Disagree…most experienced people from what I know sent the reports in.
True for HI’s but not for mold assessors
Florida State Licensed
Mold Assessor
Minimum time to become licensed
3 to 4 YEARS
Requirements:
· Extensive approved training
· Pass a state test (www.acac.org ) CIE,CIEC, CMC, not NACHI
· 4 years experience
· Minimum $1 million Liability & E&O insurance for pre & post remediation
(1 year of experience with specific College degrees)
The standard of practice should be out soon and end the discussion?
That’s what I mean. I didn’t say they used the test,I said they were grandfathered. Sending in reports doesn’t work when grandfathering ends.
Larry it’s not the grandfathering I am complaining about. It was that scam of a test the was done to hurt the industry. I know it’s the “law” and blah blah blah.
Just people hide behind “it’s the law” for justification that somehow it’s “right”.
Why Air Sampling Results Are Undependable
By Jim H. White, Former senior researcher at CMHC
“The problem with most air sample methodologies is that they take a “snapshot” of a highly variable measurement. Several studies have shown that the number of viable spores in a building, at a given location, varies by orders of magnitude over a few days to weeks. This is due to changes in weather (and the way air moves through the building), changes in colony condition (moisture and food availability, energy available for sporulation, and so on), etc. Sampling outcomes are also highly dependent on the specific location of the sampling, especially if the mould is growing.”
"If you see it or smell it, you do not have to test for it. It is more important to get rid of the mould rather than spend a lot of money trying to find out more about it*.***" (by sampling and identifying the species of mould- our comment)
Dr. Joe Lstiburek, P. Eng., Phd…; Building Scientist and principal at Building Science Corporation (www.buildingscience.com)
[FONT=Calibri][size=3]EPA[/FONT][/size]
[FONT=Calibri]http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter7/lesson2.html](http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter7/lesson2.html)
“remember that a negative sampling report must not be used in place of a visual survey. Factors such as barometric pressure, inside and outside temperatures, activity levels, and humidity may dramatically reduce or increase the spore levels within a building. Air sampling for mold provides information on what was in the air only for the moment when the sampling occurred. It is important, therefore, that sampling not replace visual inspection.”
[/FONT]
DOUGLAS WALL:
“I agree most testing is probably not required. So many home inspectors in our area have convinced realtors and consumers that air sampling is vital that not collecting air samples makes you look bad. We work 11 to 12 hours a day as it is, trying to educate the public would be a thankless task and we just don’t have the time.”
SAD!! SAD!! SAD!! More crap being foisted on the “public hasn’t a clue”!!
I agree with the point Brian MacNeish is making.
Nick, you do not need to humor Brain.
Why Air Sampling Results Are Undependable
By Jim H. White, Former senior researcher at CMHC
“The problem with most air sample methodologies is that they take a “snapshot” of a highly variable measurement. Several studies have shown that the number of viable spores in a building, at a given location, varies by orders of magnitude over a few days to weeks. This is due to changes in weather (and the way air moves through the building), changes in colony condition (moisture and food availability, energy available for sporulation, and so on), etc. Sampling outcomes are also highly dependent on the specific location of the sampling, especially if the mould is growing.”
"If you see it or smell it, you do not have to test for it. It is more important to get rid of the mould rather than spend a lot of money trying to find out more about it*.***" (by sampling and identifying the species of mould- our comment)
Dr. Joe Lstiburek, P. Eng., Phd…; Building Scientist and principal at Building Science Corporation (www.buildingscience.com)
[FONT=Calibri][size=3]EPA[/FONT][/size]
[FONT=Calibri]http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter7/lesson2.html](http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldcourse/chapter7/lesson2.html)
“remember that a negative sampling report must not be used in place of a visual survey. Factors such as barometric pressure, inside and outside temperatures, activity levels, and humidity may dramatically reduce or increase the spore levels within a building. Air sampling for mold provides information on what was in the air only for the moment when the sampling occurred. It is important, therefore, that sampling not replace visual inspection.”[/FONT]
LMAO, are you serious? OK lets walk into a house where no mold is visual but you can smell it. please do no testing and tell me the remediation process.
So it should then be…“I smell mold” remediate your house! What’s the next question? It would be, to me anyways, HOW? Well call a mold mitigation company…who, then, if they are honest do not TEST for mold, they have a third party who is unbiased do the testing. But wait, according to Dr. Doolittle, we should just remediate an unknown mold, in an unknown level with an unknown quantity. Really?
OK…Now what species of mold do you “smell”? Is it cladosporium? Penicillium? Stachybotrys? Who cares?..well they different types of mold can tell you a HELL of a story. But without TESTING you would not know.
But then again, for those who are competent sampling is a great and ONLY way to come up with a proper remediation protocol in my opinion. I am not saying it TAKES PLACE of an inspection but in conjunction with to put an entire story together.
How does speciation of moulds tell you definitely where the mould is?
I have found active mould with odour in walls with a blower door…depressurize the house and smell the air moving out of receptacle boxes, other penetrations. How about using infrared, moisture / RH
meters to find moisture/elevated RH’s, signs that this area may be the problem?
If a mould bloom has occurred and is now dormant but no visuals/odours, how will you find the site of the problem ?
If there is an ongoing IAQ problem in a house but no mould or moisture intrusion visuals or mould odours, it may be necessary to do mould testing as a last resort.
In 1991, when I was 5-6 years into my self-directed informal education in IAQ, I had the occasion to have a 1.5 hour conversation with Harriet Burge (I call her Miss Mould…do a web search on her name). She told me if an IAQ cause was not quickly evident to leave biological testing until the last, rule out other causes first.
Ok, you speak of active mold, what if the food source has been suspended or removed? What if the leak was fixed but the mold wasn’t? Thermal, moisture meters, and all other equipment will not tell you where the problem exists or EVEN IF IT DOES exist. All you got is an odor and nothing else. But don’t use air wuality testing to try and figure out the area. Just use your nose and remediate. Tear into all ways and let attrition figure it out. Really?
If your going to do a mold test, would it not be prudent to at least be knowledgeable about the remediation process?
Here Mrs. Smith here is your mold test and the results are in this email. I am not going to tell you if they are high, low, or anything. Figure it out for yourself. Good luck with that. Or even better, let the lab who has no idea of the conditions of the home and never stepped foot in your home, guide you.
How can one rule out other causes when the problem could have existed for years? If a house flooded in 1999 and there was a signficant amount of mold and the VISUAL mold was improperly cleaned, where would the mold go? Would it dissipate? Dissolve? Remove itself? Nope, it wouuld still be there and most likely cause the HVAC to be compromised.
You guys want to talk testing with KNOWN situations. We do home inspections where stuff has been hid, painted over, stucco’d and improperly remediated. Much more difficult to find and determine. The only way I know how, is my doing testing.
Brian,
You do not tell where the mold is by species. You need to go by the count. The higher the spore count, the closer you are to the mold. Even inner wall air samples can help in some cases.
Whatever you do, do not use a blower door to find mold. Rapid air movement will cause the mold to release more spores.
I have two questions
Russell, if you were doing a Home Inspection and came across what might be mold how would you address it?
Second question to all, how do you know if the amount of mold present would be less than 10 sq ft until after you’ve made your assessment?
Charles the first thing I would do is notify my client and tell them what I saw, give them their options - Get a test to determine the extent of the damage the best I could using whatever means available. Leave the decision in their lap and ensure veverything talked about and decisions made were clearly in the report and summarized.
The second question is my point exactly! How can you know that until AFTER the assessment. You CAN’T!