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Basement Mould Problems
[August 18,
2003]
Q. I have
patches of white fuzzy growth on my basement concrete floor. There is
evidence of moisture seepage in the area. There is another area of the
basement near this one that appears to have had mildew growth on the
sheetrock near the floor level. That area does not appear to remain damp.
The white fuzzies have turned black and when hit with Clorox bleach they
appear to return in a short period of time. The basement has on occasion had
that basement smell, I think this might come from excess moisture in the
area, I am not sure. Any advice that you can offer would be greatly
appreciated.
A.
Your first step should be to test the air of the basement, all rooms above,
attic, and the outward air flow from heating/cooling ducts for the possible
presence of elevated levels of airborne mould spores, which, if present,
would indicate a possible health problem, especially if the mould test
results should higher levels of mould indoors compared to the outdoor
control test. You can hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors [
Janitorial and Sanitation
]. Your next step is to stop water
entry into your basement. You might want to get recommendations
and bids from several basement waterproofing companies
[waterproofing has to be done on the outside of basement walls
and foundations]. Water problems mean mould problems for your
house. A third step would be the placement of a high capacity
dehumidifier into your basement that is programmable to run to
keep the basement humidity level at 30 to 40%, rather than 60%
or higher that makes mould growth possible. A fourth step would
be to kill and remove visible mould growth. Follow the
suggestions provided at Mould
Removal The moldy
sheetrock needs to be removed and discarded. Any moldy timbers
will need either to be replaced or have all mould removed as deep
into the wood as the mould has grown. The cleaned out, mould
remediated areas will need 2 wet sprayings of antimicrobial protective coating.
[August 5,
2003]
Q. I
finished a basement last year and moved in December. The last few months in
Ohio have been very wet. A wet sour smell started in my wall near the
sliding door. I could not stand the smell. We ran the dehumidifier in the
room all the time, pulling 2 gallons out a day.
I know that when we put up the
insulation in the month of July, we noticed that the vapor wrap around the
door had moisture behind it. I went to the Internet to make sure what we
were doing was the right thing. I was confident enough to go ahead and
continue putting up the vapor wrap. I have since had a 3x3 foot hole cut
into the drywall. The dry wall was very dry. Behind the plastic in-between
the double layer of insulation near the door in the middle was very wet and
the start of mould, but down on the foundation stud was a strange and smelly
pile of mould. I have seen mould grow in a way of looking like spores. This
was really weird to be in a pile about 2 inches with a very wet content. I
was able to just pick the pile up with a bag. It almost looked like a very
large pile of mouse droppings but very moist and it would almost break
apart. At first sight I thought it might be something dead but there were no
bones. I do think that the initial mould on the insulation would be from the
seem around the door. We are going to reseal around the door on the out
side. This other thing has me upside down. I don’t know where to go with it.
Any ideas ?
A.
You need to send a sample both the wet mould and the other
discovered mould growths to our Mold Inspector Laboratory for
mould analysis and mould identification. There is a serious
possibility that the wet mould is the deadly
toxic mould Stachybotrys
which thrives in on-going wet conditions. You also need to mould test the
air of all rooms of your basement, rooms upstairs, attic, and the outward
flow from heating/cooling ducts for the possible presence of elevated levels
of airborne mould spores, which, if present, are an indication of a possible
mould infestation problem. In the area of the water intrusion around the
sliding door, you need to remove and discard all affected building
materials, seal the area against future water intrusion [seal from the
outside of course], treat the cleaned out areas with
antimicrobial protective coating, and then re-test the area and
the room air to make sure you have solved the mould problems
before you rebuild with new building materials. Follow the mould
remediation tips at Mould Removal.
You can also conduct your own mould inspection and testing by using a
Do-it-BEST-yourself Mold Test Kits.
[August 1,
2003]
Q.
I moved into my house around 3 years ago, the house sat empty for
about 1 1/2 years with no power. Unfortunately the sump pump
wasn't working, because of the power being turned off, which left
two feet of water standing in the basement for quite sometime.
Since the problem was found, the basement was pumped out and a new
sump pump was installed, meanwhile, mould and mildew was building
up on the floor joists above. Since I have moved in, I have had no
trouble with water in the basement, just very damp. I run a
dehumidifier as often as I can, but this isn't satisfying enough.
First, I need some answers on the best way to remove the
mould/mildew and the terrible smell. Second, what can I do to keep
my basement not have so much moisture? Purchase a second
dehumidifier?
A.
Purchase a digital hygrometer [about $30 from Home Depot, Lowe's
or a large hardware store] to monitor the humidity level in your
basement, all rooms of your home, and your attic. If the indoor
humidity is 60% or greater some or all of the year, that is
enough moisture in the air to cause massive mould infestation
both in your basement and through out the home. By
having had standing water in the basement before you bought it and
visible mould growth on your basement ceiling, there is a very
good chance that you have substantial mould growth in the floor
and walls above the basement and that your home's
heating/cooling equipment and ducts are mould-contaminated. Your
first step is to thoroughly inspect and mould test your entire
home to determine how widespread mould infestation is. Use our do
it yourself mould test kits [
Mould Mart ] or hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors [
Janitorial and Sanitation ]. Because of the large volume of
water [which would have caused mould-causing high humidity]
standing for so long, there is a likelihood that mould
remediation of your home is going to cost thousands of dollars
or tens of thousands of dollars. Please read and follow the
detailed steps required for effective mould removal at:
Mould Removal.
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