Legionnaires' disease is most often contracted by inhaling mist from water sources such as whirlpool baths, showers, and cooling towers that are contaminated with Legionella bacteria. There is no evidence for person-to-person spread of the disease.Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease include fever, chills, and a cough that may or may not produce sputum. Other symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and confusion. This list of symptoms, however, does not readily distinguish Legionnaires' disease from other types of pneumonia. Legionnaires' disease is confirmed by laboratory tests that detect the presence of the bacterium, Legionella pnuemophila, or the presence of other bacteria in the family Legionellaceae. It is the most often treated with the antibiotic drug Erythromycin. Although Legionnaires' disease has a mortality rate of 5 to 15 percent, many people may be infected with the bacterium that causes the disease, yet not develop any symptoms. It is likely that many cases of Legionnaires' disease go undiagnosed.

Legionnaires' disease can be viewed as an example of how our physical environment affects our health. in wall ac unit coversRelative humidity, temperature, and other environmental factors can alter the incidence and the fatality rates of infectious diseases, including Legionnaires' disease. ac wall units cheapFor example, cooling towers and evaporative condensers of large air conditioning systems have been associated with outbreaks of the disease, and the highest incidence of Legionnaires' disease occurs in the warmest months of the year, the time when air conditioning systems are used the most.how to install in wall ac unit My bedroom window air-conditioner, a seven-year-old Frigidaire, seems to have developed mold, and I’m about to replace it. It stays in the window all year.

When I first turned it on about two weeks ago, I found black speck over the white carpet. The next time it was on the same thing happened. I now see black spots in the slats at the top of the air-conditioner and can see black if I look to the back of it. I have cleaned the screen, but it isn’t coming through there. Is this how people develop Legionnaire’s disease? A. Mold spores have gotten into the air-conditioner, and that is why some of the condensate is black, although the condensate should be dripping outdoors. Try this before calling a mold remediation company: Lightly spray the unit, indoors and out, with 1 part bleach and 3 parts water. For the inside of the unit, spray where the air exhausts outdoors with the same solution, and put the unit on “air” until any smell is gone. If it’s still smells, call a mold remedition specialist. May Indoor Air Quality is a good one. All this won’t be necessary if you buy a new unit. Legionnaire’s disease is way out of my bailiwick.

Q. I live in the South End in Boston and I am sorely in need of a recommendation for a skilled roofing person who can take on the stripping and replacement of our roof. Yelp is usually all over the map and leave your head spinning with the contradicting reviews. Do you have recommendations you could share? A. I used to recommend my own roofer whom I have had for 40+ years and who put on two roofs, but not any more since he inspected one section that is in bad shape and promised to replace that section. That was last autumn. You can try another clearing house such as Angie’s List, and if that doesn’t work, talk with the bigger dealers, one by one. Q. We are desperate for advice about the possible mold in our bedroom walls. We can smell the mold, but we do not know where exactly it is and what exactly is the cause. We have been thinking ice dams, gutters, the roof, but we are not sure. Who can we contact to diagnose the situation and propose a solution that will not bankrupt us.

Thank you so much for any advice you can give us. A. Here’s another example of mold resulting from moisture but no water leaks. In fact, I think the mold is resulting from condensation of moisture in the house. Since humid air rises, the mold would be more likely to occur on the second floor on walls where the water vapor condensed. You can wash walls with a solution of 1 part bleach and 3 parts water. Most household mold is black, some is white and rarely, any color. If the solution works, hold down the humidity by ventilating the upstairs to release excess water vapor, or by using central air.Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton also appears in Sundaty Address-Real Estate. He is available 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays to answer questions on house repair. Get Today’s Headlines from the Globe in your inbox:Search engine visitors - click here to access entire "$ensible Home" web Click here to see a descriptive illustration showing several devices to cool house while heating water

Dear Jim: When my air conditioner is running, it gives off a lot ofAre there any devices to capture this waste energy to heat my hot water for free? If so, can I install one myself? A: You can heat your hot water for free using the heat given off from air conditioners. conditioners don't actually cool overall. Using a refrigeration cycle, they draw heat from indoor air and transfer that heat, plus the heat from their motors, to the outdoor air. Add-on or integral heat pump water heaters (HPWH) are efficient devices to do what you want. These operate similar to a window air conditioner. heat from your utility room or basement cooling the air inside your house. Instead of having the hot condenser coils outdoors, the HPWH has a built-in heat exchanger connected to your existing water heater. When the HPWH is running, your house is being cooled and the water is being heated. Overall, a HPWH operates three to four times more efficiently than a

standard electric water heater so your water heating costs are reduced by up toAn added advantage is a HPWH dehumidifies the indoor air for better comfort, less mold growth and reduced allergy problems. Several of the add-on HPWH's are easy to install yourself. valve is attached to the standard drain valve near the base of your waterThe HPWH operates on 110 volts, so you just plug it in. placed on the floor or mounted on the wall and the cool, dry air can be ducted to other rooms in your home. Another add-on HPWH design is circular and mounts on top of your electricThis generally requires professional installation, but it savesComplete integral models that include the entire water heater tankDesuperheater devices are available to connect your central air conditioner hot condenser to the water heater tank. This can be done with a coil in the water heater or a separate heat exchanger. Some simple models have the heat exchanger built into a circular base upon which your water heater

Built-in desuperheaters are common on whole-house geothermal heat pumps. Other devices are effective for improving comfort while loweringIf you have an old central air conditioner, installing a dehumidifying heat pipe coil can help. This coil precools the room air to increase dehumidification for better comfort and electricity savings. New super-efficient whole-house dehumidifiers are also money-savers. can be attached to the duct system and bring in filtered fresh outdoor airIf the air is drier, you can set the thermostat higher. Download Update Bulletin No. 458 - buyer's guide of nine heat pump water heater (add-on and integral with tank), desuperheater, whole-house dehumidifying heat pipes and dehumidifier manufacturers, and other cooling/comfort and payback/savings tables and water heating efficiency tips. Dear Jim: During last winter, whenever I took a shower and ran the bathroom vent fan, the fan dripped water a few minutes after I turned it off.

What was causing this and how can I correct it? A: You are most likely getting water condensation in the vent pipe that runs through the attic. At least this shows you have adequate attic ventilation so your attic is staying cold as it should. You can run your vent fan longer so it exhausts all the moisture-laden air, but this will use more electricity. Try rerouting the vent duct in the attic to make it shorter and slope it downward to a soffit outlet. Choose Among the 30 General Topics Lists #1 - Air-Conditioning - #2 - Appliances (Kitchen) Appliances (Others) Topics List #4 - Attic/Roof Cooling Topics List #5 - Topics List #7 - Doors (Entrance/Garage) Topics List Automation Topics List#9 - Fireplaces/Wood Heating Topics #11 - Heating (Central) Heating (Room) Topics List #13 - House Construction Topics List #14 - House Plans (New) Topics List #15 - Indoor Air #18 - Lighting (Indoors)