Originally Posted By: cmccann
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Thoughts?
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NACHI MAB!
Thoughts?
Originally Posted By: jkormos
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looks to be a mold like substance?? or was there a vent from a dryer or a bathroom fan near by once upon a time??
Originally Posted By: cmccann
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No nearby exhaust vents. Just bad ventilation.
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NACHI MAB!
Originally Posted By: dspencer
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Offer a mold inspection.
Originally Posted By: dedwards
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I have seen similar “stuff” inside attics and thinking like you this might be mold or some other nafarious material. Turned out to be dirt (or dried mud) from when the house was built, the planking had been apparently left out and had gotten mud on it and they just nailed it on and never gave it a thought. Often see footprints on the underside of the sheathing as well. I know that no one was walking around upside down in the attic. The material in your photo appears to be on one board and doesn’t cross over the seam of the joints. Just something to think about.
Originally Posted By: cmccann
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NACHI MAB!
Originally Posted By: dedwards
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Chuck,
Thanks for the other pics. It definately looks like it has gotten wet a number of times. Do you do mold testing? If not, I too would probably recommend sampling as a way to get some answers. I thought the first pics were more of a localized spot. This covers a pretty large area.
Originally Posted By: cmccann
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No I don’t do mold. I tell them they have it and find someone to get rid of it(if they choose).
If I test for mold, would I be able to tell my clients that it's good mold or bad mold? Just curious. I know there's money in it, I just don't want to rip people off.
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NACHI MAB!
Originally Posted By: dedwards
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I don’t do mold either. yet. I am toying with getting into it. I have a number of HI friends that do it. They don’t actually “test” for mold. They simply take samples, send them into a lab and then give the report to the customers. And yes there is a lot of money in it. Basically, they are only providing the middleman service. I have avoided mold (no pum intended) due to the litigations and all the hype involved. I have had the training but just don’t like the idea of cashing in on the craze. Frankly, if you can see the mold you really don’t need a test. If you can’t see it the only indications you have mold is the symptoms existing in someone. Some folks just are paranoid though and insist on having a place checked for mold regardless. I send them to a friend of mine for all their mold testing.
Originally Posted By: Gary Van Florcke
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Chuck you would not make that decision, the Lab would. They would tell them what kind, how much, and whether it was allergenic, pathogenic, or toxic or whether it was mold at all.
Originally Posted By: Vince Santos
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Interesting photos. Looks like the insulation is covering the soft vents, that is if soft vents were provided. I would say it’s definite organic growth. Though it looks old.
I suppose the best way to call that out, not being a mold specialist , is to report evidence of organic grown in the attic due to improper ventilation.
When I see something that "obviously" looks like mold to me, I am hesitant to actually call it that in the report. Do you guys actually use the M word when you see something like this? It seems to me that calling something mold when not qualified to do so could come back to bite you.
dedwards,
I have seen what you described concerning the mud too. The general area has usually had foot prints or even a tire mark.
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Desire is half of life, indifference is half of death.
--Kahlil Gibran
Originally Posted By: dspencer
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How consistent is the problem area? Is it just between the rafters or continues on board till board ends? If it is mud you should be able to tell fairly easy. Are you wearing a mask when you inspected this area? You do not want to become ill,always should wear a mask…also DO NOT take your clothing into your home to expose your family. Certain types of mold WILL make you sick pretty easily.
Wear a mask when you examine crawlspaces, do not learn the hard way!
Originally Posted By: ekartal
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Blocked soffits - looks like mold. I often use my Tramex to try and confirm what I have visually observed.
Erol Kartal
ProInspect
Originally Posted By: aslimack
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It’s most likely not mold, but an accumulation of dirt that’s settled over a twenty or thirty year period. The inadequate insulation leads to frosting on the roof decking and when it thaws the wood is wet and airborne dust sticks to it. There’s probably either a poorly detailed vapor barrier, or no vapor barrier. Ive seen this before times 10, where a whole house fan was venting into an attic with only one gable vent. The other had been closed off. Nasty. All you could see were the whites of my eyes after i left that one…
Adam, A Plus
Originally Posted By: rcooke
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Insulation put in with the paper vapour barrier on the cold side. It is upside down . I also think it looks like mud on the wood in the earlier picture . Roy Cooke sr,
Royshomeinspection.com
Originally Posted By: cmccann
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They had a mold specialist come in and determine that this is mold.
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NACHI MAB!
Originally Posted By: tallen
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| Gary Van Florcke wrote: |
| Chuck you would not make that decision, the Lab would. They would tell them what kind, how much, and whether it was allergenic, pathogenic, or toxic or whether it was mold at all. |
What happens, if by chance, you miss a sampling of some toxic stuff and all the lab stuff comes back as allergenic mold. Then down the line everyone in the home starts getting sick?
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I have put the past behind me,
where , however, it now sits, making rude remarks.
www.whiteglovehomeinspections.net
30 Oct 2003-- 29 Nov2005
Originally Posted By: cmccann
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Exactly Todd, That’s why It’s called “viewed a mold like substance in attic space.”
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NACHI MAB!
Originally Posted By: tallen
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I use : Organic substance that could be mold. Bla Bla.
I do not do mold!!
My E&O provider does not like that word.
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I have put the past behind me,
where , however, it now sits, making rude remarks.
www.whiteglovehomeinspections.net
30 Oct 2003-- 29 Nov2005
Originally Posted By: whandley
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Mold can be every color of the rainbow, including clear and or transparent.
It can have an odor and or not have an odor. It doesn’t matter if its
dead or alive. Dead mold growth can actually release more toxic spores than a live colony. Moisture meters will not determine if mold is present, only if moisture is present. Most moisture meters will not read (RH) levels. Mold can begin to grow at 50% (RH), it doesn’t need water. The mold remediation process will most likely be the same, regardless of the mold type. I think you should refer to an independent environmental consultant for further inspection with regard to possible mold issues prior to close of escrow.
