Neal Lewis Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Was at a typical 75 year old house this morning. A mold testing guy who's the buyer's friend spent at least two hours testing everything in sight for mold. Typical indoor and outdoor air samples, swabs, etc. He says the dishwasher has to be thrown out because the door gasket is dirty with mildew, mold or whatever. The best one was the old refrigerator in the basement that had mildew around the leaky door gaskets. He declared it a big time problem and an indication that the basement is infested with mold. He said mildew on the furnace humidifier means the original galvanized ducts are moldy and should be replaced. Not sure how they're replacing all of them in a three story house. He says the entire basement has to be gutted due to a few black stains on the foundation. This guy called himself an environmental specialist. I asked him if he noticed the corrugated asbestos on the heat ducts. He said he only does mold and doesn't inspect or test for asbestos... I think the buyers are never going to find a house that passes their friends mold test and will continue to live in their apartment in Brooklyn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 They should shoot him. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inspector57 Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Time to take the buyer aside and tell them the truth. Have them bring in a real expert to set the record straight. They might not believe you but at least you tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 CDC EPA National Institute of Health Les had it right. Education is key. The CDC, EPA and NIH all have publications written in laymen terms that give consumers the 'what is it, what does it mean and what to do about it' regarding mold, so that we HI's don't have to elevate our liabilities by attempting to do so ourselves. Print out a few copies, keep them handy and pass them out. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 As the responsible person in this so called company, I have to deal with the mold issue everyday and all the attendant BS. My next task this morn is addressing the following comment and problem - Quote "The appraisal did go through a management review due to comments made by the appraiser. All of the items listed on the appraisal as "defective" xxxxxxxxxx will have to be held in escrow. The biggest item right now is the mold in the basement. You will have to have a licensed mold specialist (not a contractor) perform an inspection on the home to determine if any remediation is required." Michigan has no licensed mold people of any stripe. No person involved in this transaction will show or report what the appraiser said. The purchase will not proceed. The home inspection done couple of months ago did not indicate any mold (visually). This will take 1-2 hrs of time and has been done by this office hundreds, yes hundreds, of times. "If the student has not learned, then the teacher has not taught" who knew how silly this would become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 since the last post - ".............there is at least four sq foot of mold in the basement and shower on the first level. It must be tested and a remediation estimate submitted for escrow." wonder if the neighbors are going to be ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baird Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 since the last post - ".............there is at least four sq foot of mold in the basement and shower on the first level. It must be tested and a remediation estimate submitted for escrow." Wonder if the Maid Team could remediate this potential superfund site. This post and the one Les posted about the demo job make me think his world is on the other side of the looking glass...or is it a glimpse of the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 ".......and a remediation estimate submitted for escrow." Not only is he a mold expert, he's providing legal guidance. This is a clue he's not particularly bright. No, it's not the future. Everyone has the right to be stupid. These people are just exercising their rights. It's slowly going away. The medical profession has never gotten behind this, and it's extremely unlikely they are ever going to. Except for the dork professional societies that have found it's a revenue stream to teach wannabe's, it would go away quicker. Pogo was right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 If it were dangerous OSHA wold assign it a PEL. There are no exposure limits to any fungi under OSHA, NIOSH, or the EPA. By contrast, I exceeded the PEL to AP flour on my trip through Walmart this morning. The baking aisle is a war zone this close to a holiday. Inspectors may not be regulated in MI, but appraisers are. I bet this idiot has violated a few of his licensing laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Click to Enlarge 21.27 KB This is the toxic site! it is a close shot of the corner. frame on the right side is the wall medicine cabinet. I cautiously approached the subject growth, pinched my nose, held my breath, clamped my knees together, put my safety goggles on, cinched my belt, and turned just a little askew and took this shot! Now the official solution from the lender is that some idiot go over to this vacant house (more than a year) and spray it with Kilz because that would save the world. A...holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plummen2 Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Maybe I should have that mold guy tell me what he thinks about this basement the gas co tagged for gas leaks the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plummen2 Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 I fixed the gas leaks,but told the management co/owner they had bigger issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycakers Posted July 16, 2019 Report Share Posted July 16, 2019 I had the opposite encounter with an inspector who found mold. My father in law was looking for an investment property and found a house. He brought me along for the inspection because I was the one who would be renting from him. The HI verbally told my FIL that there is evidence of black mold in the attic and garage but, "I wouldn't worry about it. It's not that bad." He never noted it in his report. So FIL buys the house, I rent it, do a bunch of repairs and upgrades and two years later I am ready to buy this house from him. I needed to get an FHA loan because of a poor decision I made in my early 20s. Guess what happened when my FHA HI came in... Well, after a full remediation of my garage and attic and also new insulation, I passed the inspection with 4k less in the bank (which was a steal). I have a good friend who does fire and water damage restorations who was certified in mold. He told me that it wasn't the worst that he has seen, but it was close to it. The original HI didn't report the lack of a fire wall that separates the attic from the attached garage as well. This is what caused the mold in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Simon Posted July 16, 2019 Report Share Posted July 16, 2019 9 minutes ago, Mycakers said: The original HI didn't report the lack of a fire wall that separates the attic from the attached garage as well. This is what caused the mold in the first place. How so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycakers Posted July 16, 2019 Report Share Posted July 16, 2019 (edited) I was told that every time the garage door was opened during the cold season, a blast of cold air flew into the garage and then attic. With my dated blown in insulation clogging the soffits and a degrading R value, there was no circulation and heat from the interior was building up in the attic. The condensation from cold to hot had nowhere to go. When I had the insulation removed and replaced, the old stuff was very damp. This is what I was told at the time. I would be interested in hearing any other thoughts. I suppose it was a combination of all of this Edited July 16, 2019 by Mycakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 4 hours ago, Mycakers said: I was told that every time the garage door was opened during the cold season, a blast of cold air flew into the garage and then attic. With my dated blown in insulation clogging the soffits and a degrading R value, there was no circulation and heat from the interior was building up in the attic. The condensation from cold to hot had nowhere to go. When I had the insulation removed and replaced, the old stuff was very damp. This is what I was told at the time. I would be interested in hearing any other thoughts. I suppose it was a combination of all of this Sounds like the moisture that allowed the mold to grow was interior moisture that got into the attic. It's warmer in the interior than the attic in the winter so if that interior air gets into the cold attic, condensation might result, giving old spores what it needs to grow. I don't see what the lack of a firewall between garage and attic has to do with this mold growth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycakers Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 The attic is completely open to the garage. There is not a ceiling in my garage. There needs to be a separation between the two for carbon monoxide and fire code. By the way, I am not arguing with anyone. I’m new, I’m here to learn. So, because of the poor insulation I have interior heat coming into my attic and garage. Am I wrong to think that the sudden rush of freezing air into my attic is not accelerating the process? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Mycakers said: So, because of the poor insulation I have interior heat coming into my attic and garage. Am I wrong to think that the sudden rush of freezing air into my attic is not accelerating the process? It's probably not the culprit. The mold forms when the wood gets damp and stays damp for a long time. Occasional inrushes of cold outdoor air would probably help to ventilate the space and reduce moisture levels up there. The worst attic mold problems I see occur in poorly ventilated attics where a moisture source - often poorly vented bathroom exhaust fans, direct warm moist air into the attic. Once in the attic, the water vapor in the air condenses on the coldest surfaces in the attic: usually the underside of the north-facing roof planes. The missing wall was almost certainly not the problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 7 hours ago, Mycakers said: The HI verbally told my FIL that there is evidence of black mold in the attic and garage but, "I wouldn't worry about it. It's not that bad." He never noted it in his report. So, that was a huge mistake on the inspector's part, but probably not for the reason that you're thinking. The inspector should have looked at the presence of mold as a *symptom* of a moisture problem and he should have addressed that problem in his report, with strong advice about how to reduce moisture levels in the attic. After moisture is totally under control, then it might be appropriate to address the mold - maybe. Remember that no matter how much you treat the mold, it'll just come back if you don't fix the problem that caused it in the first place. And if you truly fix the problem, the mold will stop growing anyway. Removing old, dead mold might be a good idea, but it shouldn't be the priority. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycakers Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 The house is all electric. Gas line is capped off. No vents in the bath and no forced air. There are vents in the ceiling in all bedrooms but the previous owners cut blocks of insulation and put them in the vents. The duct work was laying in the attic. I don’t know where there could be interior air escaping. Maybe the mold is why they closed it up? I trust your input on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 So that I understand: This house was once heated with a gas furnace and ducts that were in the attic and provided air to the rooms through registers in the ceiling. The gas was capped, the furnace removed, the ducts disconnected and the registers patched with blocks of insulation (what kind?). The bathroom's have no exhaust fans. If this is all true, no wonder they have mold in the attic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycakers Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, Jim Katen said: So that I understand: This house was once heated with a gas furnace and ducts that were in the attic and provided air to the rooms through registers in the ceiling. The gas was capped, the furnace removed, the ducts disconnected and the registers patched with blocks of insulation (what kind?). The bathroom's have no exhaust fans. If this is all true, no wonder they have mold in the attic. Yes. You understand correctly. They are foam blocks with a foil backing. I can’t remember what the backing says. The mold was concentrated on the north and east side. The apex is where the garage is. That was another reason why I thought it could be due to the open attic. Edited July 17, 2019 by Mycakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycakers Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Detailed in previous posts above, I had black mold covering my attic that I needed to remove before I proceeded with my loan to buy my house. I have done everything I could do within my budget to keep heat and moisture out of my attic. I have recently sided and had all windows replaced in my all electric house with baseboard heaters. I had the siding guys cut in more holes for new soffits and installed baffles at every vent. I don't have a ridge vent but I have plenty of box vents and an attic exhaust fan. After pulling out the old insulation in my attic, sealing all holes and blowing in new insulation, I installed a range fan and bathroom fan (vented through the roof). The roof is about 8-10 years old with one layer of asphalt shingles. It recently snowed and I went up in the attic to check on things and noticed all of my sheathing is damp and at the peak of the roof there is active condensation drips. Is there anything else I can do to fix this issue or at least lessen it? Should I be thinking about a dehumidifier in the attic? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 Where is the house located? Solving problems like this can be very tricky, but it always comes down to lowering the humidity in the attic. A dehumidifier should not be necessary. Somewhere, somehow, relatively warm, moist air is getting into the attic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mycakers Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 6 hours ago, Jim Katen said: Where is the house located? Solving problems like this can be very tricky, but it always comes down to lowering the humidity in the attic. A dehumidifier should not be necessary. Somewhere, somehow, relatively warm, moist air is getting into the attic. North East IL. The first snow fall was just a couple days ago. I was wondering if it might be common to get that much moisture in the attic with the crazy temperature swings we have had. I'm going to see what happens when winter sets in. Hopefully I don't have ice sickles dropping through the ceiling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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