Water is the key control for mold growth. By controlling the moisture in the home, i.e. RH or water leakage. You cant stop mold from being inside the home but you can stop its growth.
Article “Mold, Moisture & Your Home” is very detail explanation about moisture and mold in home. I understood that mold will grow present of moisture and water. There fore any type of water leaking at home should be fixed to control mold. Moisture control means mold control. I also clear that mold cause heath problems like allergic reactions etc. and potentially toxic substance mycotoxins. To void damage home structure and potential health problem moisture should be control.
This picture is of an atypical crawlspace. In this picture there are signs of moisture intrusion. This is evident by the stains on the back wall. Although there are not any clear signs of mold conditions do exist for it to perpetuate.
Steps should be taken to locate the area where the moisture is entering the crawlspace, a plan should be developed to correct the condition and it should be executed and documented.
An area of concern here is that the exterior walls of the crawlspace are below a deck so access, for the purpose of water proofing from the outside is limited. However since the intrusion appears to be limited a suitable situation could be reached from the inside of the structure.
I chose the “Attic Condensation” picture from the gallery to comment on. At one time it was common for the to vent the bathroom exhaust fans straight into the attic area. This wasn’t good because it introduce a lot of water vapor into an area that wasn’t properly suited to vent it. Since it’s relatively easy to get these vent pipes properly vented (and insulated) outside this should not be a major headache.
One thing I hadn’t taken into consideration was the possibility that excess moisture could get into those areas via loose fitting fixtures in the ceilings. If condensation exists in the attic area and you cannot nail down the source this might be it.
This picture was taken at my neighbors house who had some minor water damage from a leaking hot water tank. When questioned they indicated that the water leak was caught by the alarm system so exposure of the house structure was only a matter of minutes and the water was cleaned up within two hours. The floor has in-floor radiant heat so everything appeared to dry out within 24 hours.
They were concerns that it may be mold but using the Null Hypothesis taught in the mold training as by checking with a moisture meter we were able to determine.
1.) there was no musty or moldy odor indicating mold growth.
2.) there was no indication of elevated moisture levels in any area that was exposed to the water that might support mold growth
Based on this and the fact that the baseboard and trim are made out of MDF it was concluded that the discolouration was only water stains and not mold
I have just read the article “Abrasive Blasting for Mold Remediation” in keeping with the subject matter of this course. Essentially the article explained how a new technic of using baking soda or dry ice with pressurized air to blast the mold contaminated surfaces has been extremely effective in removing the mold while reducing labour time and minimizing structural removal. The final key to the process is to ensure you do a final cleaning with a HEPA vacuum to collect any remaining loose or airborne mold resulting from the blasting.
A great addition to the overall training encompassed in this course.
I just completed the course “how to perform a mold inspection”. This class came in very handy since I had an inspection yesterday that the attached picture was taken at. Now I have the knowledge to not only identify the water damage but I can also use this new training to now sell the additional inspection for mold. Following the standard of practice I do not have to remove the ceiling tile, however I can now recommend the mold inspection due to the visual inspection showing water damage. For the record this was a basement ceiling caused by a leaking supply line on a dishwasher that nobody noticed for some time.
Following my completion of the mold inspection course I read the article directed to consumers on mold issues. I found the article to be well written and very informative for the lay person. I was reassured that the article did mention that all mold is not harmful and not to immediately hit the panic button. It was also good to see that they don’t just recommend using bleach to “kill” it. That is normally the go to and people don’t realize that killing it is only 1/3 of the process.
Here is a picture of a piece of remaining form on a foundation. This has extensive termite damage. As many of you may know termites desire a moist environment. There was no visible signs of fungal growth in the crawlspace however this is one that is suspect and will require occasional monitoring.
I have always wanted to add this service to our company. We are asked several times each month and it seems as though we can provide a service to our customers and perhaps even grow a new segment of business. It is a very good course and easy to understand the process. Thanks again for making a great educational tool.
MOLD ON BASEMENT
I inspected a building basement in February. The building was built in 1970 and is place on a sloping area. The client was concerned about moisture intrusion through the basement walls and the air quality due to the mold colony formed. The client has asthma and he feels very bad when indoor. His apartment, 2nd floor, has no sign of water intrusion or moisture problems.
WHAT I FOUND?
I found that the interior concrete of the basement foundation wall shows a serious water intrusion, delamination and presence of black mold and the white color salts on the basement wall.
I measured with the moisture meter, FLIR MR77, the visual part of the wet concrete and I found 99% humidity. Between the visible wet area and the window, the wall surface was dry. I measured the Dew point of the basement which was 0C (dry).
CONTAMINATED AREA
-Between 10-100ft2.
HYPOTHESIS
- I have inspected the outside of the building for the same area and I found that the concrete around the foundation was almost 80% destroyed and cracked, and the rain water can very easily penetrate into the ground through the cracks causing the water infiltration into the concrete wall.
2.The building being very old, the foundation waterproofing is possible to be deteriorated and allow water infiltration by diffusion or capillarity .
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE
-The land has to be escavated around the whole affected exterior foundation area
-The old waterproofing insulation around foundation must be replaced
-The foundation concrete wall must be dried out on the affected area before waterproofing
-The concrete structure around the building foundation and the drainage has to be replaced
-The mold ought to be washed with detergent and water
-The deteriorated shelthing will be removed on the affected area
-The entire inside wall and basement have to be cleaned under negative pressure or vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter
-The inside wall must be dried using a dehumidifier and a fan and keep the humidity level under 50%
Hi
I learned on this course how to approch a mold inspection, especially Limited or Complete mold inspection. I learned what to do and what I do not during my inspection. As in the Air quality inspection course I understand how important in the air quality and mold inspection the moisture and ventilation are. I also understand the most important tools and equipment I have to have in my toolbox.
Many thanks
Zoltan
I entered this crawlspace recently and was hit with a strong moldy odor, although no visible mold was noted. The soil was wet and there was only a partial vapor barrier installed. The ground on two sides sloped towards the foundation and no french drain was noted. Effervescence was noted on the block walls. Clearly there is a moisture problem in this area. The soil should be sloped away from the house and a vapor barrier installed.
My wife has been suffering from various respiratory ailments for a number of years. After becoming informed on mold issues it is very possible these may be linked to our damp crawlspace, which has a distinct moldy odor. We will certainly test it. In any case, I will address the moisture issues by installing a vapor barrier and controlling the groundwater outside. I should have done that years ago.
I recently did a home inspection for a lady suing her landlord in a house she was renting to buy. The lady had given a ten thousand dollar down payment, with the agreement that the land lord would do some repairs on the house.
He put a new metal roof on the house. The roof leaked and upon removing the sheetrock, the trusses were rotting and had turned black with mold. The floor of the kitchen had soft spots from rotting floor joists.
The information I learned from this class would have helped in dealing with the mold issue.
I read the article on flood damaged buildings.
The first thing I learned was to be aware of smells such as rotten egg smell. This indicates that there is a possible gas leak. If this is the case get out as soon as possible and get the gas company over to check it out. When you are in the house never use a torch or match to see, if there is gas it could cause an explosion. Don’t eat any of the food that was in the flood water, due to contamination.
I was called to a friend’s home to look at rotting wood underneath of a window sill. The damage was discovered when my friend had his living room re-carpeted. I removed a section of the flooring and discovered a mold like substance all over the wood structure and a strong draft. I removed all of the affected wood and cleaned up the area. The draft was sealed and once the ara dried, I replaced all of the insulation and closed up the area. It appears that this area had been leaking for quite some time. My friend performed a home mold test kit and found no presence of mold, prior to me sealing up the area.
For my Mold Inspection course I chose Carpet Mold: Identification, Prevention and removal. I found this article very informative and helpful. Once carpet has mold, the wisest approach for remediation is removal. I have come across several basements with the musty smell that have been carpeted. I will utilize this article to inform home owners of the high risk of mold in their basements when carpeted. In fact, my own home has carpet in the basement which I plan on removing.
This is a pic of the rear of a shower wall showing mold infested wood framing and flooring. The wet drywall was removed by the contractor and they requested my visual inspection of the damaged area. This was caused by a shower cold water supply leak in the wall cavity.
I’ve been involved in inspections recently of older homes {30 yrs +} and have noted many bathrooms with carpeted floors. Almost all cases; I’ve noted wet and/or damp carpeting and pad at the shower/tub area and adjacent to the toilet. I comment in my report about the issues with carpeted bathrooms regarding subfloor damage, mold growth potential and the need to consider a different substrate such as a tile floor covering.