MOLD ISSUE! HELP!

[onux20]

Alright I need some help. I

[Coral Hind]

First off I am not a mold expert. As far as your question on wether your tank can support mold. I would say yes, but it depends on other factors such as air movement, A/C and tank evaporation rate. I know my tank evaporates about a gallon of water a day. If your basement is air conditioned then the moisture would be pulled out of the air while the A/C is running.

 

My girlfriend recently discovered mold on the walls of her basement and she has lived there a long time and never had any mold problems. I think it has to do with all the heavy rain we have had in the last month. My only advice is to check the drainage around the house and make sure you have the proper slope away from the house. Check to make sure the down spouts extend far enough away from the foundation. Possibly invest in a dehumdifier if you are evaporating a lot of water from your tank(s).

 

Do you actually see any mold? If not then it is probably behind the sheetrock on the CMU, where the water has migrated in.

[onux20]

First off I am not a mold expert. As far as your question on wether your tank can support mold. I would say yes, but it depends on other factors such as air movement, A/C and tank evaporation rate. I know my tank evaporates about a gallon of water a day. If your basement is air conditioned then the moisture would be pulled out of the air while the A/C is running.

 

My girlfriend recently discovered mold on the walls of her basement and she has lived there a long time and never had any mold problems. I think it has to do with all the heavy rain we have had in the last month. My only advice is to check the drainage around the house and make sure you have the proper slope away from the house. Check to make sure the down spouts extend far enough away from the foundation. Possibly invest in a dehumdifier if you are evaporating a lot of water from your tank(s).

 

Do you actually see any mold? If not then it is probably behind the sheetrock on the CMU, where the water has migrated in.

Thanks for the response. I evaporate maybe 2L per day.

 

The notion first came to me back in Apr, I think. We had a good round of rain. Though the walls weren

[Sharkb8]

I am not a mold expert, just a biochemist. I would make sure your air conditioner is working properly, i.e. it is evaporating as much as it should be given the circumstances of your basement. I would also consider purchasing an air purifier. Air purifiers can be inexpensive and can trap 99% of air-borne microorganisms. Adding more fans with the air-purifier would increase the effectiveness of the purifier (just like in a tank, more fans are like more power heads, eliminating dead spots in the air current in your basement). You may also wish to consider purchasing, or perhaps temporarily renting/borrowing (?), a de-humidifier to help bring the moisture levels down.

 

I think our geographic area has been very damp lately (maybe others can verify?). We hit all-time records for rainfall in some areas last month and this month looks like a good one too. So it may just be a temp spike, to be evened out later. The purchase of equipment mentioned above would be a temporary solution to the temporary phenomenon of heavy rainfall and dampness so far this spring/summer.

 

However, if its a more severe problem, i.e. there is a plumbing leak somewhere (which you should definitely check out), then the purchase of equipment is obviously secondary to fixing the main problem. Maybe hire a plumber just to be sure you are not losing water somewhere else, just to eliminate other possibilities?

 

Mold is not something to sneeze at (sorry). You should definitely be proactive here and eliminate possible causes and take measures to bring the levels down as best you can. I would not involve the landlord. I bet he will blame your tank ...

 

just my 2 cents

[Brian Ward]

Did you say the drywall is getting damp when it rains? I would consider that a problem. Another place to look for the source of the moisture. If it were my house, I would tear out some of the drywall that's getting wet and look in the walls. I know it's a rental but it might be worth the effort. And moisture inside the walls is very low liklihood of coming from your tank.

[Boret]

What about using a de-humidifier?

I used to live in a house with a semi finish basement and humidity was a big issue. To the point that running a peltier heatsink in a PC produce so much condensation that water poured in the motherboard and fried the computer. I then purchased a dehumidifier and was removing about 5-6 gallons of water daily.

 

You can get one for $139 at Home Depot, or you can get a used/old one at craigslist for about $20-$25. The only issue with older models is noise. But all of them make noise so just running during the day. If you have access to a drain you can have it running all the time and not even worry about emptying the reservoir.

 

I would also consider replacing the filter in the A/C unit. You can get a good filter for way less money than the cost of a good air filter unit.

 

If you know where the mildew is at, you can spray it with a mix of water and bleach.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[onux20]

 

Mold is not something to sneeze at (sorry). You should definitely be proactive here and eliminate possible causes and take measures to bring the levels down as best you can. I would not involve the landlord. I bet he will blame your tank ...

 

just my 2 cents

Lots of rain and I do get a small swamp out side of my gate. Since I am renting, there is no way I am going to voluntarily foot the bill for this. I have a family and a tank to think about! I will give him the chance to do the right thing. If he declines, I will pay and see what the VA legal system can do to help me out.

 

Did you say the drywall is getting damp when it rains? I would consider that a problem. Another place to look for the source of the moisture. If it were my house, I would tear out some of the drywall that's getting wet and look in the walls. I know it's a rental but it might be worth the effort. And moisture inside the walls is very low liklihood of coming from your tank.

The mold guy checked the drywall around the finished portion of the basement and found no indications of moisture. Where I noted the damp wall was in the unfinished laundry room, where the concrete wall is exposed except for where the nailed up insulation covers it.

 

What about using a de-humidifier?

 

I will consider the de-humidifier. I will say the basement is not, and I can

[CHUBAKAH]

YGPM, I hold both IIRC, and IRC certifications in mold remediation.

[Highland Reefer]

If you have no wet spots on the walls, ceiling or floor of your basement, then your problem is most likely high humidity in the basement. Installing a dehumidifier should take care of that problem. Other signs indicating high humidity in the basement would be mold growing in areas of poor air circulation, like behind a couch pushed up against the wall. If there are signs of this, then one can treat these areas & pull the couch further away from the wall. If you have carpeting in the basement, you need to check & make sure that their is no mold growing beneath it around the perimeters of the room, particularly in the corners. I would check your exterior gutters to make sure they do not need to be cleaned and also add down spout extensions to get the rain water away from the house, if this has not been done. The grading around the perimeter of the house should be such that the water flows away from the house at a two percent grade. If you have a situation where the water flows to the house, then this is something that needs to be corrected by the homeowner. If your basement is unfinished, then you need to inspect the perimeter of the basement for any signs of water leaks at the basement ceiling level perimeter, where the rim joists and band boards are. Many times exterior faucet water lines brake during the winter & water will drip down. In other cases water will leak in where the exterior doors are because of the lack or brake down of the caulking.

 

Mildew requires a 10 percent moisture content in/or on what ever it is growing on. So the key to controlling it, is to get the moisture below the 10 percent mark. Spraying it is only a temporary measure.

[Highland Reefer]

One other comment: These two molds are commonly found in the drip pan area of the interior air handler for your AC or heat pump. One should check the water evaporation drip pan in the air handler and see if it is full of mold. This can be cleaned with a bleach solution. All the drain lines need to be cleaned also. The pump or whatever these lines go into must be checked and cleaned also. Many times the drain line simply dumps into a drain in the basement floor, which will collect a large amount of molds. If this situation exists, then the floor drain needs to be thoroughly cleaned and one could add draino to this drain. Then thoroughly rinse it with a garden hose the next day. If you have molds growing in the drip pan, then they will be spread throughout the entire house.

Edited June 24, 2008 by Highland Reefer

[CHUBAKAH]

Do NOT use Chlorine bleach to kill mold or disinfect moldy areas. It is not an effective or long lasting killer of mold and mold spores. Bleach is good only for changing the color of the mold and watering the roots of the mold.

 

CHLORINE BLEACH IS INEFFECTIVE IN KILLING MOLD FOR THESE REASONS:

 

(1) The object to killing mold is to kill its

[lanman]

Alright I need some help. I

[CHUBAKAH]

also keep in mind that 'mold guys' are always hoping to make a sale of some sort. Check and find out what the EPA standards are like.

That is true in the "Testing aspect" of the business.

The remediation end, not so much.

[Highland Reefer]

The key word is non-porous surfaces. Actually there is no product that will prevent mold from coming back if the moisture conditions persist. The longest lasting material available at this point for mold control would be your boric acid products, which will provide control for about 5 years. If you apply any product to a drain, it will only provide short term control if the moisture or water is replaced. When you are talking about controlling mold on unfinished wooden surfaces, the boric acid product will penetrate a whopping 1/4 of an inch, unless pressure injected into the pores of the wood. The mildews & molds do no have a root structure, they are very primitive plant organisms & therefore the boric acid will control them quite well. Therefore, they are more easily controlled with surface applications. On the other hand, the fungus do have a primitive type of root structure called mycelia. The mycelia are capable of penetrating wood quite well. There are no products except your pressure treated products, which will control the fungus growth and their spore formation. This is why gaining control of the moisture problems is so critical. This also why you want to use pressure treated wood for exterior purposes such as decks and fencing. The biggest problem with the pressure treated wood on the market now, is that it is only labeled for above ground use. Not in the ground. So if one were to put new pressure treated posts in the ground, 1/3 of them will rot (fungus infestation) off at the ground in 10 years.

 

The biggest problem with mold & fungus remediation, is that one can spray infested areas with any number of products, which in fact do not accomplish much more than spraying them with a bleach solution. You can kill the mold by simply removing the moisture problem. But, the spores are still left behind on the surfaces & whatever that is contaminated. It is these spores left behind that can continue to cause problems. The spore stage of molds, mildews and fungus are very well protected. They could survive an nuclear explosion. The spores can survive for years. This is why the primary method of mold, mildew & fungus remediation is to remove all contaminated items such as insulation, drywall, structural members & what have you.

 

I have gone in on many cases where my clients have paid good money to have their mold, mildew and fungus problems re-mediated & found that nothing much was actually accomplished because the moisture problem was not corrected. The mildew simply grew back. The key to mildew, mold & fungus infestations is to get control of the moisture or water problems.

Edited June 25, 2008 by Highland Reefer

[treesprite]

Do NOT use Chlorine bleach to kill mold or disinfect moldy areas. It is not an effective or long lasting killer of mold and mold spores. Bleach is good only for changing the color of the mold and watering the roots of the mold.

 

CHLORINE BLEACH IS INEFFECTIVE IN KILLING MOLD FOR THESE REASONS:

 

(1) The object to killing mold is to kill its

[Highland Reefer]

 

I need to discuss this information with the apartment management. Our bathroom gets mold all over the walls and ceiling because the vent is not sufficient (no windows), they refuse to improve the ventilation, refuse to paint - they sent a guy over to scrub with bleach and left it at that... and this is like the 3rd time they have done it (no mold anywhere else).

 

 

 

Unless there is proper ventilation such as an exhaust fan or window you can open, this problem will continue, no matter what you apply. Again, controlling the moisture problems is the key to controlling the molds & mildews because the spores are still there. These spores are actually everywhere in the air at all times just waiting for moisture to come back. The best thing you can do is to wipe down all the walls of the tub with a dry towl after each use. Let's do an experiment & apply one of the expensive mold remediation chemicals to your shower stalls and see how well they control your mold & mildew problem. I will place a good wager on this one and I am not a gambling man.

[CHUBAKAH]

Mold remediation is not about applying , or wiping down something and expecting it to solve the problem. There are several steps which I'm not going to go in to here that need to be done, which the last is having an industrial hygienist test to get a clearance. [At least that's how the big dawgs play]

 

The key however is to remove the moisture, which I will agree with, and I'm sure of you asked Ron, I was very detailed in explaining right up front.

[Highland Reefer]

I'm not picking on you am I. I'm having to much fun here. I guess I'm cruzing for a bruzing.

 

The above reasons are why someone should hire you for the remediation, cause you do know what you are doing as I know fully well. But, there are too many of these guys who claim they know what they are doing and in reality, they don't. Buyer Be Ware.

Edited June 25, 2008 by Highland Reefer

[CHUBAKAH]

It's all good Cliff.

 

As soon as I saw the word "Bleach" used, it was all over.

[onux20]

Mark

Thanks again for the info. At least now I know a bit more about the subject and will be prepared to refute anything I feel is bogus info.

 

Ron

[dschflier]

My basment has a bunch of tanks so humidity has been a bit of an issue. I had an older de-humidifier which was pretty noisy but it worked. I just bought a new one from Home depot. I think it is an LG I will have to check. I got the largest one and attached a hose to it then to the drain. It has been working very well. It isn't as loud as my older one and I set the humidity I want it to maintain.

[Highland Reefer]

Another area to check in houses for mold problems:

 

Crawl spaces beneath your home. If your house has a crawl space, then you need to check this area at least once a year if not more often. Most people never go into crawl spaces. The soil in the crawl space should be dry. The walls in the crawl space should be dry. The flooring structure should be dry. If there are signs of mold, mildew or fungus then there is to much moisture or actual standing water. The soil should be covered with 4-6 ml. plastic to keep the moisture in the soil. At no time should water be on top of the plastic on the ground. If there are signs of moisture in the crawl space then remediation needs to be done, such as those listed above & many more possibilities. If you have molds growing, then this is a condition conducive to wood boring beetles, termites & carpenter ants. You need to have the house checked periodically for the wood destroying insects & organisms. If you think the molds, mildews & fungus are a problem, then you need to be aware how quickly the dollars can add up when the termites start eating your home up. O yeah, termites do not need moisture problems to eat your house up (this is a common misconception). Mildew, mold & fungi are kinda like a fantastic desert.

 

Edited June 25, 2008 by Highland Reefer