Archive for December, 2010
How Summer Humidity Can Affect Wood Floors
Owners of wood floors are often surprised to find cracks and bows in their pristine flooring throughout the year. These small cosmetic concerns are common to all types of commercial flooring and are no reason to panic. During the spring and summer the air inside a house is much more humid than during the winter. The lumber used for flooring absorbs liquid in the air and enlarges.
All wood floor systems are designed to withstand a certain amount of moisture. In most cases plenty of space is left during installation between planks in order to allow the material to expand. Even engineered and composite wood floors go through the same changes as solid wood but often include special channels that allow the material to grow. These measures are designed to prevent problems caused by too much moisture but the appearance and integrity of the floor can still be affected by high humidity.
Crowning
Crowning is the bowing of a wood floor slat into a convex shape. The center of the board appears to be higher than the edges and makes the floor uneven and unattractive. There are a number of causes for crowning but it is often the result of botched attempts to fix other moisture problems. Standing water on flooring triggers the most drastic crowning.
This problem can occur spontaneously in larger planks and center cuts of timber. Naturally occurring crowning is much less severe than the kind caused by human error and can only be seen upon close inspection. This kind of crowning is often the result of a humid environment but should go away once the wood is allowed to dry out. In the meantime floors with beveled edges will hide some of the distortion.
Cupping
Cupping is a condition in which planks become concave. The pieces of wood begin to resemble shallow cups as the sides rise above the center on the slat. There are a number of reasons severe cupping can occur in a floor but moisture is always to blame for the change in the wood. Water spills that were allowed to soak into the wood are sometimes the problem but high humidity is often the culprit. This condition is the result of the bottom of the floor containing more moisture than the top. Leaks in the subfloor and improper drying are usually the cause of these variations in dampness.
The treated surface of the wood resists expanding but the seams and underside of the planks swell. As each piece grows the planks can begin to push against one another. This pressure can exacerbate the cupping by forcing the edges to rise even more and cracks the wood.
Buckling
Buckling is a serious flooring issue in which the wood detaches from the subfloor. This problem should never be caused by normal changes in humidity. If a floor does react in this way to more moisture in the air it was probably installed incorrectly. Buckling is seen most often in homes that have been flooded.
Controlling Moisture and Fixing Floors
Most homeowners will have no problem with their floors. Most modern flooring has been treated and designed to withstand even the most drastic atmospheric changes. If these products are installed properly the planks should have enough room to grow without any problems.
However owners of wood floors should keep their home well ventilated in the summer so that moistures can flow freely out of the house. Homes in particularly balmy climates may need the help of a dehumidifier. Cracks happen most in the winter and although they are often only temporary it may be wise to introduce some moisture into the air inside via a humidifier. This can help the family avoid colds and soar throats too.
Never leave standing water on a floor. After a spill sop up the liquid as quickly as possible. If necessary use fans to thoroughly dry the wood. Of course it is never a good idea to mop floors or clean them with waterbased products.
If a floor has been damaged look for leaks and other more significant sources of moisture. Humidity does not often cause permanent cosmetic defects so check for other common problems first.
A damaged floor may need sanding refinishing or other repairs. Since the floor must be dried before any work can be done try letting it air out for a while before calling a handyman. Many humidity problems are only temporary so watch the area for a few days. If the wood does need work make sure to allow the moisture to escape before refinishing it. Trapping extra water inside is likely to cause crowning.
About the writer: Brian Jenkins is a freelance writer who writes about topics and products concerning floor care and home maintenance such as the H2O Mop.
How Electric Underfloor Heating Can Improve Quality Of Life
Few things are more pleasing than waking up on a cold winter morning and putting your feet down on a perfectly warmed floor. In fact a warm floor for your feet is often even more satisfying than heating the air in your house. After all most people understand how to dress properly during the colder months. But a cold floor can just ruin everything no matter how well you are dressed.
Unfortunately the traditional way of heating a home is to heat the air which of course does not stay warm for very long if the walls and the floor are still cold. And in many places unfortunate enough to have stone or tile floors placed atop a bed of solid concrete with no hint of insulation the floor is always cold.
The solution is to either continuously heat the air in your home leading to exhorbitant electric and gas bills or to turn to electric underfloor heating.
Electric underfloor heating is a fairly new technique that consists of installing electric under floor heating cables made of copper. The cables are attached to electric underfloor mats that provide a great deal of flexibility making them suitable for rooms of any shape and size.
Combining the electric underfloor mats with thermal insulation boards will at the same time provide the pleasant aforementioned experience and trap the generated heat thereby warming the entire house while cutting down on energy costs.
To really understand the benefits of electric underfloor heating consider the way most homes are now heated. A large gaspowered boiler pumps hot water to wallmounted radiators situated in each room. Those radiators heat the surrounding air very slowly and unevenly. You set a certain temperature but that temperature is only ever reached right next to the radiator.
Furthermore the radiators themselves take up much needed wall space and are often unsightly.
In newer homes radiators have largely been replaced by central heating and air conditioning units which have their own disadvantages. A central heating and air conditioning unit will manage to heat more of the air in a house than will wallmounted radiators but the warmest areas will continue to be right around the source of heat in this case the air vents. These units also create a large amount of dust that is blown into the house along with the heat.
Last but certainly not least central heating and air conditioning units add to the energy costs of traditional radiators by requiring electricpowered fans.
Contrast all that to the primary benefits of electric underfloor heating:
1. Electric underfloor mats are fitted to each individual room ensuring an even distribution of heat;
2. Electric underfloor heating combined with thermal insulation is able to heat an area quickly requiring the system to be turned on for a minimum amount of time;
3. Electric underfloor heating is invisible and does not take up any living space;
4. Electric underfloor heating does not create dust or any other byproduct;
5. Electric underfloor heating reduces traditional heating energy costs by up to 15 percent.
Best of all the electric under floor heating system can be installed in any house new or old with far less trouble than other temperature control systems. An electric under floor heating system can even be installed on your own as it is roughly similar to laying walltowall carpeting.
For those experiencing difficulties heating their homes electric under floor heating is the solution and can lead to greater quality of life.
About the writer: Paul Short is managing director of Floor Heating Ltd. A leading UK provider of doityourself and professionally installed electric underfloor heating systems . Floor Heating Ltd. is able to provide the most advanced underfloor heating systems on the market with guaranteed nextday delivery anywhere within the UK mainland.
House Air Filter Advantages Of Using Air Filters For Health
Air filters are generally used to remove dust particles and other minute unseen particles like pollens and bacteria from the air. They are mainly used in devices where the purity of air is the major factor of operation such as ventilation systems combustion engines compressors turbines and the air conditioners.
The air is required to be pure and without dust in places like research laboratories where even a dust of 1ppm or 1 part per million could contaminate the environment and would cause a lot of effect in the research recordings.
House air filters are very necessary in hospitals where patients suffering from wheezing and asthma have to be in a very pure environment free of dust else their problem could aggravate.
Even in a house where there are babies or old people care should be taken that they breathe air free of dust to the maximum extent. House air filters and air purifers can help in this regard.
Things like foam ruffled paper fiber glasses are used as air filters. Even fibers and elements that have static electric charge are used as air filters. The internal combustion engine uses filters like paper or cotton.
There are four major types of air filtering medias they are the paper foam synthetic and cotton fabrics. These filters should be serviced regularly and the dirt should be removed regularly so that they work better in the long run.
There are also HVAC Heating ventilating and air conditioning filters available and are manufactured using the fiber glass technology. They are very cost effective and also disposable. There are Universal Air Filters also known as the UAF that are used for filtering the air.
The UAF has an assembly unit that has a filter fan guard and air flow enclosure. They are used mainly in air conditioners. They have additional protective layer for protecting against flames UV rays and fungus.
About the writer: Check out the best house air filters at my air conditioning filters site. Learn which indoor air quality filters are the best.