MOLD

[martstev]

I believe I have mold in my house and it's spreading. The reason I believe I have mold issue it's because I've noticing some brown spots on carpet randomly through out the house. There is some major area with brown spots on carpet just outside one bathroom. The very same bathroom has some brown spots on walls and tiles. I also see some heavy mold area on cabinet wood floor under the sink in the same bathroom.

I bought the of-the-shelf mold kit and test was positive for mold. I've sent the sample to the lab for more detail analysis. Now I am not sure what to do. I have mold coverage from my insurance company but they will pay for it if it's caused by a water leakage. My dilemma is..

1) How can I determine if I have a leak in draining? I checked the water meter and it doesn't seem like water coming in the house is leaking but I don't know about the drain leak and how to determine that 2) I called the mold inspector and he said that he would charge $500 for test and then charge @ $125 for mold mitigation plan. Is it worth spending this money? 3) All I care about it to get rid of mold and the source of the mold. Do you think I need to replace the carpet? I am planning to do that in future anyway. But I just don't want to replace it, I want to make sure it's not underneath the carpet and it is easy to find that out? Same thing with the tile and sheet rock...do I need to replace them or just clean it with some bleach or chemicals??

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

[HeyBub]

If you do file a claim against your insurance company, you can depend on:

1. Rates rising next year, or
2. Insurance company declines to renew, or
3. Both.

[marks542004]

the first thing I would do would be to get a humidity gauge and check it . Perhaps run a dehumidifier for a while if its very high . Mold will grow in wet areas.

Use a cleanser that will inhibit mold for cleaning up walls in the bathroom . A dilute bleach will work if nothing better is available. Spray the mold , wait for it to die and clean up whats left.

Rent a rug doctor and give the entire carpet a cleaning.

If you have mold in the wall cavities its a very expensive business to get rid of it .

[cornytheclown]

I agree with hey bub....dont get your insurance company involved and be way of mold inspectors and mold remediation companies...many are high priced scam artists....not all...but many.

find the source of the mold..... mold is always around us.... it is usually moisture that sets it to growing.... you more than likely have a moisture problem....

got a humidifier ??? turn it off...... really tight house....get some form of ventilation.....

do as bub says...get you a cheap humidity meter and check the humdity in your home....I think anything over 40 percent is a problem...but you better do some googling on ideal humidity or problem humidity.... just do some research....

ok...clean up the mold with bleach....hope it dont ruin your carpet... FIND THE SOURCE OF THE MOISTURE..... leaking plumbing....whole house humdifier gone bad....

plenty of info on the net...use google and read up on mold......

[terry]

I hope this is a serious post not a troll?

Also assuming there is no smoking in the house? It doesn't sound like it.

It sounds like serious dampness/high humidity problem. However: A pinhole leak in plumbing under the sink? Mouldy or 'rotten' smell??????

Mould (mold) can be toxic and cause long term breathing and toxicity problems; particularly for children and seniors.

Even in our much cooler climate here we have had schools closed down for long periods and ripped apart because of mould problems. In fact we have 600 pupils temporarily moved out of one whole school right now!

If it is high humidity all sources of moisture should be considered and controlled. Bathrooms are of course a high source. We run our small bathroom fan for at least half an hour following each shower. Raising the temperature can in some climates reduce moisture depositing on cool surfaces, such as windows etc.

Perhaps there is a bare earth crawl space under the house with moisture wicking up from the ground below? Spread plastic sheet? Insufficient ventilation? Run bathroom and kitchen fans. Open windows; get house ventilated at night if it host and humid during the day (Although we don't know the OPs location or weather). Floors too cold?

Life style. Do not run humidifiers or boil kettles or pots on the stove excessively. If there is a furnace disable the humidifier. Each human body puts out humidity daily even during the seven-eight hours we are asleep.

If contemplating spending $500 on tests and paying other costs (mainly labour?) that will surely be higher than $125 IMHO, do the 'obvious' things first. Ventilate regularly, examine life style, remove obvious sources of moisture, look for rot or mould in structure or foundations of house.

Consider and get good advice on health effects of possible mould. If serious move out until solution! Be healthier living in a camper in the yard than breathing possibly mouldy air daily. Without being alarmist; poor health probably the highest cost?

[Lawrence]

You must find the source of the moisture before any repairs can be made. Water can get into the house either from the roof, from the ground, or from the plumbing. make sure your roof is sound and that rainwater is being directed away from the house with gutters. If you don't have gutters, get them. If you do have them, check them to see they are draining properly. Check the grade around the base of the house to make sure water drains away not toward the house. I don't think your problem is the plumbing. If it were, then you would notice the highest concentration of mold near some plumbing. Take a close look at the plumbing. however, if you suspect it. A de-humidifier may help.

Mold is bad. How much you do is ultimately up to you. Really bad problems can be really bad. There have been cases where the cost of mold repairs exceeds the value of the house. If it was me I would pull up any suspect carpet immediatly. This will allow you to inspect the floor underneath for mold and to get it fixed. Rather than carpet I would install a solid surface flooring. Hopefully yu don't have to replace or repair the walls but it does happen. Lots of bleach and a strong fan can sometimes do the trick. If they are actively harboring mold then you may have to bite the bullet.