Heater choice, dampness and mould growth in 26 New Zealand homes: A study of propensity for mould growth using encapsulated fungal spores

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dc.citation.volume5
dc.contributor.authorBoulic M
dc.contributor.authorPhipps RA
dc.contributor.authorCunningham MJ
dc.contributor.authorCleland DJ
dc.contributor.authorFjallstrom P
dc.contributor.authorKeiko P
dc.contributor.authorHowden-Champan P
dc.date.available2015
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractThe relationship between the use of unflued gas heaters (UGH, N = 14) and heat pump heaters (HP, N = 12) located in the living rooms, and mould growth on the living room and bedroom walls, of 26 New Zealand (NZ) occupied homes was investigated during winter. Two methods were employed to evaluate the potential of mould growth on walls: (i) measurement of daily hyphal growth rate using a fungal detector (encapsulated fungal spores); and (ii) estimation of fungal contamination based on a four level scale visual inspection. The average wall psychrometric conditions were significantly different between the two heater type groups, in both the living rooms and the bedrooms with the UGH user homes being colder and damper than HP user homes. The UGHs were found to be a significant additional source of moisture in the living rooms which dramatically increased the capacity for fungi to grow on wall surfaces. The average daily hyphal growth rates were 4 and 16 times higher in the living rooms and in the bedrooms of the UGH user homes, respectively. Results from both mould detection methods gave good agreement, showing that the use of a fungal detector was an efficient method to predict the potential of mould growth on the inside of the external walls in NZ homes.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.description.publication-statusPublished
dc.format.extent149 - 162 (14)
dc.identifier.citationBuildings, 2015, 5 pp. 149 - 162 (14)
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/buildings5010149
dc.identifier.elements-id242692
dc.identifier.harvestedMassey_Dark
dc.identifier.issn2075-5309
dc.publisherMDPI AG
dc.relation.isPartOfBuildings
dc.rightsThis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).
dc.subject.anzsrc1201 Architecture
dc.subject.anzsrc1202 Building
dc.subject.anzsrc1203 Design Practice and Management
dc.titleHeater choice, dampness and mould growth in 26 New Zealand homes: A study of propensity for mould growth using encapsulated fungal spores
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.notesNot known
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Sciences
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Sciences/School of Built Environment
pubs.organisational-group/Massey University/College of Sciences/School of Food & Advanced Technology Manawatu
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