The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Healthy House Initiative (2004-06), funded by a demonstration grant from the HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, developed these moisture control treatments. They were devised for generally older detached wood frame, single and two-family housing located in low-income communities in Cleveland and the inner-ring suburbs of Cuyahoga County.

The lead agency for the project was the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. Other partners involved in the development of the moisture treatments were the Cleveland Department of Public Health, the Cleveland Housing Network, the Cuyahoga County Department of Development, and Environmental Health Watch. Jim LaRue, building science consultant for Environmental Health Watch, was the primary technical consultant and author of this report. Ralph Solonitz did the drawings.

The development of these treatments built upon the partners’ experiences in the Cuyahoga County Urban Mold & Moisture Project, funded by a HUD healthy house technical studies grant (1999-2003) and the Cleveland Lead + Asthma Project, funded by a HUD lead hazard control grant and a USEPA whole house grant (1997-1998).

The building intervention strategy developed for the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Healthy House Initiative was to integrate home weatherization with healthy house treatments, focusing on moisture control to reduce sources of inhalant allergens, such as mold, dust mites and roaches that can trigger asthma exacerbations.

The home assessments were conducted by weatherization specification writers (Cleveland Housing Network and the Cuyahoga County Department of Development) and by public health sanitarians (Cuyahoga County Board of Health). The work was conducted by private contractors that were both certified weatherization and licensed lead abatement contractors that had received specialized training from project staff. The healthy house approach, the inspection process and the general interventions are presented in the attached slide presentations.

The key moisture control treatments discussed in detail in this report are:

• Duct cold air return directly to the furnace (repair the “Cleveland Drop”)
• Flash the soil to the house
• Treat the porch floor like a roof
• Eliminate sub-slab duct and heating systems
• Effectively run gutter systems and disconnect and redirect downspouts
• Reduce moisture in foundation crawlspaces