If we find evidence of mould in a dry attic, how do we know the mould remnants will ever continue to grow again?
During my inspection yesterday, I found a very “mouldy” attic sheathing (north face only). This mould and moisture staining has developed over 35 years. House has been occupied by a family with 4 young kids for 6 years…with no illness problems (they were in the house for 2 of the 4 hour inspection and I saw 4 very healthy, well mannered children).
There is no pungent mould odour; there were no signs of mould elsewhere. How is that attic mould going to affect anyone?
there is 8 inches of fiberglass insulation to act as a filter from anything fallng downward (with 6 inches cellulose to be added if and when my clients buy)
being in a cold climate, a 2 storey house has lots of stack effect with air moving upward, so again nothing is likely to come downward
So if there is no continued growth, is there a problem?
A few years back, an environmental remediation company sent an alarmist letter to HI’s in an attempt to sell the AEGIS mould treatment through referrals from Hi’s when they found mould in attics. Cost of the treatment: $4-6 per sq ft of roof sheathing.
Within a couple of weeks, I get a call from an agent who nevers refers me (but I am the “go to” guy for a lot of folks here). I told her it was a good product but not necessarily needed. Before she got back to her “seller” clients, they had contracted with the firm to do the attic.
I phoned the company, got the second in command and questioned him with the 2 above questions. His reply was “Yes, you are probably correct, no mould will enter the house but we have a product to sell and we can sell it because people are afraid!”
Who made them afraid?
The press…those with a product to sell…the home inspector covering his azz. “The sky is falling” with a new danger just about every other day!!!
BTW, my client yesterday asked me if I did mould testing. I told her only when necessary…which is about “nil”. She said another inspector she interviewed said he did mould testing on just about every house he inspected and it should be done! Well…I got the job…and found mould.
Mold no matter if it is considered toxic are not needs to be removed.
Proper removal of mold in attics varies from situation to situation. The main thing is that an air test in living area below attic mold needs to be taken to determine if the mold spores have drifted down. Sometimes it does and sometimes it does not, no matter what the venting is.
Also the insulation is required to be removed and disposed of properly when an attic is remediated according to standards. Containment with negative air pressure is necessary.
TOXIC when it comes to mold is as individual as the person. What if I am HIGHLY allergic to Penicillium? Then its TOXIC to me. Saying that word can do a ton of harm. Is Stachybotrys Toxic (Black mold)? Well to 2/3 of the population, no at moderate levels. But it is the MOST TOXIC to people and causes the most damage to the highest amount of people.
ALL mold is toxic at some point. So what is and is NOT toxic depends on the sensitivity of the person.
ALL visual mold over 10 square feet needs to be remediated no matter what the Air Quality tests say, according to the EPA.
If the mold cannot be removed it needs to be encapsulated properly and procedures to prevent contamination need to be in place.
Where was the air handler system located? Were there ducts in the attic? Were their penetrations in the ceiling below that did not vent to the outdoors (like a bathroom fan) that could draw in air from the attic when the room was at a negative pressure? Was there a “whole house fan” that would scatter the spores when used and possibly draw them from other penetrations when the house is at negative pressure? A “yes” to any of these would make attic mold significant enough to report no matter what the used house salesman thinks about it.
You can try and remove the mould but there is always mould in every home.
Give it food and moisture and it will grow again.
Mould is the natural way of breaking down the refuse of the world .
No mould and we could not walk in the bush.
Is there time when mould should be checked for and removed definatly ,but very seldome .,too me it it is over sold by a few who do not have the knowledge they think they do .
It is like a perfect Vacuum imposible to achieve .
It is difficult, if not impossible, for us to determine how the mold that we find might affect our clients or family.
Here is an example from just this past summer.
In my part of the state, there are no building codes so you never know what you will find when you enter a home…and my client was moving from a home where she and her husband had spent over $30K trying to get rid of the mold that was in it and making her ill. They finally gave up and were buying a new home.
As I searched for conditions conducive to mold, I observed and made note of the unvented crawlspace that showed signs of past moisture intrusion, but was dry. The heating and cooling air handler was in this space and some of the ductwork was laying on the ground. When I turned on the A/C to test it (and also to cool the house down, since we were inside and uncomfortable) she started to sniffle…and within about two or three minutes…her nose began to bleed.
She explained to me that this was her reaction to mold ever since living in the house she had just sold and has a daughter who does the same thing.
Until that inspection, I had considered (as many do) that the mold issue is usually blown out of proportion by inspectors and clients, alike. I’m just glad she was with me, for I never actually “observed” the mold that was likely growing inside the air handler and/or the duct system.
*The staining could be attributed to *old Ceratocystis and Ophiostoma (Lumberyard Mold) these fungi in indoor environments is common but, for the most part, is not associated with any moisture problems and may be present on wood surfaces prior to the time construction begins. The sap stain penetrates into the sapwood and cannot be removed by surface or chemical cleaning. The stain is allowed in varying degrees in most lumber grades. Although it reduces the aesthetic value, the strength of the lumber is unaffected.the only way to determine if this is the genus of mold would be a tape lift off test for analysis.
It is once again a national shame that those that sometimes control the workflow of a home inspector want to have a say in the outcome of the report. “Don’t kill my deal, if you do you will get no more work from me.” Appraisers experienced the same pressure from lenders and realtors to make the deal work or don’t expect anymore work from me. Tie that along with govt policies and fannie mae and freddie mac…and walah, we have an economy in meltdown with toxic debts. These same pressures will cause the buyers to once again take it in the shorts, while the inspector is the one holding the bag of liability. Attn Mr Nick…we need a strong lobby effort on the legislative side to make sure the Home Inspection group stays independent of pressure from Realtors or anyone else trying to influence the outcome of the condition of real property involved in a transaction, be it leveraged or a cash deal.
