Russell do you really get that deep in to it with customers? I was in the mindset that lets say if you were in some attic or wherever and saw some nasty fungi and took a sample and it came back as some type of mold, you would give the client the full report and recommend they get a professional remediation company? kind of like with a radon test? or WDI.
Jim
Well we do things a bit different. We do go deeper. Lets say you take a swab and get it back and it Stachybotrys. What does that say about how it grew? What does that mold do? Now lets say you have a swab with Cladisporium. What the difference? What was the back ground was it viable or non viable.
Taking a swab and handing it to someone without ANY explanation is crazy. Why not take some time and educate yourself? Don’t be one of those guys who uses a Pro Lab Z5 cassette because its cheap and then jsut send the results to the person with no explanation. When a lab sends its findings this tells you NOTHING. YOU are the one who was there, they can tell you what you see, but YOU should be the final authority.
Go at this 1/2 assed and it will come back to bite you. I promise. Do everything the best that you can. If you need help I will help and James Braun is a great source for mold info as well.
USE a good lab. If you use Pro Lab the mold professionals will laugh you out of business and make you look incompetent. You always want to shine the best light on yourself and company and doing things poorly and incomplete with only shed a poor light. Think about it.
Russell I hear everything you are saying, and believe me I do. I have an impeccable reputation here with all my clients and RE agents, banks etc… this mold issue was only because I took NACHIS advanced course, passed and figured that with all the times I have been asked “What is that stuff” from clients and I deferred, I would try to cash in a little on it. But I do take my time and study all I can before opening my mouth.
I do appriciate all the help.
Jim
Jim- That reputation can to you ANYWHERE…I want you to keep it and evey expand on it.
Choosing the right lab is a good place to start and EMSL is a good lab, consider using them.
It’s attics like this from last week that make me want to learn and expand my biz.
It does not look like mold. Did you taste it?:shock:
I only use EMSL anymore after sending in a blank cassette to Pro-Lab once and getting results back on it. This was taken directly from their shipping package and submitted with other samples that were all individually bagged. I will never trust them again for anything.
As far as pumps go, you can easily start off with one of the Zephon Z-lite pumps which have served me well over the years. Only problem with them is that you have to babysit them during the sampling time to turn them off at the right time. They also are dependent on a power cord. I switched over to a Buck Bio-Air a couple of years ago and love those pumps. They are battery operated and and have a built in timer. They are nice because they are reasonably priced around $500 and I can set up multiple pumps in a large facility and walk away without babysitting. They come in handy on big jobs…trust me.
The biggest piece of advice I will tell you is learn what you are doing! Don’t be one of these guys out there that takes a course and thinks that taking a couple of swab samples or tape lifts is considered a mold inspection or sufficient sampling. The more samples you take, you will have a better understanding of what is really going on inside the building.
The mold sampling and other IAQ work that I do is along the lines of what most industrial hygienists do in a building investigation. Don’t just hand your client a lab report and expect them to know what it all means. That is your job to decipher it all and tell them in terms they can understand.
A little concrete never hurt no-one!
I want to thank all of you who have given me some great insight into the world of Fungi. Russell, James, Jeff and especially Scott for taking the time on the phone with me. Sometime NACHI brothas can really come through. You all are great peeps to know and be associated with.
Jim
Jim, I’m late coming to this thread, but I do a fair amount of mold testing, and I started with this unit. http://www.zefon.com/store/mold-sampling-starter-kit.html. It had everything I needed to get started, and if you pack it carefully, you can put in all of your swaps, tapes, cassettes, and even the carpet vacuum and inner wall adapters. All in one convenient box. I started with the deluxe kit, but they’re all very good. Let me know if I can ever help you out. :mrgreen:
Eric, thanks for the tips also. I may be calling you for some more insight as soon as I get this launched…
Jim
Hi everyone, I am also getting into the mold inspection business and have found your comments very helpful. I need some guidance on how to price a mold inspection. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
A visual inspection or testing?
Thanks Jim, A visual/ swab, tape sample inspection. Also a full inspection with air sampling included.
I have always priced them separately. I have noticed other inspectors price them in a package. My tape and air samples are the same price ($125 each) because the lab fees are the same. Somebody should be along soon to give you a package price.
Thanks Jim! I appreciate the help. I always try to find the right price; not too high or not too low. That part is hard when I’m just starting out. Thank you.
Steve I am also brand new to the growing world of mold. Before worrying about pricing you need to LEARN, and then when you think you know it all, repeat and learn some more. Start with NACHIs 2 different courses, the advanced NACCHI TV that Ben does is awesome. I’ve watched it several times even after I passed the exam. OK so you get the point LEARN !!!
ow you need to find a lab you feel comfy with and get their prices for the testing, and supplies then you can determine what you feel you want to make on each sample, test…or however you want to package your service.
Jim
Thanks Jim, I just finished the online mold course on NACHITV and passed my test. I also joined IAC2. I agree the course was great! In this market I want to offer as many services as I can. Thanks for the advice. I am eager to learn more! Steve
