Askthefm’s Weblog

The newest vermin problem is an old one, bedbugs.  I am not even sure how old the saying “sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite” is.  If you manage apartment buildings, hotels or other multifamily buildings this is a problem you will have to soon deal with.

It has always been my understanding that we owe this country’s respite from these bugs to the use of DDT. According to the exterminators I have spoken to, bedbugs are hard to kill and only really diligent methods or really strong poison will do the trick.  Since DDT is no longer an option we are left with hard work and diligence and attention to detail.

From the Mayo Clinic website: (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedbugs/DS00663)

“Bedbugs will feed on any mammal, including cows and dogs. In North America, migratory birds and bats have been sources of infestation. More recently, as world travel has increased, bedbugs are finding their way into the home through luggage and clothing worn abroad. Another contributor to the resurgence of bedbugs in the West is changing pest-control practices. Sixty years ago the common use of DDT — which kills most insects — nearly eliminated bedbugs in the United States. Today the use of DDT is being phased out due to human toxicity concerns. Further, current extermination practices are more insect-specific — what’s toxic to a cockroach may not kill a bedbug.”

So how do we counter this problem?  Isolating the bed since bedbugs can’t fly is one way, but you have to be sure the bed is clean of the infestation first.  A good beginning primer is from the University of California’s, Davis site: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7454.html

Another site, which unfortunately is trying to sell you there solutions is polite enough and thorough enought that I am going to list it here: http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/bed-bugs.htm It lays out the steps that I have gotten from several extermination firms in striaght forward languages and steps ao that you can atleast not be taken advantage of by an outside firm if you don’t want to try and solve the problem your self.

Finally here is a video courtesy of National Geographic on bed bugs.  It is short and may gross out some folks, fair warning…..

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What with all of the attention being paid to all things “green” these days, one of the items I see most frequently mentioned are cleaning supplies.  I am not sure if this is because these chemicals have gotten such bad press in the past that they are trying real hard to seem safe and relevant.

Now if you put the words “green cleaning products” into your search engine of choice you will get back a great many sources for these items ranging from Simple Green (http://www.simplegreen.com/), which I recommend by the way, to articles on how to make your own cleaning supplies.

The main reason to even think about this for commercial buildings has to do with indoor air quality and minimizing the residents of a buildings exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes.  Previously the focus was on changing your chemicals out to supposedly safer alternatives.There is however some discussion about the value of making this change as is covered in this Live Science article: (http://www.livescience.com/environment/070806_green_cleaners.html).

The LEED certification guidelines coming out this month steers away from just substituting chemicals to get your credits but is emphasizing a complete approach to green cleaning.  On ENN.com (http://www.enn.com/business/article/37513) there is an article that covers this change. There is also another article on Cleanlink.com that go even more in depth on this issue: (http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article.asp?id=5609&keywords=green,%20leed).

The current thinking is that you should develop a complete janitorial program with environmentally sensitive cleaning agents, best practices to insure a clean building and energy efficient equipment. The main difference I have found is that with the “green” alternatives in chemicals you have to take a little more time and use a little more elbow grease.  Although “Seventh Generation” (http://www.seventhgeneration.com/) is working to make their products the equivalent in effectiveness .

Lastly as a general rule chemicals that are rated by Green Seal (http://www.greenseal.org/) qualify under the LEED and most other rating services guidelines and generally are of good quality and good value.

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I know that there has been a lot of coverage in the news and on various blogs including my own about all of the new and wiz bang new things you can get for your building to make it more energy efficient. However with all of this concentration on the newest and most high tech a lot of buildings aren’t taking care of the basics to save energy and money!

These basic items are truly low hanging fruit not only easy to do but with return on investment times calculated in months if not days in some cases.

First let’s talk about lighting, plain old fluorescent tubes.  It is estimated that and very large percentage of the total electric load of a commercial building is found in the lighting.  If you haven’t changed out those old T-12 light fixtures or at least modified them to use T-8 bulbs with electronic ballasts, do this first and do it now!  The cost to upgrade is around $100 a fixture which can be recovered in as little as 12 months.

Next on the lighting hit parade is parking lot lighting.  These fixtures tend to be big and expensive to run if you are in retail environment.  It is common for these fixtures to be left on all night and for them to be run by a simple time clock.  There are several suggestions I can offer here.

First is to add to the time clock circuit a photocell.  It works like this.  In the circuit the photo cell is inserted between the time clock and the activation relays.  This dynamically adjusts the on and off times of the system to the ever changing sunst and sunrise times.  Estimated cost $200, ROI 30days.

Also you should look at your lighting plan and see if there are lights that can safely be turned off at closing time.  A photometric analysis may be required for a good set of data to make this decision.  However the savings here could be pretty large as sometimes these light may be up to a 1000 watts each.  After you have determined if any can safely be turned off you will have to do some rewiring of the lighting array, perhaps adding another time clock and photocell. Estimated Cost $1000  ROI 3- 6 months.

Now with all the publicity I hope that you have changed out all of those incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents or even LED bulbs.  However if you haven’t get started!

Another often overlooked task that helps with the electric bill is air conditioning and heater maintenance. Changing filters and cleaning condenser fins can net as much a 20% efficiency boost for the system.  Also if it is in your capital budget look into changing out your oldest unit with a new higher SEER rated unit.

Lastly tonight I would suggest considering and old solution that hasn’t gotten much good press lately, window tinting.  At least in California you get no credit under Title 24, our energy efficiency code, but that doesn’t mean that if won’t do you some good.  Window tinting has several advantages including lessening heat load on your building by 1-2%, lengthening the life of the textiles in the office spaces and in earthquake prone areas providing some extra security against flying glass.

I hope that these suggestions help you and if you have any questions specifically about the calculations on the ROI or other related questions please drop me a line at the email address below!

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In my previous 2 posts on this subject I have laid out a fairly complete plan for dealing with this type of problem. There are a couple of areas where you could be tripped up in this process however.

The first is getting the areas tested by a reputable lab and the other is understanding the results and how that determines the overall scope of work.

Hiring a reputable lab is very important as it will determine the overall success of the remediation and have a direct influence on the total cost of the project. The method that I generally suggest is that you hire a firm with a certified Industrial Hygienist either as principal or on staff who will be developing and certifying the results and the scope of work for the remediation.

Here are three organizations who certify and list consultants in your area:

ABIH: http://www.abih.org/

ACGIH: http://www.acgih.org/home.htm

AIHA: http://www.aiha.org/Content

It is also helpful to ask for referrals from other facility professionals and always ask for references from the lab and make sure you call several of them. Ask about overall service, timeliness, and how comfortable they were with the explanations provided about why their particular scope of work was required. Also the testing lab should always be separate from the remediation contractor as they are the equivalent to the building inspector for this process and anything other than a separate firm would make me worry.

Lastly for today make sure that the report is explained to you and that you understand all that is being asked for in the scope of work, keep asking questions of the hygienist until you are completely clear.

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It has been brought to my attention by one of my readers that there is an other option for certified Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The program and website are Ecowise Certified and they can be found here:

http://www.ecowisecertified.org/

By their own admission they are a fairly new program and may not yet have a large number of certified providers. The programs look equivalent and should get you the same number of points under the green building certification program of your choice.

As always thank you for your time and interest. Please Digg or bookmark to other social networking sites if you find these posts valuable. If the button of choice isn’t found below or you favorite isn’t working for any reason please let me now as well as any other suggestions at: askthefm@gmail,com

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Formaldehyde has been in the news a lot lately especially in regards to the travel trailers used to house refugees from hurricane Katrina. In fact a great story was aired by NPR tonight and can be found here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90957184

The basic facts are that this chemical is in quite a few products that go into buildings and the off gassing issues with newly constructed or remodeled spaces are quite real. Many people who are sensitive to other allergens and chemicals are sensitive to formaldehyde.

Here are some links that will probably scare you, however realize that these are written regarding the employees and situations where this chemical is actually used to manufacture products using formaldehyde.

From OSHA: http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/formaldehyde-factsheet.pdf

From the National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/formaldehyde

From the US EPA: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html

The good news is that over this last 10 years the technology has improved so that less of this chemical is released into the surrounding environment and in California new regulations go into effect on January 1, 2009 that will further limit what is allowed as a step toward eliminating it as much as possible. The information on these rules can be found here: http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/compwood/compwood.htm

The main problems that still exist is that this chemical off-gasses while relatively new and under certain conditions. The new phase still has only one solution, extra ventilation during that period which in my recent experience is from a few days to a couple of weeks. The other situation, which is covered very well in the NPR article listed above is during times of high heat and humidity, like those conditions found in the gulf area. Under these conditions the plywood and particle board would have increased and sustained off-gassing levels. This is the cause of the problem with the FEMA trailers.

The main technique to lessen the transmission levels from the materials we in the building industry normally handle is a simple one, paint. Yes by painting the plywood, strand board and MDF, including the edges we can cut the transmission rate by almost 90% in most cases. Other suggestions on reducing risk in the environment can be found here. http://www.sefalabs.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3394 They include some interesting ones for instance permanent press clothing should be washed before being worn as these items represent a potentially large source of formaldehyde in a local area when first used.

As always I appreciate you interest and please let me know what you think in the comment area below. Any questions or suggestions for future posts should be directed to askthefm@gmail.com

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Now that we are in the warmer months, at least out here in California where I live the question of controlling those pests that always seem to invade about now…..

Well if you are trying to get or stay certified under any of those green building programs most award points for integrated pest management (IPM). For instance in the LEED for existing buildings program it is worth 1 point.

So what does this entail and is it worth the effort?

Well from the Buildings.com Website: (http://www.buildings.com/articles/detail.aspx?contentID=6108)

“IPM is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life-cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest-control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.”

The article does a good job of going over the basics, but I would really want to hire an expert in this approach and for this there is a non-profit who provides what else but certification. The rating title is “Green Shield Certified” and the organization’s website can be found here: http://www.greenshieldcertified.org/

There is also a process for you to get your building certified under this program as well. I suppose that this might be a real plus for residential buildings in their marketing and as a method to reduce sensitivity complaints that are often caused by pesticides. Speaking as a person with some of those sensitivities I will be looking up who in my area is rated and seeking proposals tomorrow!

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Well if you have done what I suggested in my first post: (http://askthefm.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/mold-remediation-part-1/)

You have a basic understanding of the problem you face and you have some idea of the extent of the areas affected. The next step is the development of an action plan and some of these steps may be deleted depending on the severity of the situation.

1. Document the suspected areas, with pictures, diagrams and a written report.

2. Discuss the options with your superiors and human resources. Remember that this situation has potential liability on the part of your company and that if employees are involved then it also becomes a workman’s compensation issue.

3. The next step I recommend is for a reputable testing lab to conduct tests for airborne levels of what is in the local environment. This testing will allow the industrial hygienist to develop a scope of work for your site.

4. Depending upon the severity of the findings you may need to activate your relocation part of your disaster plan. You do have a disaster plan don’t you?

5. Hire a remediation firm to complete the demolition of the affected areas. They will also clean and encapsulate the same areas as part of the remediation process.

6. Retest the space to make sure the remediation was completed properly. (VERY IMPORTANT!)

7. Hire a general contractor to put the space back the way it was and to repair any water leaks, bad roof areas etc. This part can also be potentially handled by the remediation contractor however I generally like to separate the tasks as I have found the fit and finish of the remediation firms is sometimes a little poor.

In my next post on this subject I will include a few pointers about testing labs, remediation firms and the importance of that second test.

As always thank you for your time and I hope you come back again tomorrow. I appreciate your comments and suggestions. Please direct and suggestion for future posts or questions to: askthfm@gmail.com

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The subject of mold in buildings has been a major concern for some time now and I am not sure that it deserves all of the press that it has gotten. Now, granted that a serious mold contamination of a building is a serious problem that must be addressed, it is not the light your hair on fire emergency that is often portrayed in news reports and the like.

Now let’s discuss some basic facts about mold. First mold is everywhere and there are thousands of types and varieties. At this point in time there are only a relative few that cause problems for people. So let’s get some basic points straight.

• Molds are forms of fungi found all year round both indoors and outdoors.

• Outdoors, mold live in the soil, on plants and on dead or decaying matter.

• Mold is often commonly called Mildew

• There are thousands of species and they can be of any color.

• Most fungi, including molds produce microscopic cells called spores instead of seeds.

• We are all exposed to these spores daily in the air we breathe.

The problem with a severe contamination like these pictured is that over time most people will develop an allergic reaction to the spores that molds use to propagate. This is an immediate problem if you already have an allergy, but this sensitivity does take some time to develop in those not already sensitive.

So how do determine if you have a problem if it isn’t as visible as those above? First I would recommend doing a detailed inspection of the site, concentrating on any areas where there is evidence of water intrusion or old water damage. The main things that are required for mold to cause a problem is, cellulose (the paper in drywall and the lumber in your walls), darkness and moisture. If any of these three items are missing then the mold won’t be able to replicate and cause problems. This means that in your preventive maintenance plan responding to water intrusion and attending to the integrity of the building envelope( windows, doors, walls and roof) should be of the highest importance.

If the users of the site are experiencing problems are your inspection has found no visible causes then your next step is an expensive one, testing. In my next post on this topic I will cover the type of testing and some suggestions on finding a reliable and professional testing company.

As always I appreciate your interest in my blog. Please direct any questions of comments to askthfm@gmail.com.

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