Nick, tell Lorne to stop goofing off at court and to finish his promised software update.
Whether you see it or not test for it, that way we make money and so do you. We both rip the folks off.
Brian, the one (court observation) makes the other (softward update) good.
Dale, how does doing a test rip anyone off? I don’t understand.
A swab here a swab there and send it in.
A known volume of air sucked through an air-o-cell inside a known volume of air sucked through an air-o-cell outside and send it in.
Presto chango there are mold spores.
Let me go to the 3D BB (compliments of Finnious J Whoppee) and show you some charts…
What else could it be???
Again, there are many reasons to have a lab report. I won’t list them all again, but I will say as a former REALTOR and buyer’s agent… the number ONE reason is that YOUR CLIENT’s interests are better served with one, than without one and not just for health reasons… but negotiating reasons too.
Again Dale, how is anyone getting ripped off by having laboratory confirmation? I don’t understand.
You know damn good and well their ripping people off, you’re not stupid.
Anybody who is going to charge a person so they can take a sample what they can clearly see (or not see), is ripping them off.
Again, read all Caoimhín’s Posts, he is an expert, I’m not, your not, Mario’s isn’t either.
Want me to copy and paste them all here so it makes easy reading, I’ll just post all the relevant information if you like.
Dale
I know I’m not ripping people off,I sleep at night with a clear conscience.
I have been cert. by Pro-Lab, Micro,and have taken a course with IAQ Resources Canada. Everybody tests the same way Dale.
In answer to your question about testing [air sampling] what if it’s in the walls and not visible? Is it not better to be pro active and do air sampling?
I have done many Reno’s,no visible mold on surface lots of mold in wall cavity.
Dr. Shane says every…12/6/06 3:28 PMDale can’t stand it when someone disagrees with himelf
Looks like we have a nit wit in the crowd…
Oh, Dale… you weren’t listening.
No one is getting ripped off. The clients want and need the mold lab report and so do their agents for reasons other than the results. I must have explained this 4 times now.
Think about it. Since every home has mold, then all buyers could simply wiggle out of all executed sales contracts using the inspection contingency by simply saying “sorry, the house has mold.” That would be nuts! Anyway, they can’t. There is only one way to save your buyer from being forced into buying a home with a mold problem… and that is by the generation of an inspection report on paper and a lab report on paper.
Inspectors, like buyer’s agents, have a fiduciary duty to their clients… and so not fulfilling that duty would be, as you put it, “ripping people off.”
Nick,
After talking with Mr. Connell on the phone a few weeks back and having a scientific background of my own, I too am heeding his advice of not testing, especially the way most labs recommend(air sampling.)
Why?
#1. Both the indoor and outdoor concentrations of mold along with any other airborne substance (in fact, most naturally ocurring distributions period) vary significantly over any 24 hour period. So you are in fact not comparing an unknown(inside concentration) against a control(outside concentration). You are comparing an unknown against an unknown. Unless you do a detailed study of these variations over time, you have no solid conclusions.
#2 Every house’s interior concentration of mold communicates differently with the outside concentration of mold and communicate differently during different seasons in the same home perhaps. Without knowing this communication factor or without taking it into consideration one cannot make a statement about the relationship of the indoor concentration of mold compared to the outdoor concentration.
#3 Given the biology of mold and other spore forming organisms including some bacterias, one can look especially stupid when presenting a mold air sample report. If a mold is growing on every available surface(inside a wall or not) in a house and has a sufficient supply of both water and food(cellulose in most cases) it really has no reason to produce spores, which are the organism’s response to stress(lack of water or food) and are a means of survival for the organism until the stress has subsided. Without spores in the air, the spore count(air sampling method) from the lab test may very well be less than the supposed “control.” Imagine telling that potential buyer that the home doesn’t have a problem according to lab tests.
A proper mold inspection and report can be performed, but would entail hours of testing, interpreting and report writing. This level of testing is outside the scope of time and money that a home buyer usually is comfortable with and to offer anything less is just a value-less add on to an inspection fee.
Because most healthy people suffer no ill effects from mold.
Because the root cause of a mold problem is a moisture problem.
Because neither the CDC nor the EPA have specified levels of mold to test to.
Because there is little scientific evidence that supports mold testing willy nilly in residential buildings.
Because the testing criteria used by most “mold Inspectors” is not based on repeatable scientific standards.
Because DALE SAID SO
Unless confirmed by a lab,don’t make the mistake of identifying Mold or Asbestos to your clients. You would be wise to follow this advice.
Brian
I like the last recommendation:p
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Oh, Nick…you’ll stick up for your bed partner (ProLab) till your blue in the face.
Read all Caoimhín P. Connell’s Posts, and read and read and read and read, you’ll get it sooner or later.
Steve and Brian:
Good posts. However since a little mold can grow to a major problem in 10 days… the main purpose for me of procuring a lab report and/or an inspector’s report that mentions mold has nothing to do with the actual severity of the problem itself or it’s health effects.
The main purpose IMHO is to create the necessary paperwork to fulfill your fiduciary duty to provide your client with firepower (to negotiate and/or get out). It is not for us to say what a mold source will eventually grow to, what health effects it will cause, what level is dangerous, what our client’s level of concern over it should be, or what actions our client should take because of it… our job is to gather information , deliver it on paper, and collect a fee for such work.
By the way… you can replace the word “mold” with “roof leak” in my above paragraph and it would still be true.
Mario’s clients don’t need a lab report to get out of that house. The pictures would suffice.
Buyers:“I’m backing out, that house has mold.”
Sellers:“It’s not mold! It’s something completely different!”
Buyers:“I’m backing out, that house has whatever you are calling it and I refuse to live with.”
Or they could state the underlying problem causing the mold or whatever you want to call it.