ICF.....stop participating in this thread, looking for ideas not criticism of my customer's approach.

It might be "fun" looking for ideas, but I don't think it has been adequately established that your customer is being made sick by her heating plant in the first place.

I see, ICF, you are confused by the title. You have forsaken all other content in this thread and fixated on a half sentence.

For those that are equally confused by the title, if you read the content of this blog, you will understand it is the heating "season" when my customer is most distressed.

I don't try to find "fun" in someones misery.

Is it fun antagonizing others? Must be you are up 'til the wee hours doing so.

For those that are equally confused by the title, if you read the content of this blog, you will understand it is the heating "season" when my customer is most distressed.

If you read my suggestion, you will see that many of the underlying organic conditions that could cause this problem are seasonal.

I don't try to find "fun" in someones misery.

Are you at all concerned about "1000 ppm" of TVOC in your client's home?

Joe - it could be duct leaks anywhere in the system. I just used attic leaks since that's what I'm dealing with. But imagine the case where they've got basement return leaks. That will suck in any contaminants from the basement and distribute that around the house. For example, lots of people store paints and other VOCs in the basement that could cause reactions. The heating season could be an exacerbating factor due to dry air (as mentioned by others) but it may otherwise be a red herring. For example, the mucous membranes dry out and crack under low humidity conditions. This can lead to a greater chance of infections and so forth.

Have you considered www.indoorairtest.com For just hundreds of dollars you can eliminate any of your liability and help the homeowner possibly identify VOCs or pollen,dust,mold issues. Hope this helps. I may use them for a home I have a CO issue with. They keep asking if geothermal can cause a CO issue.

The obvious condition which differs greatly between seasons is the relative humidity. Increase the humidity and then determine if there is any improvement.

ok i agree with the humidity. also has she had any dental work done lately. we had a problem in our area and it seems the dental whether crown or bridges or full dentures were being made in china. there is a major law suit here over it and aspen dental is the culprit. happens when you put profits above patient care. how about mold or mildew in the walls of the house. do they get water in the basement on heavy rains. i will follow this .

update:
Waiting for insurance adjuster, customer has been running on electric auxiliary only and has had no reactions in her home.

She hopes new heat pump will remedy her situation, but I reminded her that she had reactions with the original propane furnace.

While nothing is ruled out completely, we do know that heat alone is not the culprit, nor humidity as she is not currently augmenting that.

Thoughts?

Joe, do you think this might eliminate the ducts as a culprit?

I wouldn't rule out humidity. Have you monitored it and shown that it is the same when she feels normal as when she feels sick.

I mention this because I've found in almost every home I've studied, that forced air systems dry out homes because even small amounts of duct leaks outside the envelope, on either supply or return side, can lead to significant humidity changes.

Grasping at a straw, but here goes:

Operating on strips eliminates heat pump. Could it be that the system has a refrigerant leak in the air coil that gets much worse in winter owing to much higher refrigerant pressure on the air side in heating mode?

Couple that with clien sensitivity to refrigerant (a reach, I know) and you may be onto something...just a thought.

The foregoing doesn't square with previously stated sensitivity to propane heat or sewer gas...I remain at a loss to explain that.

Appreciate continued thoughts guys and not arguing.....just playing devils advocate-
If humidity/forced air is the culprit how do we explain lack of reaction during electric forced air heating through same ducts? I will get hygrometer readings regardless.

As you mentioned Curt the theory loses plausibility when we consider prior sensitivity to propane furnace, but I will ask if they had AC before.

Ducts for electric resistance heat and geo are the same so it would appear not to be a duct issue.

While it would be an expensive test, the heat pump now has to be replaced so we will be able to rule that out, I also suggested customer look at carbon, potassium permanganate filters (available for $40-$100).

Will keep you posted.

Have you considered contaminated air coming from the condensate drain?

In summer this would be trapped from condensation off the coils, but when it's dry in winter they could be pulling air up from the septic. If she's extremely sensitive it may not take much to cause an problem. This would be present if they had AC prior to the geo too. Though this still doesn't explain the lack of reaction when running on electric through the same ducts.

-Dave

Dave, I like the thought.
H/O did just report she eventually had some reaction on electric coil.
Since we are heating only, I will try disconnecting the drain for now.
j

I think we will include a condensate pump with check valve on new heat pump, that should eliminate the condensate drain possibility nicely.
j

Just to update: I had not recalled, customer has condensate pump already so cond drain theory didn't work out. Further potassium permanganate (duo 4) did not seem to help. New heat pump is in and drain is not connected. typing this it occurs to me that I should cap that for new to rule out introduction of contaminates through drain altogether.
j