Our house is a dormer bungalow -yes, they are crap in a lot of ways, but our
top-class Irish planning laws, in their infinite wisdom, forbid 2-storey
dwellings in many non-city areas... but that's not _strictly_ my current
problem (or maybe it is)...

My problem is this: The whole house is dry-lined. This can make things a bit
cosier, but unfortunately I believe it is the main reason why myself and 2
children get sore throats at various times during the year (my wife seems
immune to it mostly, for some reason).

I have no idea who to contact to see if something can be done -or even _if_
this is the cause. I don't want to call in an "insulation expert" who
recommends lots of work that costs a fortune and ends up making no
difference.

Also though (while I'm at it), mostly the house isn't _too_ hot or _too_
cold (unlike a lot of dormers I've come across), but there is one room
upstairs that is particularly terrible to keep warm in winter or cool in
Summer. ...Seems to me like this room is lacking insulation that was
installed elsewhere... my daughter who stays in this room does get a lot of
sore throats and coughs -not always related to heat or cold though.

Does anyone have any "magic solutions/suggestions" or had similar
experiences, etc.?

Moving is not really on the cards I'm afraid.

-Kevin.



--
Email replies to:

Gunther Gloop wrote:
Our house is a dormer bungalow -yes, they are crap in a lot of ways, but our
top-class Irish planning laws, in their infinite wisdom, forbid 2-storey
dwellings in many non-city areas... but that's not _strictly_ my current
problem (or maybe it is)...

My problem is this: The whole house is dry-lined. This can make things a bit
cosier, but unfortunately I believe it is the main reason why myself and 2
children get sore throats at various times during the year (my wife seems
immune to it mostly, for some reason).

I have no idea who to contact to see if something can be done -or even _if_
this is the cause. I don't want to call in an "insulation expert" who
recommends lots of work that costs a fortune and ends up making no
difference.

Also though (while I'm at it), mostly the house isn't _too_ hot or _too_
cold (unlike a lot of dormers I've come across), but there is one room
upstairs that is particularly terrible to keep warm in winter or cool in
Summer. ...Seems to me like this room is lacking insulation that was
installed elsewhere... my daughter who stays in this room does get a lot of
sore throats and coughs -not always related to heat or cold though.

Does anyone have any "magic solutions/suggestions" or had similar
experiences, etc.?

Moving is not really on the cards I'm afraid.

-Kevin.
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way. More to do with general health
issues. Lack of fresh air and exercise, poor diet? If you actually get
cold then try more underwear, extra bedding or turn the heating up. Yes
more insulation will make the upstairs room and the rest of the house
warmer.
There's a family near us who are strict vegetarian and their kids all
look pale, un-healthy and have endless colds. Pretty obviously
something missing from their diet. Funny diets for adults can be very
bad for kids.

cheers
Jacob

normanwisdom wrote:
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way. More to do with general health
issues. Lack of fresh air and exercise, poor diet? If you actually get
cold then try more underwear, extra bedding or turn the heating up.
Yes more insulation will make the upstairs room and the rest of the
house warmer.
There's a family near us who are strict vegetarian and their kids all
look pale, un-healthy and have endless colds. Pretty obviously
something missing from their diet. Funny diets for adults can be very
bad for kids.


Thanks Norman, but you're barking up the wrong tree there. Forget it
anyway -I'm looking into humidifiers.

-Kevin.

--
Email replies to:

"Gunther Gloop" wrote:
Our house is a dormer bungalow -yes, they are crap in a lot of ways, but
our
top-class Irish planning laws, in their infinite wisdom, forbid 2-storey
dwellings in many non-city areas... but that's not _strictly_ my current
problem (or maybe it is)...

My problem is this: The whole house is dry-lined. This can make things a
bit
cosier, but unfortunately I believe it is the main reason why myself and 2
children get sore throats at various times during the year (my wife seems
immune to it mostly, for some reason).

I have no idea who to contact to see if something can be done -or even
_if_
this is the cause. I don't want to call in an "insulation expert" who
recommends lots of work that costs a fortune and ends up making no
difference.

Also though (while I'm at it), mostly the house isn't _too_ hot or _too_
cold (unlike a lot of dormers I've come across), but there is one room
upstairs that is particularly terrible to keep warm in winter or cool in
Summer. ...Seems to me like this room is lacking insulation that was
installed elsewhere... my daughter who stays in this room does get a lot
of
sore throats and coughs -not always related to heat or cold though.

Does anyone have any "magic solutions/suggestions" or had similar
experiences, etc.?

Moving is not really on the cards I'm afraid.

-Kevin.

I don't know of any link between plasterboard and colds. Your children could
be getting colds from others at school. You could be catching colds from
your children, or if you work indoors with other people then you could be
catching colds from them. The dormer bedroom is in effect a loft bedroom.
These by the nature of their construction tend to be less well insulated,
and therefore hotter in summer and colder in winter than ground floor rooms,
although I am not aware of any link between that and colds.

Phil Anthropist wrote:
I don't know of any link between plasterboard and colds. Your
children could be getting colds from others at school. You could be
catching colds from your children, or if you work indoors with other
people then you could be catching colds from them.

http://www.airandwatercentre.com//SE...FE/article.htm

--
Email replies to:

Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way. More to do with general health
issues. Lack of fresh air and exercise, poor diet? If you actually get
cold then try more underwear, extra bedding or turn the heating up.
Yes more insulation will make the upstairs room and the rest of the
house warmer.
There's a family near us who are strict vegetarian and their kids all
look pale, un-healthy and have endless colds. Pretty obviously
something missing from their diet. Funny diets for adults can be very
bad for kids.


Thanks Norman, but you're barking up the wrong tree there. Forget it
anyway -I'm looking into humidifiers.

-Kevin.
Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither have
anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical environment
causes colds - it's a virus.

cheers
Jacob

normanwisdom wrote:
Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way. More to do with general health
issues. Lack of fresh air and exercise, poor diet? If you actually
get cold then try more underwear, extra bedding or turn the heating
up. Yes more insulation will make the upstairs room and the rest of
the house warmer.
There's a family near us who are strict vegetarian and their kids
all look pale, un-healthy and have endless colds. Pretty obviously
something missing from their diet. Funny diets for adults can be
very bad for kids.


Thanks Norman, but you're barking up the wrong tree there. Forget it
anyway -I'm looking into humidifiers.

-Kevin.
Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither
have anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical
environment causes colds - it's a virus.


I never said anything about colds, but please -remove it from your mind.

-Kevin.

--
Email replies to:

Gunther Gloop wrote:

Thanks Norman, but you're barking up the wrong tree there. Forget it
anyway -I'm looking into humidifiers.


Seriously Gunther, you're not making any sense. Norman made some
perfectly valid points, and you're being totally dismissive of those
points. One wonders why you posted in the first place.

What exactly do you believe the plasterboard is doing to cause your sore
throats, and in what way do you think a humidifier will help?


--
Grunff

Gunther Gloop wrote:
Phil Anthropist wrote:
I don't know of any link between plasterboard and colds. Your
children could be getting colds from others at school. You could be
catching colds from your children, or if you work indoors with other
people then you could be catching colds from them.

http://www.airandwatercentre.com//SE...FE/article.htm

--
Email replies to:

Looks like total ******** to me. Don't believe a word of it. The
de-humidifier sellers having been making a bomb selling more or less
useless kit and now they're having a go with "humidifiers" to see if
they can take even more money from the gullible! It's a new one the
"humidifier". Wouldn't a watering can do the job (whatever it is!).
I reckon you need more fresh air and exercise, perhaps a better diet,
and stop smoking. Leave the windows open, Get some bicycles. Come on
pull yourself together!

cheers
Jacob

Gunther Gloop wrote:
Phil Anthropist wrote:
I don't know of any link between plasterboard and colds. Your
children could be getting colds from others at school. You could be
catching colds from your children, or if you work indoors with other
people then you could be catching colds from them.

http://www.airandwatercentre.com//SE...FE/article.htm


Ah, you're of the IMM school of thought - if it's in a brochure, it must
be correct.

I'd love to know, how are the dry lining and the low relative humidity
connected?


--
Grunff

On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 16:38:51 +0100, "Gunther Gloop" wrote:

normanwisdom wrote:
Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way. More to do with general health
issues. Lack of fresh air and exercise, poor diet? If you actually
get cold then try more underwear, extra bedding or turn the heating
up. Yes more insulation will make the upstairs room and the rest of
the house warmer.
There's a family near us who are strict vegetarian and their kids
all look pale, un-healthy and have endless colds. Pretty obviously
something missing from their diet. Funny diets for adults can be
very bad for kids.


Thanks Norman, but you're barking up the wrong tree there. Forget it
anyway -I'm looking into humidifiers.

-Kevin.
Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither
have anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical
environment causes colds - it's a virus.


I never said anything about colds, but please -remove it from your mind.

-Kevin.

But you did mention sore throats and coughs .

Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way. More to do with general health
issues. Lack of fresh air and exercise, poor diet? If you actually
get cold then try more underwear, extra bedding or turn the heating
up. Yes more insulation will make the upstairs room and the rest of
the house warmer.
There's a family near us who are strict vegetarian and their kids
all look pale, un-healthy and have endless colds. Pretty obviously
something missing from their diet. Funny diets for adults can be
very bad for kids.


Thanks Norman, but you're barking up the wrong tree there. Forget it
anyway -I'm looking into humidifiers.

-Kevin.
Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither
have anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical
environment causes colds - it's a virus.


I never said anything about colds, but please -remove it from your mind.

-Kevin.

Colds, sore throats, coughs, same thing - virus.

I never said anything about colds, but please -remove it from your mind.

-Kevin.

One or two posters have questioned why you think the dry lining is to
blame, care to enlighten us as to exactly why you think this ?.

Dave

"normanwisdom" wrote in message
ps.com...

Gunther Gloop wrote:
Phil Anthropist wrote:
I don't know of any link between plasterboard and colds. Your
children could be getting colds from others at school. You could be
catching colds from your children, or if you work indoors with other
people then you could be catching colds from them.

http://www.airandwatercentre.com//SE...FE/article.htm

--
Email replies to:

Looks like total ******** to me. Don't believe a word of it. The
de-humidifier sellers having been making a bomb selling more or less
useless kit and now they're having a go with "humidifiers" to see if
they can take even more money from the gullible! It's a new one the
"humidifier". Wouldn't a watering can do the job (whatever it is!).
I reckon you need more fresh air and exercise, perhaps a better diet,
and stop smoking. Leave the windows open, Get some bicycles. Come on
pull yourself together!


"Because just like people, the air becomes thirsty too. The art lies in
giving the air just enough water to drink..."

And people actually take this seriously?!

In article . com,
"normanwisdom" writes:
Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither have
anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical environment
causes colds - it's a virus.

Things in the physical environment can effect your susceptability
to colds. I rarely get colds, but I can put just about all
colds I do get down to some incident when I got physically cold,
e.g. if I got caught outdoors in the cold for a period with
inappropriate clothing for the outdoor temperature.

20 years ago when it was still common for a number of people to
not have central heating, we did a quick survey around the office
at work. There was a very clear correlation with people who had
central heating also being the same people who got colds. I can
only speculate why, but my guess would be that central heating
can fool you into wearing inappropriate clothing for the season,
and you can then get caught out being cold when you venture out
of the micro climate in your home. Indeed, the classic time to
get a cold coincided with the first couple of cold weeks marking
the beginning of winter.

Before central heating, I probably got a cold about every 3 years.
Now, I probably get just under 1 cold a year. I am aware that I
manage to avoid several colds a year too, which I suspect many people
would pick up in the same cirumstances without taking appropriate
avoiding action. I can generally sit next to someone at work who
has a streaming cold, and be pretty certain that if I'm careful,
I won't get it, even though many others in the office will.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Piers Finlayson wrote:
"normanwisdom" wrote in message
ps.com...

Gunther Gloop wrote:
Phil Anthropist wrote:
I don't know of any link between plasterboard and colds. Your
children could be getting colds from others at school. You could be
catching colds from your children, or if you work indoors with other
people then you could be catching colds from them.

http://www.airandwatercentre.com//SE...FE/article.htm

--
Email replies to:

Looks like total ******** to me. Don't believe a word of it. The
de-humidifier sellers having been making a bomb selling more or less
useless kit and now they're having a go with "humidifiers" to see if
they can take even more money from the gullible! It's a new one the
"humidifier". Wouldn't a watering can do the job (whatever it is!).
I reckon you need more fresh air and exercise, perhaps a better diet,
and stop smoking. Leave the windows open, Get some bicycles. Come on
pull yourself together!


"Because just like people, the air becomes thirsty too. The art lies in
giving the air just enough water to drink..."

And people actually take this seriously?!

It is serious - "Boneco 2055 Filterless Humdifier & Air Purifier
No ongoing expense of buying filters
Humidifies, cleans and ionises the air
Price: £255.00 exVAT"
Boneco for boneheads!
Er, similar effect obtained by leaving an uncovered bucket of water in
the room - at zero cost. If you need it that is, but you don't, which
is even better!

cheers
Jacob

Alright... responding to nobody in particular... The problem I described
almost certainly revolves around the dryness in the atmosphere of the house
(which causes dry throats, which leads to soreness).
Living in this house, as I do, I think I know it better than any of you.
Likewise, I am more aware of the exercise and fresh-air levels of everyone
in this house than anyone else here.

I don't "believe" what I read in brochures -and no I am not going to rush
out and buy "a humidifier" just because that site said so, but it is clear
to me that there a problem with the insulation here (perhaps contradictory
problems in various rooms).
I am going to try placing a dish of water in the room that gives the biggest
'dry air' problem and see how that goes... true, it _could_ turn out to be
ineffective, but I'd rather see that for myself.
Also true -it could lead to condensation problems, but I'll sort that before
it becomes an issue.
For now, I just want to get to the bottom of an ongoing problem.

I posted in this DIY newsgroup to get some ideas in that field.
I didn't post here for a civics lesson or a critique of someone's imaginary
idea of my family's lifestyle.

Thank you all,

-Kevin.

--
Email replies to:

In article . com,
"normanwisdom" writes:
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way.

My only thought was if they were breathing in fibre glass dust
which was somehow getting into the room from behind the platserboard?

--
Andrew Gabriel

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article . com,
"normanwisdom" writes:
Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither have
anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical environment
causes colds - it's a virus.

Things in the physical environment can effect your susceptability
to colds. I rarely get colds, but I can put just about all
colds I do get down to some incident when I got physically cold,
e.g. if I got caught outdoors in the cold for a period with
inappropriate clothing for the outdoor temperature.

20 years ago when it was still common for a number of people to
not have central heating, we did a quick survey around the office
at work. There was a very clear correlation with people who had
central heating also being the same people who got colds. I can
only speculate why, but my guess would be that central heating
can fool you into wearing inappropriate clothing for the season,
and you can then get caught out being cold when you venture out
of the micro climate in your home. Indeed, the classic time to
get a cold coincided with the first couple of cold weeks marking
the beginning of winter.

Before central heating, I probably got a cold about every 3 years.
Now, I probably get just under 1 cold a year. I am aware that I
manage to avoid several colds a year too, which I suspect many people
would pick up in the same cirumstances without taking appropriate
avoiding action. I can generally sit next to someone at work who
has a streaming cold, and be pretty certain that if I'm careful,
I won't get it, even though many others in the office will.

--
Andrew Gabriel
Virus nevertheless. I was wrong, environment does have an indirect
effect - sharing badly ventilated space with many people helps virus
spread. Central heating plus double glazing plus draughtproofing can be
bad news.

cheers
Jacob

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article . com,
"normanwisdom" writes:
Sore throats etc are infections ASFAIK. Don't see how they could be
related to dry lining in any way.

My only thought was if they were breathing in fibre glass dust
which was somehow getting into the room from behind the platserboard?

That is/was also a concern of mine.

-Kevin.

--
Email replies to:

normanwisdom wrote:
Virus nevertheless. I was wrong, environment does have an indirect
effect - sharing badly ventilated space with many people helps virus
spread. Central heating plus double glazing plus draughtproofing can
be bad news.


Yes, so far we haven't been using any heating and I've kept the windows
open... but I'm thinking that the heavy fog/mist we get around here many
nights might not be the best air to be breathing.

-Kevin.

--
Email replies to:

"Gunther Gloop" wrote:
http://www.airandwatercentre.com//SE...FE/article.htm

And the connection between the above link and plasterboard is what? Looks
like total ******** to me.

On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:09:09 +0100, "Gunther Gloop" wrote:

Alright... responding to nobody in particular... The problem I described
almost certainly revolves around the dryness in the atmosphere of the house
(which causes dry throats, which leads to soreness).
Living in this house, as I do, I think I know it better than any of you.
Likewise, I am more aware of the exercise and fresh-air levels of everyone
in this house than anyone else here.

I don't "believe" what I read in brochures -and no I am not going to rush
out and buy "a humidifier" just because that site said so, but it is clear
to me that there a problem with the insulation here (perhaps contradictory
problems in various rooms).
I am going to try placing a dish of water in the room that gives the biggest
'dry air' problem and see how that goes... true, it _could_ turn out to be
ineffective, but I'd rather see that for myself.
Also true -it could lead to condensation problems, but I'll sort that before
it becomes an issue.
For now, I just want to get to the bottom of an ongoing problem.

I posted in this DIY newsgroup to get some ideas in that field.
I didn't post here for a civics lesson or a critique of someone's imaginary
idea of my family's lifestyle.

Thank you all,

-Kevin.

How about trying a small container of water and then get an air pump and air
stone from an aquarium shop and try that .

Stuart

Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Virus nevertheless. I was wrong, environment does have an indirect
effect - sharing badly ventilated space with many people helps virus
spread. Central heating plus double glazing plus draughtproofing can
be bad news.


Yes, so far we haven't been using any heating and I've kept the windows
open... but I'm thinking that the heavy fog/mist we get around here many
nights might not be the best air to be breathing.

-Kevin.

--
"heavy fog/mist"? That's humid air (100%RH outside, and fairly high
inside at this time of year when temp difference not high). I thought
you were going to get a "humidifier". Wouldn't that make it even more
humid? You'll have steam coming out through the open windows.
Basically you are barking up the wrong tree entirely.

cheers
Jacob

normanwisdom wrote:
Virus nevertheless. I was wrong, environment does have an indirect
effect - sharing badly ventilated space with many people helps virus
spread. Central heating plus double glazing plus draughtproofing can
be bad news.


Yes, so far we haven't been using any heating and I've kept the
windows open... but I'm thinking that the heavy fog/mist we get
around here many nights might not be the best air to be breathing.

-Kevin.

--
"heavy fog/mist"? That's humid air (100%RH outside, and fairly high
inside at this time of year when temp difference not high). I thought
you were going to get a "humidifier". Wouldn't that make it even more
humid? You'll have steam coming out through the open windows.
Basically you are barking up the wrong tree entirely.


sigh
Yes it's humid air -but not very healthy. I can't keep the windows shut due
to the dryness inside. My plan now involves shutting the windows and leaving
a dish of water in the room.

At the very least it'll allow me to rule out certain things.

Fibreglass in the air, as Andrew said, was another thing I was thinking of,
but I'm not sure how/if that could get in (I wasn't involved in the
construction of this house).

But don't worry about it -I'll take it from here (and take it elsewhere when
I need further advice).

Thanks all,

-Kevin.

--
Email replies to:

Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Virus nevertheless. I was wrong, environment does have an indirect
effect - sharing badly ventilated space with many people helps virus
spread. Central heating plus double glazing plus draughtproofing can
be bad news.


Yes, so far we haven't been using any heating and I've kept the
windows open... but I'm thinking that the heavy fog/mist we get
around here many nights might not be the best air to be breathing.

-Kevin.

--
"heavy fog/mist"? That's humid air (100%RH outside, and fairly high
inside at this time of year when temp difference not high). I thought
you were going to get a "humidifier". Wouldn't that make it even more
humid? You'll have steam coming out through the open windows.
Basically you are barking up the wrong tree entirely.


sigh
Yes it's humid air -but not very healthy. I can't keep the windows shut due
to the dryness inside. My plan now involves shutting the windows and leaving
a dish of water in the room.

At the very least it'll allow me to rule out certain things.

Fibreglass in the air, as Andrew said, was another thing I was thinking of,
but I'm not sure how/if that could get in (I wasn't involved in the
construction of this house).

But don't worry about it -I'll take it from here (and take it elsewhere when
I need further advice).

Thanks all,

-Kevin.
"Yes it's humid air -but not very healthy".

Sorry to keep going on - but there is absolutely nothing unhealthy
about fog and mist - if anything it eases symptoms of people with
serious respiratory problems. It's not like the killer smogs of
yesteryear which were heavily polluted mainly with coal smoke products
- unless you live near a motorway or a coal fired power station etc.
Dish of water won't make slightest difference either.

cheers
Jacob

normanwisdom wrote:
Gunther Gloop wrote:
normanwisdom wrote:
Virus nevertheless. I was wrong, environment does have an indirect
effect - sharing badly ventilated space with many people helps
virus spread. Central heating plus double glazing plus
draughtproofing can be bad news.


Yes, so far we haven't been using any heating and I've kept the
windows open... but I'm thinking that the heavy fog/mist we get
around here many nights might not be the best air to be breathing.

-Kevin.

--
"heavy fog/mist"? That's humid air (100%RH outside, and fairly high
inside at this time of year when temp difference not high). I
thought you were going to get a "humidifier". Wouldn't that make it
even more humid? You'll have steam coming out through the open
windows. Basically you are barking up the wrong tree entirely.


sigh
Yes it's humid air -but not very healthy. I can't keep the windows
shut due to the dryness inside. My plan now involves shutting the
windows and leaving a dish of water in the room.

At the very least it'll allow me to rule out certain things.

Fibreglass in the air, as Andrew said, was another thing I was
thinking of, but I'm not sure how/if that could get in (I wasn't
involved in the construction of this house).

But don't worry about it -I'll take it from here (and take it
elsewhere when I need further advice).

Thanks all,

-Kevin.
"Yes it's humid air -but not very healthy".

Sorry to keep going on - but there is absolutely nothing unhealthy
about fog and mist - if anything it eases symptoms of people with
serious respiratory problems. It's not like the killer smogs of
yesteryear which were heavily polluted mainly with coal smoke products
- unless you live near a motorway or a coal fired power station etc.
Dish of water won't make slightest difference either.


Ok, I'll pass that info on to the doctor who told me keep the windows shut
during those nights, then.
I didn't really take his advice anyway, but now that I've heard this from a
bloke on a DIY newsgroup I can rest easy.

Thanks again,

-Kevin.


--
Email replies to:

The message . com
from "normanwisdom" contains these words:

Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither have
anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical environment
causes colds - it's a virus.

Handwashing and not rubbing your eyes or picking your nose can help a lot.

--
Skipweasel
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Guy King wrote:

The message . com
from "normanwisdom" contains these words:

Are you looking at humidifiers or de-humidifiers, and why? Neither have
anything to do with colds AFAIK. Nothing in the physical environment
causes colds - it's a virus.

Handwashing and not rubbing your eyes or picking your nose can help a lot.

Hear, hear.

If you have chronic, low level symptoms of sore throats and coughs,
there are an awful lot more things that can cause this.

o If you have children, they are likely to pick up viruses from school
almost continuously.
o If you have recently redecorated with non-water based paints, it
could be paint solvents
o If you have new artificial fibre carpets or carpet tiles, these can
release fairly high levels of formaldehyde, which is an irritant.
o Perhaps you have a dusty environment - unsealed cement floors, for
example. The dust off these can be a minor irritant.
o Some forms of fungal infestation generate fungal spores, which are
irritants.
o If anyone smokes.
o If you have an open fire - especially if smokey.
o You may be sensitive to dust mites.
o You may be sensitive to a food ingredient. A surprisingly large
number of people are 'lactose intolerant', and it may be some other
sensitivity, for example, to tartrazine, or even tomatoes.
o Perhaps you don't drink sufficient non-alcoholic and non-diuretic
drinks.
o Have you varnished or waxed any furniture?
o Do you live near a quarry, cement factory, solid fuel power station?
o Could it be a pollen sensitivity? (Hayfever)

There are a lot of charlatans out there who will try and convince you
that your symptoms are definitely due to one or other of the above, or
even something else I've not listed, and look to relieve you of money
to resolve the problem. Some even believe themselves what they say,
rather than just being outright fakers. What makes you think it has
anything to do with dry-lining? Something you've been told, something
you've read, or some evidence or correlation you've noticed?

Cheers,

Sid

On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 18:52:08 +0100, "Gunther Gloop"
wrote:

normanwisdom wrote:

Sorry to keep going on - but there is absolutely nothing unhealthy
about fog and mist - if anything it eases symptoms of people with
serious respiratory problems. It's not like the killer smogs of
yesteryear which were heavily polluted mainly with coal smoke products
- unless you live near a motorway or a coal fired power station etc.
Dish of water won't make slightest difference either.


Ok, I'll pass that info on to the doctor who told me keep the windows shut
during those nights, then.
I didn't really take his advice anyway, but now that I've heard this from a
bloke on a DIY newsgroup I can rest easy.




Maybe you have Sick Building Syndrome?

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/sbs.html



"Indicators of SBS include:

Building occupants complain of symptoms associated with acute
discomfort, e.g., headache; eye, nose, or throat irritation; dry
cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty in
concentrating; fatigue; and sensitivity to odors. "

Just for the record... Last night I kept the windows shut and placed a dish
of water under the bed in my daughter's room (she didn't know it was there).

This morning was the first morning in over a week that she didn't cough.
Around 11am I asked her if she had any cough today. _Then_ she started
coughing (when reminded of it), but it didn't have that chunky phlegm-filled
globs of the past few days.

I'm glad to say that this interim measure seems to have done something to
ease the problem.
Of course, it could be just a coincidence -only time will tell.


Obviously I had/have some other problems/solutions in mind, but I came to
this DIY forum to hopefully get some help in this particular area.

Hopefully, someone in the future with this same problem might find this
thread on groups.google and overlook the swipes and petty point-scoring to
find the solution that (seems to) work for me.

Obviously I won't leave a dish of water there forever, but I will certainly
be doing so until I come up with something better (or for a couple of days
anyway).

-Kevin.

--
Email replies to:

Gunther Gloop wrote:
Just for the record... Last night I kept the windows shut and placed a dish
of water under the bed in my daughter's room (she didn't know it was there).

This morning was the first morning in over a week that she didn't cough.
Around 11am I asked her if she had any cough today. _Then_ she started
coughing (when reminded of it), but it didn't have that chunky phlegm-filled
globs of the past few days.

I'm glad to say that this interim measure seems to have done something to
ease the problem.
Of course, it could be just a coincidence -only time will tell.


Last night I had a decent night too..

Wind had dropped and with it the spores flying around EVERYWHERE..its
been a year of the most amazing mushroom crops in the wild I have ever
seen..and I remembered to take a boots anti allergy pill. This is peak
season for crop rusts and if you are anyhere near crops and have rust
allergy its been one of te worts years i can remember.


If your daughter has the sort of mild asthma that I have, then what
tends to happen is a nasty tight cough until the allergy subsides, and
then whatever muck is down there gets cleaned out.

It means colds usually turn bad and I've had pleurisy TWICE.

Water at this time of year when the RH is up around 70% is unlikely to
help. What does help is air filtration and frankly, getting away from
the sources..i've had three good days recently - two at the seaside and
one in town center, ion all cases driving with window closed, aircon on
and the pollen filters doing their job.





Obviously I had/have some other problems/solutions in mind, but I came to
this DIY forum to hopefully get some help in this particular area.

Hopefully, someone in the future with this same problem might find this
thread on groups.google and overlook the swipes and petty point-scoring to
find the solution that (seems to) work for me.

Obviously I won't leave a dish of water there forever, but I will certainly
be doing so until I come up with something better (or for a couple of days
anyway).

Anything is worth a try. Pinning down chronic illnesses that aren't bad
or obvious enough to get you decent medical attention is a real *******.

-Kevin.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Anything is worth a try. Pinning down chronic illnesses that aren't
bad or obvious enough to get you decent medical attention is a real
*******.


Yup. What you say makes sense. She is 5 years of age now and it's like
Autumn & Winter every year sees her with the same cough ...2-3 months off &
on. I've tried a lot of different things.
"Fixing" dry air isn't my first attempted solution, but it's one of many
ongoing attempts.
She's gone off to school today sans cough, so I'm still hopeful about the
dish -although I will keep in mind what you say about rust allergy too.

Thanks for your reasoned response. It was like a breath of fresh
(none-too-dry) air around here.

-Kevin.


--
Email replies to:

Gunther Gloop wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Anything is worth a try. Pinning down chronic illnesses that aren't
bad or obvious enough to get you decent medical attention is a real
*******.

Yup. What you say makes sense. She is 5 years of age now and it's like
Autumn & Winter every year sees her with the same cough ...2-3 months off &
on. I've tried a lot of different things.
"Fixing" dry air isn't my first attempted solution, but it's one of many
ongoing attempts.
She's gone off to school today sans cough, so I'm still hopeful about the
dish -although I will keep in mind what you say about rust allergy too.

Thanks for your reasoned response. It was like a breath of fresh
(none-too-dry) air around here.

-Kevin.



You can get cheap hygrometers that tell you whether you're in the
"comfort zone" (between 40 and 60% RH IIRC), but it really shouldn't be
a problem at this time of year. The worst conditions are when it's cold
and sunny outside.
A saucer of water doesn't affect overall humidity in the room without
air circulation, hence fan operated humidifiers. The cheap ones that sit
on the rads are probably as good as anything if you remember to top them
up. Most airborne nasties are more mobile in low humidity so it's a good
idea to keep the level up.
Takes me back to when my 4 year had an attack of croup, which is a truly
terrifying experience for a parent. Phoned the emergency doctor who told
me to take him in the kitchen and boil the kettle. Worked like a charm
and it never happened again.