Condominium Mould Problems
 

[Aug. 17, 2003]

Q. I live in a 2 story condominium in NC. In my upstairs 2 story hallway which was painted last year, I have developed mould in a corner over a door & over another door (where a heat/ac vent is behind the wall). I had this problem prior to painting but hoped the new paint would eliminate the problem. I suspected this may have something to do with my duct system which is located in this vicinity coming from the attic area.  I have been advised by a heat/ac professional who looked at the problem prior to painting to re-wrap the vents in the attic which he believes will help this problem, but I was not sure if this was the answer.  The wall was painted with good quality yellow paint & I do not want to do anything to damage the color.  Is there any kind of solution I can use to remove the mould & present further damage? Or should I proceed with re-wrapping the attic vents?  The mould is only in these two areas & no where else on the wall.

A. You need to look for more fundamental, underlying causes of your condo's mould infestation problem. You need to find the high indoor humidity problem (60% or higher indoor humidity some or all of the year), roof leak, or plumbing leak that makes the mould growth happen in your condominium. You need to find and remove all mould growth that may be hidden inside your heating and cooling equipment and ducts or elsewhere [such as inside ceilings, walls, and floors]. Your first step is to mould test the air of each room of your condominium, attic, basement, and crawl space, plus the outward air flow out of each heating/cooling duct register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mould spores, which, if present, would indicate a possible serious mould problem, especially when compared to the mould test results of your outdoor mould control test. For our do it yourself mould test kits, please visit: Mould Mart  Find a Certified Mould Inspector.   For advice on effective mould repairs, visit: Mould Removal.
 

[June 15, 2003]

Q. I recently had a condo inspection done and the inspector said the condo was very well built. The one problem is that there is a fiberglass tube and water is leaking through the metal handle where the soap dish is and there is a small water stain the size of a grapefruit on the dining room ceiling below. The inspector said caulking the metal bar area should stop the problem. However, who is to say there is not excessive mould in the walls. If I purchase this condo I was told that the best way to approach this is to cut through the sheet rock in the dining room ceiling and address the possibility of mould this way. However, is it possible that the problem is too large and extensive to fix? It is possible this problem has been going on for a few years. I am not sure of the exact time frame. Would it be best to pull out and not purchase this condo b/c I could be endangering my health and also have a problem that is not fixable and will make my condo difficult to sell in the future? and can any health issues be corrected to our satisfaction or should we give up on this house?
 

A. For effective condominium mould inspection, you need to open up and inspect and test for mould growth INSIDE the affected wall, ceiling, and floor. A continuing water leak inside a condominium wall, floor, or ceiling is a great way to grow the highly dangerous Stachybotrys mould that can destroy brain tissue. To learn the steps required for effective mould remediation, please visit: Mould Removal. You also need to hire a Certified Mould Inspector to inspect and mould test the entire condominium, including doing air tests for possible elevated levels of airborne mould spores in all rooms of the condo, plus the outward air flow from heating/cooling duct registers. To find an inspector in your area, please visit our mold inspector directory:  Please remember that mould remediation can cost from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. Also remember that you will have to disclose this mould history of the condo even if you fix the problem to any prospective buyer, thus making it difficult for you to re-sell the condo in the future.

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