Last week we talked about water issues within basements. This week we’ll talk about one of the consequences of excessive moisture – mold.
Mold is a fungus that naturally occurs in the environment. It is one of those unfortunate necessities since without it there would be no natural decomposition of plants or other organic material. Mold requires only two things to survive – food and water. In nature, mold spreads by means of microscopic spores borne on the wind. However, in a residential setting such as your home, mold can grow and be present in concealed areas of the home, such as the interior of walls, beneath flooring, or above ceilings if moisture is present.
When mold spores land on your wet ceiling tiles, basement floor or saturated wall boards, they begin to devour whatever surface they are growing on gradually destroying that surface. Within a short time, 24 to 48 hours after a spill, mold will begin to grow. By minimizing moisture within the home and keeping all areas free of spills and leaks, you can reduce or eliminate mold from most parts of the home.
Moisture control within a home is the key to fighting mold. Where we often find mold is under sink areas, basements, attic framing, bathroom tiles and walls, windows and doors, foundation walls and siding, appliances, and condensation lines from HVAC units to name a few. The sources of these moisture problems are usually caused by improper flashing around windows and doors, roof leaks, high humidity conditions, flooding caused by heavy rains or appliance failure, plumbing leaks, lawn irrigation equipment over-sprays, kitchen and bathroom spills, and HVAC malfunctions. Deferring maintenance such as sump pump cleaning, gutter cleaning, roof repairs and other common household annual projects only enhance the chance that your home will develop mold issues.
We recommend to our customers that they or their licensed contractor periodically check areas susceptible to leaking such as under sink areas, shower, bathtub, and dishwasher/appliance areas for evidence of leaks and/or mold. Once found it needs to be eradicated immediately by following manufacturer’s recommended instructions on the product of your choice.
Some other items to do:
- Ventilation – Inspect all attic spaces and sub-floor areas to ensure that they are properly ventilated. There are specific requirements that we can assist you on regarding the amount of ventilation required to combat excessive moisture.
- Basement or Crawl Spaces that are not Concrete – Since this is a huge source of moisture, we recommend that a 6 mil layer of black plastic be installed over the exposed soil as a vapor barrier to keep the moisture under control.
- Humidity – As stated earlier, moisture control is the key to fighting mold. Therefore you should be pro-active and install exhaust fans in all “wet” areas such as bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. You should also check that your contractor vented the clothes dryer line to the outside of the house and not into the attic or basement.
- Windows - If moisture condenses on windows or other hard surfaces, raise the temperature indoors and maintain a low indoor relative humidity level.
- Gutters - Make sure gutters and drain lines for roof water run-off are regularly cleaned in order to divert the roof water run off away from the foundation. Keep water away from foundations and maintain a minimum 2% finished grading slope away from foundations within 6 feet of the foundation.
- Check Your Belongings – In many homes that we’ve worked
- where items were stored for an extended period of time, when these items where finally moved we found mold on the bottom of boxes, stored clothing, bedding, furniture and other items. Check for signs of mold on your belongings particularly the ones stored in either the attic or basement. We recommend installing storage racks that keep stored items off the ground and allow proper air circulation underneath these items.
- Be Proactive – Continually inspect for leaks on a regular basis, immediately repair water leaks, floods and spills (or have the appropriate person do so) and immediately extract water from all areas that have been subjected to flooding.
Should you find severe mold growth on any of these items, call on the services of a qualified professional mold-remediation contractor since disturbing the mold could result in the release and dissemination of mold and mold spores to other areas of the house.
Seth Baldelli
Licensed Construction Supervisor
Drg Inc.
Drg24-7.com
