Guest guest Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Dear Colleagues:As I have the opportunity to assess actual ventilation performance in more buildings by reviewing carbon dioxide monitoring data,I'm finding more and more examples where the VAV boxes serving conference rooms do not go to their full open positionsdespite full occupancy conditions.This failure of the VAV approach to perform as intended results in ventilation deficiencies in these conference rooms,where even ASHRAE recommended ventilation minimums are not even being achieved.Has anyone else looked at this aspect of HVAC performance,and if so, are they finding similar results?Sincerely, W. Bearg, PE, CIHLife Energy Associateswww.LifeEnergyAssoc.com20 Darton StreetConcord, MA 01742 Re: Question about Icynene foam , While it is true that isocyanates are powerful sensitizers, the isocyanates actually used in the foam are in prepolymer form (several units of isocyanate bonded together, called part "A")and therefore not volatile. Residual amounts of monomeric isocyanate present in the prepolymer are supposed to be very low. The reactions between part A and part B (polyols) that create the polyurethane (PU)are over in seconds and all the isocyanate groups are reacted to urethanes. PU foams may have amine catalysts and in two cases I was involved with, the PU foam used had to be removed. I don't know why these had inappropriate amounts of catalyst, but the foams smelled like ammonia long after installation. I was around one PU foam installation and the odor around the truck was quite objectionable to me but the foam a few days after installation was odorless. All PU foams are derived from isocyanates; I believe the green foams contain a polyol (part that is derived from plant material. Wikepedia has a great explanation of the chemistry. May May Indoor Air Investigations LLC Tyngsborough, MA www.mayindoorair.com __________________________________________________________ > 2b. Re: Question about Icynene foam > Posted by: "sagefarm@..." sagefarm@... ieqdoc > Date: Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:36 am ((PST)) > > Jeff: > > Considering that these 2-component polyurethane spray foams include > an isocyanurate in one of the components, > > and isocyanurates are very powerful respiratory irritants, > > do you recommend some interval during and after application that the > sensitive individual not be at home? > > Even these newer "green" spray foams all seem to have isocyanurates as well. > > > > > Life Energy Associates > www.LifeEnergyAssoc.com > 20 Darton Street > Concord, MA 01742 > > > > All: > > In the past, I have often recommended open-celled Icynene foam, even > to clients with chemical sensitivities, and have not heard of any > problems. > > I believe that there are newer (greener?) foam formulations and I am > wondering if any of you have investigated any problem installations. > > If there were problems, was the cause determined? > > Thanks. > > May > May Indoor Air Investigations LLC > Tyngsborough, MA > www.mayindoorair.com > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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