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The dangers of Formaldehyde

Here Nelson Larrosa from The Demand Group explains why Formaldehyde - a toxic chemical - is especially dangerous: “FORMALDEHYDE is the next dirty word that should be on everyone’s lips and if you care anything about your health, your families health and our environment, you’ll say NO to this chemical!

What does that actually mean? In Australia, there are lots of products that will contain formaldehyde in very minute quantities. Our standards only allow for products to contain very small quantities of this very harsh substance. Bodies are embalmed using this fluid, it is a known carcinogen and detrimental to the health of those who are exposed to it. The level and length of exposure will determined the severity of the illness.

So why am I telling you this? Because there are lots of imported insulation products coming into the country that contain high levels of Formaldehyde and whilst we haven’t tested any samples, there are reports of installers being violently ill whilst installing imported batts. The Formaldehyde gives off a very strong odour and this is exacerbated in a confined space, like a roof cavity.

There are many countries, like the US and Canada that have banned certain products due to them containing Formaldehyde. We have Australian Standards and all imported products should meet these standards, however this is somewhat questionable give the products we’ve seen on shelves and being installed.

Again when choosing an installer for your insulation and the product that you’re about to purchase, beware! Choose an Australian made product, preferably one that doesn’t use formaldehyde in the process to manufacture or that is used as a bonding substance. Polyester batts manufactured in Australia do not contain formaldehyde and are by far the healthiest option available.

I hope you can use this information. I have never really worried about formaldehyde until the rush of imports and the distinct odour that is associated with it. However, I would just use my nose to let me be the judge. Formaldehyde is a silent killer and I don’t want to find out that my not so keen nose missed something.”

The dangers of foil insulation

And now let’s move on to another dangerous kind of insulation - foil insulation. According to Archicentre, use of foil insulation over ceiling joists or beneath rafters in homes can conceal structural faults and make it almost impossible for inspectors to find potential electrical, plumbing or termite problems.

While it is true that in new homes foil installed in the roof contributes to energy efficiency, we must know that retro-fitting it inside existing homes creates a whole set of issues with locating and fixing faults, and with safety.

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“The most recent report by the NSW Firebrigade is that there have been a little more than 60 fire caused by insulation installed in ceilings. All were attributed to Cellulose fibre insulation (CFI). Which is basically, recycled mulched up paper. This is treated with a harsh chemical known as Borax (Octoborate), which is a fire retardant. Wool was not a contributing factor in any fire where insulation has been the cause.

Halogen lighting is a concern and as long as you have professionals install the insulation along with appropriate light protectors or an adequate air space left around the light and transformers there shouldn’t be an issue.

The safest form of insulation available from both a fire and personal long term health perspective are Polyester batts made from 100% polyester fibre. This and ensuring that your chosen installer is using a reputable manufacturer, i.e., a local manufacturer that is manufacturing polyester batts in Australia to the AS/NZS4859.1 and AS1530.3.

Beware of importers that advertise that their products meets the relevant AS/NZS4859.1 These products may not necessarily have been tested as rigorously as a product manufactured in Australia.

However, having said all that, the number of fires in relation to number of houses that have been insulated are relatively small and the long term benefits to the occupants and the environment are well worth the Government’s financial support. Like all else that consumers are likely to purchase, it is always BUYER BEWARE.”

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Do we have a fire drill in our house? Yes, we do. Since yesterday So don’t feel bad if it didn’t occur to you that you, too, need to have a fire drill.

Jokes aside, here is how you family can be prepared for a house fire. You need to have certain equipment and get trained to escape.

Equipment

1. Install smoke alarms and test them as required. Have a chart that says when they were last tested.
2. Get a fire extinguisher and teach all the adults in the household how to use it.

Actions

1. Draw a floor plan of your house and mark 2 fire escape routes for each room.
2. Agree on a place outside your house for everybody to meet after they got out of the house.
3. Get out and stay out - don’t re-enter the house, call for help from a payphone, mobile phone or the neighbor’s house.
4. Everyone in the household should practice in crawling from their bedroom via the escape route outside. Make them do it blindfolded, because if there’s thick smoke people won’t be able to see much.
5. Only follow your escape route if it’s clear of smoke - otherwise use your other escape route. If you must go through smoke, don’t walk - crawl.
6. If there’s a closed door in your way, feel it before you open it. If it’s warm - don’t open it, go via another route.
7. Never take keys out of the locks. Any door or window that is locked and you don’t have the key can be your death sentence. Fumes are more dangerous than flames, people get disoriented in the thick smoke quickly and there won’t be time to look for the key.
8. Always keep a torch by the bed because most fires happen at night.
9. Have this fire drill at least twice a year, to keep all the members of your household “in a good shape”.

A special thanks goes to Rachel, a reader of Homeiown and my friend, for sharing her fire-safety tips.

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Thermo-Gel is an innovative product, created to save lives and property from fires. It is a concentrate, which mixes with water to create a fire-preventing and heat-absorbing gel. This gel is spayed on the walls of the house, the glass windows, any types of surfaces and that way a barrier is created to protect the house from fire. It can even be sprayed on plants, trees, shrubs and other kinds of vegetation and works very effectively to save them from fire. It is not affected by low humidity and works much better than foam that uses an encapsulated air. It is very water efficient, non-toxic and minimizes the time it takes to contain the fire.

As a matter of fact there was a ‘cool’ test performed to show exactly how effective Thermo-Gel is. They burnt down a house No, I’m not kidding. One half of the house was treated with fire-protective foam and the other half - with Thermo-Gel. Then they burned fuel for 10 minutes and used a fan to simulate wind. After 10 minutes the foam side was a total wreck and Thermo-Gel side … remained just the way it was before the fire, untouched. Unbelievably, even the window pane didn’t crack from the heat.

Not only houses and vegetation can be protected - but also power poles, pumps, supply lines, fuel tanks, etc. When you no longer need it, either wash it off with a strong jet of water pressure or just leave it on - it’s biodegradable. There’s no need in any training to apply it, just use the nozzle in the home kit to spray it over the surfaces you want to protect.

Have a look how simple it is (they have a video on YouTube)

And if this product has helped you save your property, I’d love to hear what you think - so that together we’d help more people do the same.

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Do you even feel like answering these questions? Nahhhh… me neither

I’m just thankful for having you as my readers, no strings attached, no questions asked, you are welcome here any time and I am wishing you a very good year.

When you’re all back from the holidays and are sober enough to think straight, it will be my pleasure to continue writing about my favorite thing - Aussie property world.

Let’s just hope for the best, forget about the worst and step into the future (as if we had a choice!)

By the time the countdown is over, it’s HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

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We may not have the snow here in Australia, but we sure have the spirit! We’ve decorated our gum trees with ornaments, and put on our Christmas shorts and thongs, because it’s too hot to be wearing anything else.

My best wishes to you in this festive season, may you get lots of presents and give even more. Have a nice holiday, and then come back to my website, check what I’ve been up to

Happy Holidays!

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Normally younger people need to borrow money to buy a house. Reverse mortgage is exactly the opposite - it’s a loan that people over 60 get against the value of their paid off house. There are no repayments with a reverse mortgage - this loan needs to be repaid at once when people sell their house, move to a retirement village / a nursing home or pass away. Instead of reducing the interest and the principle amount by making a repayment, the debt on a reverse mortgage keeps on growing.

The amount a person is allowed to borrow is nowhere near a 100% of their property - it floats between 15 and 35 percent, depending on their age. The younger the borrower is, the less they are allowed to borrow.

The good

Reverse mortgage gives you instant access to money. Imagine a pensioner with bad spending habits, who has credit card debt (or whatever else debt for that matter) and is living on a fixed income. There are many people out there who fit this description, and they would be facing difficulties when asked to repay the debt at once. One solution for that problem is to borrow money against the value of their house.

You can choose whether you want the reverse mortgage to complement your income (by receiving monthly payments) or to get a one-off amount and “have a party”, go on a holiday, buy a car, treat yourself to something you always wanted, but never could afford.

The bad

A person with a reverse mortgage is “spending their kids’ inheritance”. Personally I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, but many people from my parent’s generation make a big deal of leaving inheritance to the children.

Also, anyone who’s got a reverse mortgage first and then decided to move to a retirement village may find out that they don’t have enough money left in their house. This is especially likely to happen during a period when the property prices weren’t going up.

People who are getting payments from Centrelink that are subjects to income test may lose their eligibility, because they’ve got the money of the reverse mortgage sitting in their bank account.

The ugly

If there’s no unconditional guarantee of ‘no negative equity’ in your contract - you’re in trouble. This guarantee is to make sure you never owe more than your house’ worth. Otherwise they may come and take it away and you will still owe money, which is exactly the opposite of enjoyable retirement.

Not many people know that anyone with a reverse mortgage has to pay for regular property valuations. At present they cost anywhere between $400 and $1000, a considerable amount that you can expect to be paying every three years.

Not many people know that a person with a reverse mortgage enters a contract with an obligation to do regular maintenance to the house and to get a building insurance, which otherwise are a completely voluntary things.

Any couple that doesn’t own the house jointly should know that reverse mortgage will be in one name only - so that when the home owner moves to a nursing home or dies, the house must be sold to repay the mortgage and the other partner can potentially be left homeless.

Do you have any experience with reverse mortgages? Are there more traps we need to know about?

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The first part - Life Tips in a Marriage - will open your eyes to things that need to be done to keep you safe, whatever happens. The second part - Life Tips in a Failing Marriage - will help you go through the tough times, if and when they come.

Life Tips in a Marriage

1. ALWAYS ensure the marital home is in joint names. If hubby is against this, ask why, but do not take no for an answer.

2. ALWAYS be involved in your joint financial affairs. Know exactly what bills, loans and mortgages you both have and keep an eye on joint credit card debt. Hubby’s debt becomes yours and vice versa.

3. NEVER agree to allow the drawing down of extra mortgage payments without both signatures, and never let this be accessed via internet banking.

4. Try to keep a finger in the employment pie, no matter how small it is. Try working from home when the babies are little.

5. NEVER let anyone access your superannuation fund, even if it is ‘just to look’. Keep it password protected.

6. Build a small nest egg for a rainy day that can only be accessed by you. Be open and honest about it. Call it what you want, but it’s your insurance policy. If you don’t have an income and you are a full time Mum, this nest egg is an absolute necessity.

7. Always be involved in compiling taxation returns, yours and your partners, ESPECIALLY if he is self employed. Never let yourself be used as a Partner or Director in hubby’s own business unless you really are drawing a salary of your own and have your own bank account to put it in.

8. If you have a car, make sure it is registered in your name.

To be continued - coming up next Life Tips in a Failing Marriage, stay tuned.

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If you’re interested to learn something new about frugality - or about me, Chris Lang, head over to Almost Frugal - a very interesting blog that I’ve been following for a long time. You’ll get a chance to find out what is the most typical frugal thing that I do, and what is it that I do and most of you, probably, don’t

Actually, for those of you who are interested, we can play the same game here - but apply it to the property market. Anyone who is willing to put his hand up will get 4 questions from me, and I will have a chance to learn about my readers and what frugality means to them.

So let’s do this. Who want’s to go first?

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This has been the explanation for some 30 house fires in NSW, that happened days after a brand new insulation was fitted. These people simply wanted to improve their homes taking advantage of the recently announced government rebate and as a result were almost left homeless.

The worst part is that even smoke alarms weren’t a big help as they weren’t triggered right away. This could be because of the fact that the fire is above them, not below.

Firemen are urging people to climb up and make sure that the downlights are not being smothered by the insulation. I know that we shouldn’t have to - but hey, better safe than sorry!

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