NJ Business Magazine

Clearing the Air

AIR Consulting Services aims to keep individuals healthy at work.

Published on Thursday, April 6, 2015 

According to Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) David Kichula, owner and founder of Hightstown-based AIR Consulting Services, LLC, (AIR), “People don’t know what a CIH is and does.” … He wants to clear the “air” about that.

A CIH is an individual who “protects and enhances the health and safety of people at work or in their homes through science that is dedicated to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation and control of environmental hazards.” Basically, Kichula is trained to evaluate people’s exposure to chemical or biological contaminates, he says. And, his company, AIR, specializes in indoor air quality assessment, mold evaluation and remediation, and basement waterproofing.

Founded in 1996, AIR’s seven employees, including Kichula, have a combined 60-plus years of experience in controlling hazards in commercial and residential buildings. Initially, the company only evaluated and tested for hazardous substances. But as the business grew, and as other containments – such as mold – began to be recognized as dangerous in residential and commercial settings, Kichula saw the need and want from his customers to remediate and remove those substances as well.

“In the late 1990s/early 2000s, this new contaminant mold ‘appeared’ that, previously, most people didn’t think was dangerous,” he says. “I have always worked with mold as a CIH, so my company had an advantage in dealing with it.

“When we first started, we only tested for contaminants, told our clients what the problem was and that they needed to call someone to fix it,” Kichula continues. “Our customers would frequently say, ‘Well, can’t you fix it for us?’ So, that is when we eventually decided to add that service to our business.  (Read More)

The Princeton Packet

YOUR HOME: Water in the basement? Go with the flow 

In the 30-plus years that David Kichula, a certified industrial hygienist, has worked in his field, among the many lessons he’s learned is this: If water wants to get into your basement, it will find a way.

The trick, he said, is to try and figure out where the water is trying to go, and help it along.

”If water wants to go from Point A to Point B, and the basement is in the way, you’ll probably get water. We help the water get from A to B, without flooding the basement, by redirecting it,” said Mr. Kichula.

One way is to install a French drain outside your home. This is a ditch covered with gravel or rock that moves away from your basement. Hollow pipes along the bottom vent the water that trickles in, and keeps it out of the basement.

If that isn’t enough to keep your basement dry, the next step might be a perimeter drain inside your basement or crawlspace. That’s when you dig a trench in the floor, along the walls, and install a drainpipe (Mr. Kichula uses a square one so it’s flush against the foundation) that empties into a sump pit. Excavating the trench will require jackhammering if the floor is concrete.

”The nice thing about a perimeter interior drain is that it doesn’t have to be perfect outside. If water comes in, the drain catches it,” said Mr. Kichula, whose business, Air Consulting Services (www.airconsultingservices.com), is in Hightstown. In the end, the most common cause of a wet basement — aside from the flooding caused by hurricanes or sump pump failure — is water leaking in through the foundation.

”When a house is first built, it’s usually reasonably watertight. Certain measures are built in: tar on the foundation, drain lines around the house. Over time, they wear out, like everything else,” said Mr. Kichula. “I sometimes hear people say things like ‘I haven’t had a problem in 47 years. (Read More)

Town Topics

Basement Technologies’ Customized System Guarantees a Dry, Waterfree Basement

Published on April 27, 2011 

How wet is it? Chances are if you live in Princeton and the surrounding area, you have encountered a wet basement. After last year’s severe March nor’easter, the federal government sent FEMA representatives to town to assess damage caused by downed trees and flooding, and many homeowners qualified for aid.  Unfortunately, some residents were forced to discard most of the contents of their basement.

David M. Kichula, CIH, owner and manager of Basement Technologies of
Central Jersey, wants to help ensure that during the next big storm, your basement will remain dry.  “The roof and the basement are key to controlling the water,” he points out.  “People know that eventually, they will need to get a new roof, but they don’t always realize that over time, the drainage system in their basements may not be working properly, especially if the house is older.”

Even if several inches — or more — of water are not evident during rainstorms, a damp basement is a breeding ground for mold and mildew and the health problems they can cause.

Real Problem

“What changed my career was mold. It’s nothing to sneeze at!” says Mr.
Kichula, who has a degree in chemistry and is a certified industrial hygienist. “For 30 years, my career was indoor air quality assessment. It focused on assessing people’s exposure to contaminants, such as asbestos, lead, formaldehyde, and pesticides, in the workplace. I worked with industrial offices, and later schools, commercial offices, and then residences, and in 1996. (Read More)