Newly remodeled house is making us sick!
 

Hello, we lived in another house for 10 years, no problems. we just
moved to this older house that was recently remodeled about a year ago.
during the day, we are fine. but at night, we're always coughing, our
noses are stuffy and we get sore throats. i had a mold company come
out, and they told me we didn't have mold. I change the AC filters
constantly. i have NO IDEA how to even go about finding out what is
causing this, but i can't sleep and neither can my husband or son. We
are always getting sick, my son has bronchitis for the 4th time this
year and my voice is getting weak from getting a sore throat every
night. i also don't want to keep wasting money so i want to figure out
what the problem is, but i don't know where to start. i thought of
maybe buying an air purifier? i'm am at a loss as to what this could
be. the house has beautiful Brazilian cherry floors and i keep it very
clean. i also thought about replacing the air ducts. I am in Miami.
Any ideas? i have no idea what else to do?

thanks for any guidance,

Carlos Alberto

Take the WHOLE FAMILY TO A DOCTOR
"calberto22" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello, we lived in another house for 10 years, no problems. we just
moved to this older house that was recently remodeled about a year ago.
during the day, we are fine. but at night, we're always coughing, our
noses are stuffy and we get sore throats. i had a mold company come
out, and they told me we didn't have mold. I change the AC filters
constantly. i have NO IDEA how to even go about finding out what is
causing this, but i can't sleep and neither can my husband or son. We
are always getting sick, my son has bronchitis for the 4th time this
year and my voice is getting weak from getting a sore throat every
night. i also don't want to keep wasting money so i want to figure out
what the problem is, but i don't know where to start. i thought of
maybe buying an air purifier? i'm am at a loss as to what this could
be. the house has beautiful Brazilian cherry floors and i keep it very
clean. i also thought about replacing the air ducts. I am in Miami.
Any ideas? i have no idea what else to do?

thanks for any guidance,

Carlos Alberto

Could be one of 100 different things, from bad carpeting to flaking
asbestos (in popcorn ceilings, air ducts etc) to underground radon
to dust mite droppings to overuse of air conditioning (which makes
indoor air extremely dry).

If you keep your house dusted and vacuumed then an air purifier
probably won't help. If the house is air conditioned and you
frequently use it, get a humidity gauge. If it reads much less than
25 or 30% at night you've probably found your problem. Buy a
humidifier.

"calberto22" wrote in message oups.com...
Hello, we lived in another house for 10 years, no problems. we just
moved to this older house that was recently remodeled about a year ago.
during the day, we are fine. but at night, we're always coughing, our
noses are stuffy and we get sore throats. i had a mold company come
out, and they told me we didn't have mold. I change the AC filters
constantly. i have NO IDEA how to even go about finding out what is
causing this, but i can't sleep and neither can my husband or son. We
are always getting sick, my son has bronchitis for the 4th time this
year and my voice is getting weak from getting a sore throat every
night. i also don't want to keep wasting money so i want to figure out
what the problem is, but i don't know where to start. i thought of
maybe buying an air purifier? i'm am at a loss as to what this could
be. the house has beautiful Brazilian cherry floors and i keep it very
clean. i also thought about replacing the air ducts. I am in Miami.
Any ideas? i have no idea what else to do?

thanks for any guidance,

Carlos Alberto

Carlos,

You should see a doctor. It sounds as if you may have some sort of
environmental problem. It could be the house, it could be the area, it could
be factory smoke, et c.
It does sound as if you should consider moving.

Dave M.

Go on a short vacation to to the closest hotel. No really. If you are
going to consider moving (again), as one of the previous posters
suggested, it would be worth trying a hotel for a few nights to see if
your symptoms go away. That would be pretty good confirmation, I would
think, that it is indeed your house or its location, and not some other
factor.

"calberto22" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello, we lived in another house for 10 years, no problems. we just
moved to this older house that was recently remodeled about a year ago.
during the day, we are fine. but at night, we're always coughing, our
noses are stuffy and we get sore throats.

Could be a few things. Are you getting a lot of fresh air to ventilate the
house?

Certain materials outgas vapors that will cause the problems you describe.
One in particular is isocyanate insulation. Another is particleboard.
Carpeting can, but since you have hardwood floors that is pretty much
eliminated. If you do some Googling you may find lots more information on
who to call and what testing can be done to find the source.

Someone I used to work with was having a similar problem with his family.
He had the air ducts cleaned and the problems went away. Turns out the
previous owner of the house had dogs and the ducts were coated with dog hair
and dander.

A friend of mine once bought some cheap carpeting for her house. It made
her sick for weeks. She got the company to come in and install an upgraded
brand of carpeting for a small charge and she was fine after that.



"calberto22" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello, we lived in another house for 10 years, no problems. we just
moved to this older house that was recently remodeled about a year ago.
during the day, we are fine. but at night, we're always coughing, our
noses are stuffy and we get sore throats. i had a mold company come
out, and they told me we didn't have mold. I change the AC filters
constantly. i have NO IDEA how to even go about finding out what is
causing this, but i can't sleep and neither can my husband or son. We
are always getting sick, my son has bronchitis for the 4th time this
year and my voice is getting weak from getting a sore throat every
night. i also don't want to keep wasting money so i want to figure out
what the problem is, but i don't know where to start. i thought of
maybe buying an air purifier? i'm am at a loss as to what this could
be. the house has beautiful Brazilian cherry floors and i keep it very
clean. i also thought about replacing the air ducts. I am in Miami.
Any ideas? i have no idea what else to do?

thanks for any guidance,

Carlos Alberto

Turn off all ventilation, open all the windows in the house, and live
like that for a few days. See if there's any difference.

Did you old house have force hot air heat? If not, I wonder if the air
is too dry (if you are running the heat). If so try a humidifer. I find
that force hot air without a humidifer can dry out the air and cause a
dry throatand stuffy nose at night but that could be just me. In any
case, consult a doctor.

calberto22 wrote:
Hello, we lived in another house for 10 years, no problems. we just
moved to this older house that was recently remodeled about a year
ago. during the day, we are fine. but at night, we're always
coughing, our noses are stuffy and we get sore throats. i had a mold
company come out, and they told me we didn't have mold. I change the
AC filters constantly. i have NO IDEA how to even go about finding
out what is causing this, but i can't sleep and neither can my
husband or son. We are always getting sick, my son has bronchitis
for the 4th time this year and my voice is getting weak from getting
a sore throat every night. i also don't want to keep wasting money so
i want to figure out what the problem is, but i don't know where to
start. i thought of maybe buying an air purifier? i'm am at a loss
as to what this could be. the house has beautiful Brazilian cherry
floors and i keep it very clean. i also thought about replacing the
air ducts. I am in Miami. Any ideas? i have no idea what else to do?

thanks for any guidance,

Carlos Alberto

There are many possible problems, but I would look into what they
remodeled. Could some of the products they used be out gassing products
that you are sensitive to? I also believe you should consider the humidity
issue as air that is too dry can cause these problems.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

So you've got wood floors throughout, that would rule out dust mites and the
like in the carpet. Have you had the ducts cleaned yet?

What are your known allergies? Pets? If the previous owners had pets then
the ducts would likely be a source of their dander. Likewise any other
allergies you might have could be exacerbated by residue in the ducts. It
might help to get yourself tested for allergies. But get the ducts cleaned
meanwhile.

"calberto22" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello, we lived in another house for 10 years, no problems. we just
moved to this older house that was recently remodeled about a year ago.
during the day, we are fine. but at night, we're always coughing, our
noses are stuffy and we get sore throats. i had a mold company come
out, and they told me we didn't have mold. I change the AC filters
constantly. i have NO IDEA how to even go about finding out what is
causing this, but i can't sleep and neither can my husband or son. We
are always getting sick, my son has bronchitis for the 4th time this
year and my voice is getting weak from getting a sore throat every
night. i also don't want to keep wasting money so i want to figure out
what the problem is, but i don't know where to start. i thought of
maybe buying an air purifier? i'm am at a loss as to what this could
be. the house has beautiful Brazilian cherry floors and i keep it very
clean. i also thought about replacing the air ducts. I am in Miami.
Any ideas? i have no idea what else to do?

thanks for any guidance,

Carlos Alberto


Have another company check for black mold again (nobody's perfect), and
consult a doctor. Insist on a referral to a specialist like an allergist or
eye, ear, nose & throat specialist. A GP might not consider all the
diagnostic options.

Your symptoms match exactly what put my friend in the hospital with
pneumonia and now she has lingering effects that prevent her from working or
living in that house. In addition to the pulminary symptoms, there was also
dizzyness, insomnia and uncontrolled mood changes.

Don't wait to see if it clears up with the seasonal change, the long term
effects can be severly debilitating. If you have multiple people reacting,
it must be a strong cause. Most of the weaker causes (dry air, pollen etc)
will only effect some people and not others.

The other posters also had good ideas to narrow the cause down.

Cleaning the air ducts is far chraper than replacing them. Also try sealing
around the air ducts with duct tape or silicone caulk. When the A/C runs,
it can cause air from other isolated spaces (crawl space, gap between
floors, attic) to be sucked into the house. The mold company may not have
found the infestation.