Moisture control begins before the sensor.

Indoor Environment and Moisture Control Protocol

Measured environmental conditions are building evidence. They are not a medical diagnosis or a guarantee of health, comfort or absence of mould.

Why the protocol exists

A residence can feel cool while moisture and pollutants remain uncontrolled.

Split AC may lower air temperature without bringing in outdoor air. A wardrobe can stay closed and damp. A bathroom can dry too slowly. A kitchen hood can move too little air or have no practical makeup-air route. A filter can be specified without service access. A vacancy mode can allow humidity, drains and leaks to drift unnoticed.

P04 coordinates these conditions as one room-by-room operating problem.

Before monitoring

Source control comes first.

Step 01

Reduce or isolate the source

Resolve water entry, wet construction, combustion, fragranced products, cooking emissions, poor drainage, condensate faults and other avoidable sources before adding more sensors or treatment equipment.

Step 02

Extract where the source occurs

Kitchen, bathroom, laundry and other high-load zones need a defined removal and dry-down strategy with practical makeup air and maintenance access.

Step 03

Control outdoor air and moisture

Open, mixed and closed modes are selected according to outdoor humidity, rain, smoke, dust, noise, insects and occupancy rather than treated as one permanent rule.

Step 04

Filter what the system is designed to filter

Filtration is selected for a defined question, with sealed installation, pressure and airflow considerations, replacement access and local availability.

Step 05

Monitor trends and act

Sensors support interpretation, alerts and corrective action. They do not replace ventilation design, source control, maintenance or professional investigation.

Different rooms, different loads

The protocol does not apply one indoor-air rule to the whole residence.

Bedrooms

Ventilation proxy, humidity, AC operation, night noise, closed-door conditions, bathroom adjacency and absence periods.

Bathrooms and dressing rooms

Dry-down, extraction, surface temperature, closed storage, wet textiles, condensate and the route from shower moisture to adjoining rooms.

Kitchens and pantries

Cooking source, hood capture, exhaust route, makeup air, filtration limits, cleaning products and how pollutants can move beyond the kitchen.

Laundry and service zones

Dryer type, moisture generation, drainage, drying practices, staff routines, cleaning chemistry and access for filter and drain maintenance.

Living and indoor-outdoor areas

When open mode is useful, when it imports moisture or pollution and how the residence transitions into filtered, dehumidified or quiet operation.

Storage and vacant rooms

Sensitive contents, low air movement, long closure, humidity accumulation, siphon and leak risks and re-occupancy preparation.

One sensor is not the whole environment

CO2 can support a ventilation question. It cannot answer every air-quality question.

Where occupants are the dominant source and the room is reasonably mixed, true NDIR CO2 can help indicate whether the outdoor-air strategy is keeping pace with occupancy.

It does not measure particles, VOCs, mould, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, moisture safety or every pollutant source. A purifier may reduce particles without changing CO2. A low CO2 reading does not prove that the room is free of another problem.

Mode-based operation

Bali residences need more than open or closed.

Open mode

Used opportunistically when rain, humidity, outdoor air, insects, noise and security conditions are acceptable.

Mixed mode

Combines selected openings, fans and local conditioning while protecting rooms or functions that require greater stability.

Closed mode

Uses controlled outdoor air, extraction, filtration, cooling and moisture management where the external condition makes opening unsuitable.

Absence mode

Maintains defined environmental and water-risk safeguards, alerts the operating team to drift and prepares the residence for re-occupancy.

Extreme-weather or disruption mode

Defines safe local functions, manual overrides and staff actions during heavy rain, smoke, network loss, power interruption or equipment failure.

Release conditions

Moisture and air paths have to be verified before they disappear.

HP1

Before MEP concept sign-off

The room risk map and operating modes are approved. Source-control and ventilation questions are assigned.

HP2

Before equipment purchase

Airflow, latent-load, filtration access, drain, service and local-support assumptions are documented by the appointed parties.

HP3

Before ceiling or joinery closure

Ducts, drains, condensate lines, leak points, access panels and sensor locations are inspected, photographed and linked to the Building Passport.

HP4

Before opening

Functional tests and the staff protocols for dry-down, filters, vacancy mode, alerts and corrective action are complete.

What the owner receives

A control plan that connects design, maintenance and measured conditions.

Outputs

• Room risk map
• Source-control register
• MEP design and specialist records
• Operating-mode descriptions
• Material and cleaning notes
• Airflow and extraction test records
• Temperature, RH and dew-point trends
• Ventilation-proxy and particle-trend records where justified
• Filter, drain and service-access photographs
• Commissioning and staff training logs
• Moisture and corrective-action register
• Building Passport entries

Appointed expertise

DALLEAU coordinates the owner requirement. Technical design and diagnosis remain with the appointed specialist.

DALLEAU

Defines the owner requirements, coordinates the room risk map, distinguishes source control from sensing, challenges maintainability, witnesses agreed tests, links alerts to staff action and maintains the issue and evidence register.

MEP engineer and building scientist

Remain responsible for ventilation, psychrometric calculations, equipment design, latent loads, condensate and technical acceptance.

Laboratory or remediation specialist

Carries out testing, mould diagnosis, water analysis or remediation scope where the project question requires it.

Operator

Runs the approved room modes, cleaning and dry-down routines, filter and drain maintenance, alerts, absence checks and escalation process.

Limits

A spot check cannot establish the whole seasonal condition.

Hidden mould absence, pollutant-source attribution, medical relevance, full wet-season behaviour and maintenance adherence cannot be proven by one sensor, one inspection or one short monitoring period.

Prohibited public claims

• Healthy air
• Mould-proof
• Toxin-free
• Allergen-free
• Prevents respiratory illness
• CO2 proves good air quality
• A purifier replaces ventilation or moisture control

Local translation

The protocol is tuned to the micro-location and the way the residence is actually operated.

Outdoor humidity and particles, wet-season infiltration, high ceilings, wardrobes, staff cleaning products, cooking patterns, condensate routes, long vacancy, power interruption, filter availability and local service competence all affect the design response.

The protocol therefore uses project targets and later verification rather than presenting one universal indoor condition for Bali.

Carried forward

Environmental intent becomes an operating record.

Owner’s Control Report

Room risk classes, selected operating modes, project targets, unresolved source questions, maintenance obligations, sensor and privacy choices, commissioning exceptions and owner acceptance.

Building Passport

Ventilation and extraction assets, filters, sensor inventory, calibration, drain and condensate routes, mode descriptions, test results, alerts, maintenance and moisture incidents.

POE

Occupied and vacant humidity trends, dry-down after bathing and laundry, ventilation proxy, particle events where monitored, filter condition, odour or visible moisture reports, staff response and seasonal retuning.

Sources

The source finding and DALLEAU's residential interpretation are kept separate. Links open the original publisher or authority record.

1. WHO global air quality guidelines

   Authoritative guidance. Ambient pollutant benchmarks used as exposure context. Limit: A complete indoor residential specification or proof that an indoor environment is healthy.

2. WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: dampness and mould

   Authoritative guidance. Prevention and remediation of persistent dampness and microbial growth. Limit: A universal safe microbial threshold or proof that hidden mould is absent.

3. WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: selected pollutants

   Authoritative guidance. Pollutant-specific health context and source-control considerations. Limit: A complete residential specification or a single sensor score for indoor air quality.

4. ASHRAE position document on limiting indoor mold and dampness in buildings

   Authoritative guidance. Building moisture control and dampness prevention principles. Limit: A universal Bali project threshold or proof that a building is mould-free.

5. ASHRAE position document on indoor carbon dioxide

   Authoritative guidance. Use of indoor CO₂ as a limited ventilation indicator in context. Limit: Treating CO₂ as a complete indoor-air-quality or health score.

6. Low-cost air pollution monitors and indoor air quality

   Authoritative guidance. Capabilities and practical limits of lower-cost indoor monitors. Limit: Regulatory-grade accuracy, diagnosis or complete pollutant coverage.

7. Enhanced Air Sensor Guidebook

   Authoritative guidance. Planning, selecting and interpreting air-sensor measurements. Limit: Replacing calibrated professional instruments or inferring a medical outcome.

Related content

Study Note

Indoor environment and moisture control in Bali residences

Theme

Indoor environment and moisture

Related protocol

Protected Bedroom Performance Protocol

Methods Note

Why commissioning matters more than handover

Before equipment becomes the answer

Define the source, mode and maintenance question first.

P04 operates inside the Full Development Mandate. Its diagnostic logic may also be used within Feasibility Study when an existing residence requires structured investigation and specialist triggers.