Everyone knows and understands the benefits of having insulation in the walls and attic of your home. This is especially true when living in a cold climate. However, a lot of people do not know the benefits of insulating the piping in the house as well. Here are four benefits of insulating your pipes.

Saves Energy

When there is a dramatic difference in the temperature between the contents of the pipe and the outside air, heat is lost from inside the pipe to the cold outside air. Adding a layer of insulation reduces the amount of energy that is required to heat up the water in the pipe.

Reduces Noise

Noise travels easily through pipe systems. Insulation reduces the acoustics of the pipes making them quieter.

Prevents Damages

If the water in the pipes freezes, the pipes can burst causing a great deal of water damage to your home. Insulated pipes are at a lower risk of freezing and causing damage.

Protects Against Rust

Having an extra layer between your pipes and any humidity in the air can prevent condensation build up on the pipes. This protects your pipes from potential rust and corrosion damage which is harmful to the pipes.

Educators and students working inside South Carolina schools can count themselves lucky if their building has air conditioning to help combat the sticky humidity prevalent most of the year. Even with air conditioning, however, ventilation and humidity control can still be a problem inside classrooms, and indoor air quality is important for the health and academic success of its students.

The ideal humidity level is around 30-50%, and any deviations outside these parameters can affect both students and teachers. Take a look at what these effects are and what can be done to help control humidity levels inside schools and the classroom.

Low Humidity
A classroom with a low relative humidity below 30% holds very little moisture in the air. As a result, students and teachers will feel uncomfortable and notice a spread of illnesses, especially in crowded classrooms. Studies show that students experience a lack of energy and focus when air temperatures are not the right humidity. Dry air causes the skin, eyes, throat and mucous membranes to feel dry and itchy, which can be distracting to students.

The presence of lower humidity encourages the growth of certain bacteria and viruses, especially when air circulation and humidity control is lacking. Here are a few examples of illnesses that can thrive and spread in classrooms:

• Measles
• Influenza
• Human rotavirus
• Rubella
• Herpesvirus
• Streptococcus
• Mycoplasma pneumonia

If anyone already suffers from a mild cold, the dry air will make their symptoms feel even worse.

High Humidity

A classroom with a high relative humidity experiences air that is very moist, making students feel overly chilled or sticky depending on the temperature. All that extra water in the air facilitates the growth of bacteria, mold , fungus and dust mites. This growth is harmful to students and teachers in many ways.

• Poorly ventilated spaces will develop odors in the presence of fungus.
• Increase of allergens can trigger asthma symptoms and even lead to new-onset asthma.
• Mold growth produces certain mycotoxins that reduce mental clarity, cause illness and trigger allergic reactions.

High humidity levels even result in condensation forming inside the windows, ceilings and walls of classrooms and other areas of a school, damaging building materials.
Just as in environments with too low of humidity levels, pathogens like Salmonella, staph infections and cholera thrive and spread among students in classrooms with too high of a humidity level.
Controlling Humidity Levels
Moisture concerns inside schools are caused by a wide range of conditions, such as leaks in plumbing and in the roof, condensation, damp ground beneath a structure and outdoor humidity. The simple act of students exhaling creates moisture. Tightly sealed newer buildings might not allow moisture to escape. Even temporary, portable classrooms frequently see higher humidity and mold growth.

There are several ways to control and reduce humidity levels inside schools and classrooms.

• Vent locker room showers and bathrooms to the outside.
• Make sure adequate ventilation exists to keep humidity levels between 30% and 50%. 
  
• Install exhaust fans if you have kitchens for cooking and washing dishes inside classrooms. Give individual classrooms a de-humidifier.
  
• Install insulation to cut back on condensation on cold surfaces like windows, exterior walls, pipes and floors.
• Mount tile around drinking fountains and classroom sinks and on the floor below.

Many people believe, or hear, that RRP is a viable solution for dealing with lead paint. Unfortunately, a renovation or paint job isn't enough for dealing with lead paint. RRP doesn't eliminate or even reduce lead. Only true lead abatement can do that.

What Is RRP? How Does It Deal With Lead Paint?

RRP stands for Renovation, Repair, and Painting. It doesn't refer to a single job that encompasses all three of those things. Rather, RRP represents a rule for mitigating the effects of lead paint while doing any one of the referenced activities.

The reason RRP exists as a rule comes from the fact these activities can increase lead exposure. Any renovation, repair or paint job runs the risk of disturbing existing lead paint. When that happens, lead paint dust and chips can come loose and contaminate the area.

When someone hires a contractor to do a renovation, it's typically not to deal with lead specifically. If your facility is old enough to possibly have lead paint, the RRP contractors you hire must have EPA-approved training before they can do any work.

In addition, a contractor performing RRP work cannot perform any kind of lead abatement unless they're licensed to do so. As an example, you can hire a contractor to do a renovation. The contractor may say they need to remove the lead paint to do the job properly.

If that contractor doesn't have licensing and certification for lead abatement, then you should not hire them. Only an EPA-certified lead removal company can do that for you safely, properly and legally.

How Is RRP Different From Lead Abatement?

While lead abatement can sometimes resemble RRP work, it's a completely different type of procedure. Lead abatement concerns itself with the permanent removal of lead or extreme mitigation of the effect lead can have.

Lead abatement falls under a broader category of lead-based paint activities. These activities include lead-based paint inspections, risk assessments, lead testing and abatement. There are four main types of lead abatement.

Lead paint removal.  Removal can involve various methods to remove the lead paint without releasing it into the environment in the form of dust or chips. ·

Lead paint encapsulation. Encapsulating lead paint requires the application of a special, watertight coating over the offending paint. ·

Lead paint enclosure.  Enclosures, such as additional walls, materials or other physical barriers, can go up and block the lead paint. ·

Replacement. This option involves completely removing the part of the structure that has lead paint and replacing it.

Many of these abatement processes can occur in unison. It depends on your commercial property, budget and the results of your inspection or assessment.

As you can see, many of these abatement methods look like RRP jobs. In some cases, they are. Just know the focus of abatement is to deal with the lead paint. Everything else is secondary to that. By contrast, RRP work may never even take lead into consideration.

For many commercial buildings, lead abatement can become a legal requirement. This requirement can prompt many property owners to group lead abatement in with some overall RRP work. That's fine as long as you understand there are requirements for working with or around lead paint all contractors must adhere to.

RRP contractors require additional training if they want to work around lead paint. Lead abatement contractors require even more training. They also have stringent rules and procedures they must follow when they go about the abatement process.

If you own a commercial business housed in an older building, your facility may contain asbestos products. To protect your workers and your clients, you may need to invest in upgrading your facility and safely remove the asbestos.

Keep reading to learn more about what asbestos is, why it’s dangerous and what you should do about it.

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is the name for a mineral group that naturally occurs as fiber bundles—you can find asbestos in nature in rocks and soil. Asbestos comes in two types: chrysotile, where the fiber forms in spirals, and amphibole, where the fibers form in straight lines. Chrysotile asbestos is much more commonly used.

Asbestos was a common building and industrial material for years because it has many desirable properties: it’s heat-resistant, strong and doesn’t conduct electricity. You can find asbestos in:

•    Insulation
•    Cement
•    Plastics
•    Roofing
•    Tiles
•    Paints

However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the use of asbestos in 1989. If your commercial facility was built in 1990 or later, it shouldn’t contain asbestos—but if your facility was built earlier, it very well could.

Why Is Asbestos Dangerous?

Asbestos’ unique composition makes it very dangerous to humans. When a product containing asbestos gets damaged in some way, it releases tiny asbestos fibers into the air, where humans can breathe them in. If someone breathes in asbestos, the very small, very strong fibers will likely become stuck in the body—they’re nearly impossible for the body to get rid of or destroy.

Asbestos fibers are linked to three diseases:

•    Asbestosis. When someone has breathed in asbestos, the fibers can get lodged in the lungs, and they then irritate the lung tissue and cause scarring. Patients with asbestosis have trouble breathing, and there is no known effective treatment.
•    Lung cancer. Lung cancer has been definitively linked to asbestos exposure—the more someone is exposed to asbestos, the more their risk of lung cancer rises. Additionally, other cancer types may also be linked to asbestos, including esophagus, stomach, larynx and kidney cancer.

•    Mesothelioma. While this form of cancer is very rare, it is virtually always caused by asbestos exposure.

Generally, tiny amounts of asbestos aren’t too big of a risk. After all, asbestos can be found in rocks and dirt, but we still all go outside without worrying. However, the more someone is exposed to asbestos, the more their risk goes up. Consequently, those who live and work in a building containing asbestos or who work with asbestos products are most likely to develop serious health conditions.

What Should You Do?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employers take steps to keep their employees safe from asbestos exposure. Depending on your facility and the type of work that you do, your employees may need to use protective equipment, and you may need to monitor your employees’ health. If you’re not sure how to comply with the law, reach out to your region’s OSHA office.

Asbestos is at its most dangerous when it’s friable, meaning that it is easily crumbled. For example, if you have asbestos in your insulation, your employees are more likely to be at risk because insulation is easily damaged, which will make it release asbestos fibers. However, if you have asbestos in your ceiling tile, it shouldn’t release any asbestos unless you break the tile.

If you need to remove asbestos from your facility to protect your workers, don’t attempt this job yourself. When you break apart materials that contain asbestos, you release it into the air—so let professionals with specialized training and equipment handle the job.

Whether you're attempting to restore a classic building or merely repair one that's more contemporary, stumbling across mold can pose a serious challenge. Unfortunately, many people may not recognize the warning signs of a serious mold problem when they occur, and they might accidentally smooth over a serious issue that requires much more specific attention.

A mold infestation doesn't only pose a threat to the structural integrity of your building. It can also make people incredibly sick through exposure, and you may find yourself struggling to figure out why you can't get comfortable or healthy in a building that you've put a lot of time and money into refurbishing.

Below, you'll learn about some signs that your building is in need of a professional mold removal service. You can keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy if you keep an eye out for these warnings, and you can guarantee that you maintain the ability to respond quickly to a potentially serious problem.

Frequent Leaks

Mold grows and thrives in damp conditions, so if there's a part of your house that's frequently the victim of unwelcome water, it's likely that the conditions are ideal for mold to grow. Unfortunately, many people may clean up water and plug leaks without looking around for any signs of residual damage, and if those signs exist, they may be mistaken for standard stains.

However, even if there's no visible evidence of a mold infestation, you should still seek a professional cleanup in the aftermath of any flooding in your home. In the best case scenario, you can receive a professional opinion that guarantees your home is structurally stable and sound.

If there is mold damage, though, you can benefit from some early detection that can stop mold in its tracks and prevent you from having to suffer more before you address a problem.

Ineffective Cleaning

old is visible, it's natural for your first response to be to thoroughly clean the area. Unfortunately, you might find yourself toiling away and committing a great deal of energy to scrubbing at stubborn mold only to see it stick around.

Rather than giving up and determining that you might be dealing with a stubborn stain, it's important to take the next step and seek out a professional mold removal service.

What you may think is only a stain is likely in fact another mold colony that may be more resistant than the first. This can cause your initial cleaning attempts to lull you into a false sense of security, and may leave you with the misconception that you've done everything in your power to address the issue. In fact, a professional remediation service will have access to specialized tools that are far better suited for mold cleanup than standard household products.

Strong Odors

Your sight isn't the only sense you should rely on to determine whether you have a serious mold problem. Growing colonies are likely to put off a musty odor that you should be aware of, as the odor may be detectable before any visual cues.

Early detection is an important step in preventing any serious consequences from arising due to a mold infestation. If you follow your nose and attempt to source new smells that are invading your property, you're likely to be in a far better position than if you kick the can down the road.

If you think you have found asbestos in your factory or workshop, do not panic. If the asbestos-containing material is in good condition and you do not disturb it, it will not release harmful fibers. Limit access to the area, contact an inspection officer and do not touch it until you have clarity on the matter. Also, remember to warn and advise your employees.

Here are some reasons why it is best to work only with an expert to remove asbestos.

They Understand Safety Procedures

Working with sufficiently trained and experienced asbestos-removing personnel minimizes everyone's levels of exposure to potential risks. They will assess the site and determine exposure levels to ascertain what safety measures you need to put in place.

A professional will also put control plans in place and ensure everyone wears protective gear, such as a respirator, before work begins. You, therefore, will have nothing to worry about people getting exposed to danger on your site.  

An expert will also ensure that all asbestos-containing material is removed or contained to arrest any possible recurrences. They will also guide you in ensuring your work site meets all safety measures as outlined by relevant safety and environmental bodies to avoid legal consequences.

They Can Manage Incidents

Just because you are dealing with asbestos does not mean something will go wrong. You need not worry about safety incidents if you have sufficient safety measures put in place. It is, however, best to conduct risk assessments and prepare for any emergencies, which you can do best under the guidance of someone with experience.

Qualified personnel will know what to do if a worker's air supply fails, or how to avoid contamination if a fire breaks out. They will also know what to do in case of spillage that has led to skin exposure or ingestion. A professional will also keep records of any emergencies and how you dealt with them, which you may need if state agencies get involved.

They Know Disposal Rules

You can only dispose asbestos waste on a council-approved site. Different councils have varying rules on how you package and how they receive the waste, as well the charges. There are also rules on how to transport asbestos waste, which includes minimizing breakage and securing the load to ensure the plastic bags do not fly or tear.

Working with a professional asbestos removal company means you benefit from their years of experience dealing with the council, and they will ensure the packaging meets the set standards. They can also recommend a waste removal company that is licensed to handle asbestos, or they can offer the service if they are licensed.

Legal Obligations and Duties

Besides the moral obligation as an employer to protect your employees, neighbors and members of the public, there are government rules and laws to adhere to when dealing with asbestos. The United States Environmental Protection Agency Asbestos Laws and Regulations outline these measures, which include worker protection plans, emissions control and hazards emergency response.

A professional asbestos removal company will work within the legal framework and ensure that they do not leave you in trouble. They will also advise you to make sure you’re complying with all rules and regulations to save you from hefty fines and liabilities.

In 1978, the federal government banned lead-based paint for consumer use, and some states banned it before this time, due to the high school of lead poisoning from exposure to lead paint or paint dust. However, if your office building was built prior to 1978, there is a chance that there was lead-based paint used when painting the interior. Here are some reasons that lead remediation  in the business is important.

Where is Lead Paint Found?

Lead paint is still present in many homes and offices throughout the country, although some places have covered it up with new paint. Although paint that is still in good condition usually doesn’t pose a problem, it can become a problem when it begins to peel or chip. It is important to pay attention to this problem immediately and remove the lead-based paint in this case.

Steps to Take

Are you living with mold in your home? If so, you may not understand the potential health hazards you're exposing yourself and your family too. While mold may seem like a harmless nuisance, the truth may surprise you. Read some of the health hazards of having mold  in your home.

Breathing Issues

Certain molds can affect the air quality in your home. If you're prone to breathing issues, the presence of mold can exacerbate those problems. Mold has even been known to increase asthma attacks and other breathing issues associated with allergies.

Impaired Brain Function

The presence of mold has been linked to impaired brain function. Some symptoms of decreased brain function as a result of mold include memory loss, problems concentrating and headaches.

Anxiety and Depression

The mold may not only have an impact on your physical health, but your mental health as well. If you're aware of the mold in your home, you may be afraid to invite people over and isolate yourself. In some cases, isolation and avoiding social situations can cause anxiety and depression.

Incidents of Death

If left untreated, mold can make you and your family incredibly ill and in some cases cause death. The seriousness of your condition may depend on your age and general health as well as what type of mold you have in your home and its severity.