This photo shows a mold like substance on wall of basement. If i was doing a home inspection I would report this as appearance of a mold like substance. If I was doing a mold inspection I would test this area and report the lab results.
I read the article on wood decay. Wood decay is caused by fungi that are attracted to wet locations. Decay fungi are active in temperatures between 77F - 90F and need water, oxygen and a food source. Fungi that cause wood decay are called saprophytic, a term also applied to other organisms that consume decayed material.
Upon inspection of this home with a structural wood basement floor it was immediately apparent due to a strong musty odor that there was likely a moisture issue in the home. Upon inspection of the area below the basement structural floor, apparent mold was discovered. The ventilation system for the under floor area was not functional and had likely contributed to the issue. Damaged drains with active leaks in the basement laundry area were also contributing factors. Recommend mold sampling of both air and visible apparent mold areas to determine extent of issue. Also recommend review and mitigation by a qualified mold mitigation contractor.
For my assignment, I read the following articles.
Abrasive blasting for mold remediation: This article was very informative and raised my awareness to the benefits two very effective methods & media. The first being dry ice blasting and the second being soda blasting. Both have unique benefits with soda being water soluble and PH neutral the affect on mold spores and cleanup is very positive and proven. The benefits of dry ice blasting is that the dry ice when striking mold creates a micro-thermal shock between the mold and the surface that is contaminated. Cleanup of both requires the use of HEPA filtering as the final cleanup phase.
Anti Tip Brackets For Free Standing Ranges: While most consumers are unaware of the value of this anti tip bracket, many are very surprised that the bracket is missing once informed. Without the bracket in place the range can tip forward thus spilling the contents of the stove top onto those in front of the range. Children are prone to harm as they sometimes will use an open oven door as a step to see what is being cooked on the stove top. Enough weight will tip the range and the stove top contents will spill forward and likely will injure the child. Inspectors should inspect for the presence and functionality of an anti tip bracket and report findings on all inspection reports. Recommending the install of a anti tip bracket for all instances where one is not present.
This is a point of water intrusion. The soil should be sloped away from the building at 2% butin this cas the soil slopes towards the building. At the time of inspection the downspout extension was blocked with ice. This resulted in the water being forced out the connection point at the bottom of the downspout. Keep the all gutter, downspouts and extensions clear of debris.
Moisture intrusion can be the cause of building defects, orealty issues. Moisture intrusion may come from the outside (such as improper drainage) or from inside (such as plumbing leaks. Either way, moisture needs to be dried immediately and the cause of the intrusion to me mitigated immediately.
The areas that I looked at with regard to Mold are the shower and tub areas in my house. We have central AC and living in Hawaii, Mold is always a concern as Mold is present everywhere year round here. The issue is keeping the moisture and humidity in check. Constant cleaning of shower walls and bath tubs after use and ventilation in the bathrooms are crucial to fighting this. In both of these areas Mold has been found previously in the caulking areas and corners. Standing water needed to be wiped away immediately so the area can dry, as during the day when the AC is off the bathroom does get quite hot with the doors and windows closed.
Two articles that I read for this assignment were “Mold, Moisture and Your Home” and “Plants and Indoor Air Quality”. Since IAQ goes hand in hand with controlling Mold growth I wanted to see if there was a correlation between the articles that I could use when educating clients or fielding questions about Mold and what can be done to prevent it. The Mold article talks about Mold, how it grows and how a person can go about cleaning it up and preventing it from growing in the future by controlling moisture and humidity. The plants and IAQ article actually discussed how plants clean the air of toxins and pollutants but did not specifically address anything about Mold other than saying that plants do affect the moisture content of the air so that will need to be controlled to keep Mold growth potential at a minimum. The article did not address the outcome on moisture content by adding plants to a living space. I will have to take some readings myself and see if I can draw a conclusion.
BLEACH
Care should be taken to minimize exposure to and reduce mold in and around the house, Bleach works well on non-metallic, non-porous and hard surfaces. Bleach can kill mold when molds grow on non-porous and hard surface.
Flooded basements not completely dried will usually have mold growth. Walls that were wet due to a flood should be opened and rapidly dried to prevent mold growth. Treating mold on non-porous and hard surfaces is fairly straightforward by using a strong solution of bleach.
NO-BLEACH
Dead or alive, mold spores can still remain allergenic. Mold should be cleaned and removed from the material with a non-toxic, non-chlorine bleach based detergent that can penetrate to reach the deeply embedded roots. In some severe cases, the material may need to be replaced. Remember to always take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. Proper steps must be taken to prevent yourself from exposure to toxic mold spores that can make you sick and spread to other areas of the house. Safety gear such as gloves, mask and safety goggles are always recommended.
After the surface has been cleaned and completely dried, it is very important to follow up with, a mold preventative. Do NOT skip this step! If mold has occurred once, it can always occur again.
The crawl space has been treated and repairs made per the Inspectors prior recommendation for a qualified contractor. Areas of apparent mold have been removed and 6 mil ground coverings have been applied. RH values are below 20% at the time of inspection. Wood moisture content is measured at 19%.
Problem- Roofing contractor did not install a roof cricket to adequately run unwanted water out from behind the false chimney.
Consequence- Instead of running water off the roof it made an ice dam and worked it’s way up and under the roofing material finding its way to the interior of the home causing water damage to the sheet rock.
Solution- Recommend hiring a roofing contractor to remove the roofing materials to dry out or verify dry, then have contractor install a cricket and fix any other related issues he finds.
This is a job that I was called by a client asked me to check out a toilet that was loose. once I went to remove the retaining bolts one snapped off by hand and the other 1/2 turn on the nut and snap. The attached photo tells the story. This was due to a leaking wax seal, as you can see pulling up the vinyl rotted flooring .
mold was under the vinyl. I removed the rot cleaned up all the debris. replaced the bathroom floor, new toilet mount ring ,wax seal,toilet feed hose,hardware ,vinyl and 100% GE white silicone to seal .
Bathroom, top of shower wall appears to have mold growth. Proper ventilation is required. The exhaust vent not operating. Regular maintenance is required.
Hello All, Love this mold coarse. As a remodeler for my prior career here is another job. Another good client home on lake champlain in Vermont had gone thru the200 year 2011 flood . I’ve included a couple of pic’s indicating how the water over the floor swelled the underlayment from being wet for a few weeks , I had to wait for the lake level to subside to get started on this rehab.The long story short just for the floor I had to demo the floor thru the whole house dry out the base layer plywood underlayment . The final pic I included was the hardwood gunstock flooring that I installed .
The articles I’m writing about are Aging in Place and Electricity 101
Aging in place brings up a lot of important issues. We are seeing a lot of Baby Boomers who wish to live independently. An aging in place inspection will give them the piece of mind to remain in their homes. Safety is a big concern for the elderly.
Electricity 101 gives a lot of good information to the homeowner about the electrical system. Having some knowledge of the electrical system can help the homeowner maintain the system. Also, knowing the Safety concerns when dealing with this system
After looking at the ceiling in the bathroom it looks to be mold. Above the bathroom is the attic space where a on-demand electric hot water heater looks to have had a leak at one time. The leak is fixed and no water is present, but the damage has already been done. I will recommend to the client: " remove affected area and repair with new drywall." No guarantee the mold will not come back because the extent of penetration is hard to determine.
**MOLD in Our Home
Arthur Fuller
Having completed a course on “How to Perform Mold Inspections” through International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, I am now confident in my ability to identify the possible cause of mold in residential homes. Once the water source is located and corrected, the probability of resolving any potential mold issues are greatly reduced. As long as wet areas are cleaned up and sufficiently dried within a 48 hour period the chance of developing a mold problem should be reduced. Mold requires moisture and a source of food to become active and reproduce, without the water mold can remain dormant for extended periods of time. **
Mold Inspection
Thermal camera image show hot spots in this exterior wall with exterior temperatures below zero degree Celsius. The vapour barrier was not attached properly and allowed interior heated air to escape into the wall cavity causing condensation and mold growth over time. We recommend repairing the vapour barrier and removing the water damaged drywall. Home owner first noticed mold on the interior drywall.
Moisture Intrusion
The combination of elevated moisture and organic building materials may grow mold in a structure. The effects of moisture intrusion include high humidity, soil expansion, metal corrosion, drywall staining, mold growth and wood decay. Moisture can originate from a roof leak, plumbing leak, vapour intrusion, air infiltration and human activities. Roofs, attics, plumbing, foundations and mechanical rooms should all be inspected regularly.
Jason Hoerle
