The Brompton "negative air pressure"

Isn't "negative air pressure" a fancy term for farting?

lol

I think it means air pressure is lower in building rather than out, so you don't get a flow of air. I guess thats not good for mold.

I believe negative air pressure refers to air flowing from their units/apts to the hallways, which would be caused by the air pressure being lower in the hallways than in the units. This can be caused by the building ventilation system which likely uses fans to draw air from vents on one part of the building, through the building and then pushed out another part of building. All buildings have ventilation systems and if the fan is strong enough, it could draw a partial vacuum in the hallways and/or common areas such that the pressure in the hallways is lower than inside the units/apts. No idea whether the problem is severe enough at The Brompton to be a cause for voiding a contract and no idea why that would cause mold. I've toured the building and an apartment that was for rent and didnt notice anything like this. The building is very nice. Sounds to me like the purchaser is grasping for an excuse to renege.

sounds like a desperate attempt to renegotiate his purchase price. good luck, they are not giving concessions and I hear they have closed half the units already

> What is negative air pressure and why does it cause mold?

I think negative air pressure means I bought when everything was inflated, and not this heavy, heavy air is pushing everything down. So, please, please don't make me buy.

nice nyc 10022...also, you could very well be right that the air pressure is higher inside than outside, which could also be cause by the ventilation system. i've had some 'industrial' experience and seen the problem in an enclosed space that was ventilated. i certainly didnt see it at the Bromptom when i toured tho.

negative air pressure is the BS excuse you pull out of your ass when you want a reason to get your deposit back.

For mold to be exist, you have to have moisture trapped. Somehow, the negative air pressure is causing a build up of air, thus moisture to develop in the air system and/or the walls.

Does the Brompton have central air for cool and heat?

Interior kitchens and baths have to have exhausts, which creates lower air pressure in the apartment. In an older building, the high-to-low movement is from the outside through window edges, etc. If the apartment is tightly sealed on the outside, then the air has to come from the hallway. A bunch of apartments sucking air in under their doors from the hallway will overcome the hallway's own exhaust, letting who knows what into the apartment.

You see a similar issue in tightly-sealed new-house construction. The necessary bathroom exhausts can overcome the exhaust on the furnace or water heater, letting carbon monoxide build up. That kind of construction requires intake of fresh make-up air to keep everything in balance.

The case, though, is grasping at straws. A buyer of $20M worth of apartment would of course have spent a few thousand on having the HVAC specs gone over before contracting to buy.

If you see grilles under the windows, then your ventilation is OK, since you can adjust fresh-air intake when heating and cooling. You do need to find out whether the under-window unit is supplied with chilled/hot water from a central system, or is all-electric.

If no grilles visible outside, then the equipment is tucked away inside somewhere, and you need to find out whether opening a window is the only way to ventilate.

Negative air pressure is awesome. ex.. If you are a cigar smoker, you may create a room with negative air pressure in order to keep all the dirty air in the room and draw fresh air from other rooms. You then vent it outside if you choose.

My guess is the lawyer is using the mold argument like an asbestos claim. Create a scenario with mold likely to develop that is non-livable, non-insurable, non-marketable. Very creative...

Negative air pressure comes from when a broker opens his or her mouth.

hahaha nyc10022, hahahahaha

High pressure always goes to low pressure (I think that might be the Second law of thermodynamics, but I only had to take beginning level Civvy courses in Engineering School so i don't remember that stuff too well). You want to create a "negative pressure environment" wherever you have stuff that you want to contain in that room (like patient09 points out for a smoking room). It's certainly something you would want for any commercial space in a building you lived in.

The problem with negative pressure in a residential unit could be that any odors in the halls or in the building's bathroom and kitchen vents systems would tend to get sucked into the unit rather than passing by and being vented out the roof stack. I could understand not wanting the 20 floors below bathroom exhausts getting sucked into your apartment.

Yeah but can someone tell if there's negative air pressure without doing sophisticated testing? This allegation, which is at the heart of the lawsuit, seems to be a red herring. Should a buyer be able to have his own architect go over each aspect of a building and assess whether it's up to par or not? And finally, would the city's Dept of Buildings issue a TCO if the Bromptom had serious construction issues, as what's alleged in this lawsuit?

This attorney, as well as those who are part of this lawsuit, are doing this building no favors. Just see what the impact of negative publicity is having with re-sales at the Plaza. Not good. And the simple shame of it is, The Bromptom is a beautiful building and doesn't deserve any hint of poor construction whatsoever.

"Yeah but can someone tell if there's negative air pressure without doing sophisticated testing?"

One book of matches (and maybe some newspaper).

Is there a way to get court filings through Acris or a similar no fee service?

Start with eCourts. (Long URL; just google ecourts.) If the parties filed docs electronically, they'll be there, otherwise just decisions and odds and ends.

When I checked last week, nothing on this case.

Amazing what you can get on the internet. Thanks.

Negative air pressure room is important if you want to keep something in. Such as to isolate a patient with TB.

Positive air pressure is important is you want to keep something out. e.g. if you are immunocompromised and need to keep bugs out.

So if you happen to have a transplanted organ (or low CD4 count), an apartment with negative air pressure could be a potential problem.