Presenter(s): Ian Dahl — Architecture
Co-Presenter(s): Sidney Zabell, Natania Yeung
Faculty Mentor(s): Carli Torti
Session: (Virtual) Poster Presentation
This study evaluated how placing dishes of different dryness levels in a cabinet contributed to increased levels of humidity and CO2. CO2 is a by-product of mold and mildew production, which can easily develop in an enclosed space with high humidity levels. This is a common issue in construction and built spaces with limited airflow, and CO2 levels can be considered dangerous if above 1000 ppm. To see whether moisture levels would increase humidity and CO2 to hazardous levels, wet dishes were dipped in water and stacked inside a kitchen cabinet with a GOVEE humidity monitor and HOBO CO2 monitor. The plastic dishes were kept inside an isolated kitchen cabinet and kept closed for three days to record measurements of humidity and CO2 levels. We compared this data against the original humidity and CO2 levels inside the cabinet before any wet plates were put inside. Group 1 of testing was the control group of 12 dry plates. Group 2 of testing consisted of 3 wet and 9 dry plates, group 3 of 6 wet and 6 dry plates, and group 4 of 9 wet and 3 dry plates. The results show increased humidity and CO2 levels in all phases of testing. The increase of CO2 levels was nearly 25% higher in group 4 compared to the 10% increase in group 2, and increases in humidity levels were nearly 5% higher compared to group 1 indicating the correlation between moisture build-up in a small space and increased humidity and CO2 levels.