reading the article, it seems like she has a hole in her roof, which is either new or was not caught by the installers. ANY source of water ingress would cause mold problems. The issue here is that previously, it is likely that the water trickled down the inside of the cladding (likely brick), and out at the base of the wall. Once you add insulation to that cavity, it’ll hold water and cause mold problems. Seems like a shitty spot to be in.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨ah, conservation⁩ ⁨⁨7⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  People who go hunting don’t go by “off the top of their head”.

  Now I can’t speak to the laws in California for hunting, but in Canada they have pretty crazy strict laws regarding illegal hunting, including seizure of anything used in the act (trucks, atvs, guns, boats, etc), removal of gun license, and huge fines.

  A quick google search shows the method they’ve used, and have been using for the last decade as an attempt to stop the spread: Barred owls are much more aggressive, and playing their calls can lure them in to fight, in a way the spotted owls don’t, so you don’t need to just go based on visual differences. Here’s one article about the removal process up to now with an interview of a biologist who’s pro-hunting.

  Relocation of the barred owls isn’t feasible, because no matter where you send them, there’s probably already owls there, and relocation often results in the animal dying off anyway.

  What’s the alternative? Watch as the spotted owls are out-competed and go extinct due to human development and habitat destruction? To me, that seems worse. We already hunt to maintain populations of animals in other species - deer spring to mind. Since we’ve eliminated many of the deer’s predators, we need to maintain that role, which includes setting hunting targets each year. Why are these owls different?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Hertz 180: Rental giant to sell 20,000 EVs and replace them with gas-powered vehicles⁩ ⁨⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  EVs make a difference for anyone in an area with low density. I live in the country relatively close to population centres, but it’s impossible for me to ever imagine transit being even near me.

  We will literally always have a need for small, individual vehicles of some kind for most the population. If we could reduce that to one car, then supplement with transit, where available, or carpooling? Then also make that car an EV instead of ICE? That’s a huge emissions reduction