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July 1, 2009

Surprisingly nasty

But even sealed windows don’t solve the soot problem entirely. Mr. Nelson and others said that gases created by basement heating systems often rise through buildings’ interiors.

Because the gases tend to follow load-bearing walls, which are continuous, they concentrate around the edges of rooms, he said.

The gases leave oily deposits as they pass through carpets, which are really room-size filters.

And when dirt hits those deposits, it sticks. One result can be a dark line around the perimeter of the room, known as filtration soiling.

Soil in the City

As if there weren't enough problems to worry about, now I have to worry about greasy invisible gases causing dirt to stick to my carpets. I guess it isn't too bad since I've never noticed it before, but it certainly sounds awful.

Posted by OneEyedMan at July 1, 2009 4:52 PM

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