Indoor Air Quality
Zero Off-Gassing
Off gassing is virtually eliminated in an Omnicrete System yielding the best indoor air quality of any system.
What is Off gassing?
Off gassing is the evaporation of volatile chemicals in non-metallic materials at normal atmospheric pressure. This means that building materials can release chemicals into the air through evaporation. This evaporation can continue for years after the products are initially installed which means you continue to breathe these chemicals as you work, sleep and relax in your home or office.
Materials such as paints, stains, varnishes, carpet, insulation, flooring, kitchen cabinets and counter tops, plywood, particleboard, and paint strippers can produce significant off gassing in your home or office. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns about the health effects of poor Indoor Air Quality from the off gassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
Everyone knows how bad most paints stains and varnishes smell; your instincts probably tell you the fumes are bad for you. Much of those fumes are from VOCs. But there are VOCs in less obvious products. For example, that film that accumulates on the windows on a new car. This film is the result of chemicals off gassing into the air and then condensing onto the windows to form the film. This same process is very likely going on in your home and workplace right now, and the chemicals are not only in the air and on the windows, they are in your lungs. Have you ever noticed how hard you have to rub to get that film off your windows?
Omnicrete is very careful of all materials used in the process being sure inorganic materials are used that do not offense in every building constructed. All other systems use drywall, wood and glues which offense that have the potential of harming occupants.
The Omnicrete wall system is virtually inert. The vapor barrier made up of a layer of inert EPS Board and covered by 6 mil polyethylene sheeting has zero off gassing. XPS blue board has been used in the Healthy House Institute's model demonstration house for achieving indoor air quality and energy efficiency.1. The American Lung Association used EPP in their model . Either type can be used as specified by the owner. We typically use XPS.
The AAC walls are made from sand and limestone and are inert. The inner core is poured concrete. The interior AAC wall is finished with a skim coat of eco friendly plaster or clay plaster. The finished floors can be made of polished concrete or tile. Polished concrete floors can be sealed with an non-voc sealer. Tile floors use a non-voc grout. Dividing walls are available in AAC. Drywall, wood and paper products that can contribute to off gassing are completely eliminated. The total wall is inert. For homes designed for EMR sensitivity, nonmetallic rebar made from volcanic rock is used.
Click here to see MSDS sheets and other info for all materials listed on the "technical" page.
Zero Mold
Omnicrete systems contain no drywall, wood or paper products for mold to grow. The sealed vapor barrier on the outside of the core wall prevents moisture intrusion and a controlled ventilation system filters new fresh air and removes moisture to deliver a controlled, stable ambient climate. Mold simply cannot grow.
100% Termite & Pest Resistant
Since both stay-in-place forming walls are made from AAC (which is totally Termite Resistance) and the center core is solid steel reinforced concrete Omnicrete is 100% Termite proof in that termites have no reason to be in the wall system because there isn't wet organic matter in the wall materials.
Additionally no wood is placed around doors and windows as in all other types of conventional and non-conventional construction. Termites feed on rotting wet wood; in the event the wood is not wet and rotting the termites have the ability to bring moisture into the area. Once the wood (cellulose) is wet the Termites have a feast. If you don't use Omnicrete you will need to spray toxic spray to prevent termite from entering your home and that is not healthy for your family.
Termites cause millions of dollars of damage every year to all types of buildings. Because AAC is impenetrable by insects and impervious to attack by insects and termites, it eliminates this risk, saving potentially tens of thousands of dollars in termite control and repair costs. With the Omnicrete process involved the benefits are intensified.
No need to spray pesticides under the slab prior to construction and no need to spray though out the life cycle of the house.
Simply put in an Omnicete wall system there is no lunch for the termites to feast on. No food; no termites. It's as simple as that!
Air Pollutant & Allergen Protection
The vapor barrier not only provides an air-tight seal around the entire envelope but also acts as a barrier to not only moisture but air pollutants and allergens that can pass thru "drafty" walls often found in conventional homes.
The air filtration and ventilation system polishes and removes contaminants in outside fresh air before being brought into the air exchanger as make-up air and also removes pollutants generated from cooking and other daily practices as well as those brought into the envelope by direct transfer.
Together, the inert wall system, the vapor barrier and the air filtration and ventilation system deliver a superior level of indoor air quality.
