Anybody got experience with Black Mold?
- Thread starter skydivr
- Start date
I had some mold in my crawlspace, and this was the product I used and it worked great.
MoldSTAT Plus. EPA Registered - Kills mold and mildew.
I used a pump sprayer that held about 5 gallons so I could move around with it fairly easy. As I understand it though, black mold is very bad and may need to be handled by a professional. Where is the mold, in the walls, basement, crawl space?
MoldSTAT Plus. EPA Registered - Kills mold and mildew.
I used a pump sprayer that held about 5 gallons so I could move around with it fairly easy. As I understand it though, black mold is very bad and may need to be handled by a professional. Where is the mold, in the walls, basement, crawl space?
We had an older bathroom with walls leaking thru and didn't know it.
We were smelling it Everytime we closed the slider door on the bathroom.
I shined a flashlight in there and saw ALOT! We had to have all he walls torn out and replaced because it had actually grown into the drywall on opposite side.
I've got lots of pics at home on pc if you need any for comparison.
An kind of growing mold can lead to lots of respiratory problems in household ESP for kids as the spores are everywhere.
We were smelling it Everytime we closed the slider door on the bathroom.
I shined a flashlight in there and saw ALOT! We had to have all he walls torn out and replaced because it had actually grown into the drywall on opposite side.
I've got lots of pics at home on pc if you need any for comparison.
An kind of growing mold can lead to lots of respiratory problems in household ESP for kids as the spores are everywhere.
Mold test results (air quality and test strip) completed by a liscened testing firm.
My daughter has an unfinished storage area behind her closet, which is not ducted about a 10x10 space. A test strip tested positive. Previous testing was negative, which means water is getting in there somehow.
Don't think it's a big spot, but my daughter is highly sensitve and allergic to it. My wife is in panic mode ("WE'VE BEEN POISONING OUR DAUGHTER SINCE WE MOVED HERE!!) kinda stuff. Mold is one thing, black mold is something worse entirely.
My daughter has an unfinished storage area behind her closet, which is not ducted about a 10x10 space. A test strip tested positive. Previous testing was negative, which means water is getting in there somehow.
Don't think it's a big spot, but my daughter is highly sensitve and allergic to it. My wife is in panic mode ("WE'VE BEEN POISONING OUR DAUGHTER SINCE WE MOVED HERE!!) kinda stuff. Mold is one thing, black mold is something worse entirely.
TallTom
Registered
Ok so far you have done exactly the right thing. You have test that give you a timeline. Let's address a couple of things here. Your wife concern is that it was an issue since you moved there. Is this valid in your mind? This is very relevant from a legal perspective.
Secondly. The good news. It is not a ducted space. The spores likely haven't been pulled into the HVAC system. This is hugely good news. You will need to first seal off the area with plastic to contain the spores that may become airborne Seal off any A/C intake registers in that room.. Wear Tyvex and a mask/breather to keep it from getting on you and in you and you then carrying it out. Then remove the drywall from all sides of the affected area. Without seeing the affected area, all I can say is if the mold is visible, take away an area 3 times the size of what you see. The spores climb up the drywall and stud surface. Drywall is the worst culprit. If the mold is not visible from the outside of the wall, you will need to start making exploratory openings. When removing the drywall you will take a circular saw. Adjust it to be just a fraction of an inch more than the thickness of the drywall. Unless you know where the moisture source is from,cut an area from the floor about 4 inches high. Remove that piece and look inside. The circular saw allows you to not break off the piece. You should be able to gently remove it. You may need to find a screw here and there that has to be removed. The whole idea is treat the drywall with great care to keep the spore disbursement to a minimum. Continue until you can see it. Mold usually starts from the bottom because that is where the water stands or collects. Continue until you find the mold. Be very careful when removing. You want to be as gentle as you can to keep the spore disbursement to a minimum. Place all removed pieces in a garbage bag and seal them up, even if you don't find mold. Keep going until you find the mold. If you have to stop work, seal the area you have started with visquen or some other suitable plastic sheet. Occasionally pull your mask off and smell. You can smell it as you get closer.
When you find the mold. Remove 3 times the area you can visibly see it. Remove all drywall and insulation and seal it in garbage bags. Do not disturb the studs anymore than necessary. You will bleach them and seal them and want to keep the spores as undisturbed as you can. Find the source of moisture. Solve that.
The law in most states will say, if the mold is present (read legally as visible) for less than 20 square feet, you are exempt from reporting it. If you want to give me a call I can walk you through this because it will be lengthy post to try and type it all out.
Yo can do this yourself, but you need to be aware of your responsibilities.
Secondly. The good news. It is not a ducted space. The spores likely haven't been pulled into the HVAC system. This is hugely good news. You will need to first seal off the area with plastic to contain the spores that may become airborne Seal off any A/C intake registers in that room.. Wear Tyvex and a mask/breather to keep it from getting on you and in you and you then carrying it out. Then remove the drywall from all sides of the affected area. Without seeing the affected area, all I can say is if the mold is visible, take away an area 3 times the size of what you see. The spores climb up the drywall and stud surface. Drywall is the worst culprit. If the mold is not visible from the outside of the wall, you will need to start making exploratory openings. When removing the drywall you will take a circular saw. Adjust it to be just a fraction of an inch more than the thickness of the drywall. Unless you know where the moisture source is from,cut an area from the floor about 4 inches high. Remove that piece and look inside. The circular saw allows you to not break off the piece. You should be able to gently remove it. You may need to find a screw here and there that has to be removed. The whole idea is treat the drywall with great care to keep the spore disbursement to a minimum. Continue until you can see it. Mold usually starts from the bottom because that is where the water stands or collects. Continue until you find the mold. Be very careful when removing. You want to be as gentle as you can to keep the spore disbursement to a minimum. Place all removed pieces in a garbage bag and seal them up, even if you don't find mold. Keep going until you find the mold. If you have to stop work, seal the area you have started with visquen or some other suitable plastic sheet. Occasionally pull your mask off and smell. You can smell it as you get closer.
When you find the mold. Remove 3 times the area you can visibly see it. Remove all drywall and insulation and seal it in garbage bags. Do not disturb the studs anymore than necessary. You will bleach them and seal them and want to keep the spores as undisturbed as you can. Find the source of moisture. Solve that.
The law in most states will say, if the mold is present (read legally as visible) for less than 20 square feet, you are exempt from reporting it. If you want to give me a call I can walk you through this because it will be lengthy post to try and type it all out.
Yo can do this yourself, but you need to be aware of your responsibilities.
limpytheduck
Registered
We have experience, moved into an older home and it was in several of the walls. If you see it on outside of wall it is usually on inside and can spread like crazy in a moist environment. Careful because if you mess with it you can release the spores which travel like dust and can settle and spread it. No joke if you have the serious strains of it, made my wife and two kids very sick because we were living with high levels for 6 months and couldn't figure out why everyone was getting sick. Def need a professional remediation company to help, we had to move out for two weeks, the place looked like that scene in E.T. where the house in wrapped in plastic with exhaust fans and environmental suits. Get a Biological Technician in there to find out exactly what you are dealing with, need to get spore samples. The air samples can be misleading as to the accurate levels in the home. Don't panic but get on it right away.
TallTom
Registered
I lived in and re mediated houses in Fla. Fla and Texas are the 2 highest states in mold claims. If you call in a professional, as in calling some agency it will change everything. They will no doubt clean it up. But you will also have a recorded history of mold remediation. If you can get a professional to help you privately, and you can handle the problem yourself, your bank, insurance and city will not need to know.
What limpytheduck has said is true if you have a big mold problem. It sounds like you have a small problem. Keep it that way.
What limpytheduck has said is true if you have a big mold problem. It sounds like you have a small problem. Keep it that way.
I don't have a bank. I own my home.
Why don't I want my insurance company to know?
My city doesn't care.
This will be done by professionals, not by me. There's no drywall in the area that it's been identified, and yes so far I think a small area. need to find the water source though. Must be a small but regular one.
We had a full inspection when we purchased 6 years ago. We have had previous testing that did not find anything. I am going to review previous disclosure to see if it was disclosed, but regardless I will have to disclose it (if remediated professionally backed by a warranty and it's not a huge problem, I don't think it will be too much an issue).
I know it's less than 20 Sq FT. What I want to understand (besides what it's gonna cost) is the legal ramifications. Who do I have to 'report' to?
Why don't I want my insurance company to know?
My city doesn't care.
This will be done by professionals, not by me. There's no drywall in the area that it's been identified, and yes so far I think a small area. need to find the water source though. Must be a small but regular one.
We had a full inspection when we purchased 6 years ago. We have had previous testing that did not find anything. I am going to review previous disclosure to see if it was disclosed, but regardless I will have to disclose it (if remediated professionally backed by a warranty and it's not a huge problem, I don't think it will be too much an issue).
I know it's less than 20 Sq FT. What I want to understand (besides what it's gonna cost) is the legal ramifications. Who do I have to 'report' to?
Amode
Registered
Find the leak problem, Or moisture problem open it up and clean it and let it dry. Mold does not like sunlight or air. Then replace the sheet rock with Densarmor.
DensArmor Plus Abuse-Resistant Interior Panel is the first fiberglass mat abuse-resistant panel designed as a replacement for paper-faced panels in commercial building interiors. Moisture- and mold-resistant, DensArmor Plus Abuse-Resistant Panel is formulated for high traffic areas such as corridors in hospitals, schools and other public buildings.
DensArmor Plus Abuse-Resistant Interior Panel is the first fiberglass mat abuse-resistant panel designed as a replacement for paper-faced panels in commercial building interiors. Moisture- and mold-resistant, DensArmor Plus Abuse-Resistant Panel is formulated for high traffic areas such as corridors in hospitals, schools and other public buildings.
I've had a dehumidifer for years (downstairs); pumps a gallon of water a day. Daughter doesn't have asthma; she is very allergic to mold (and a host of other things).
TallTom
Registered
I believe it will be from the sounds of it. You did everything right by having the inspections and testing from day one for you. If it's bigger and you hire a professional, your insurance co. may find it on a renewal search. Kind of like a ticket you get in a car. If they see a DUI on your record they can cancel or make the premiums so high you can't afford it. If they see a mold remediation was done, the redflags go up.
You may need to pull a permit depending on the city requirements. Good that you don't have a bank. If it is less than 20 feet, then it will be considered a minor repair and a permit may not be an issue (rules vary from state to state and city to city) and the company you hire won't have to pull a permit. Either way, on paper they can legally call it a minor removal of damp material and a preventative treatment. The words mold nor remediation will not need to be used.
I don't know your rates in your area, but we charged 60/ft if it was less than 100SF of total repair. The no drywall will help a little on the price. Drywall is cheap. Finish work is what cost.
It the area is behind a bathroom I suspect you will find a bad pipe joint. Make sure the area that the moisture is coming from has no issues. This chyt runs behind the walls pretty easy.
Let me sort of help you understand a mold issue in real world terms. Most commonly a child becomes ill from it and suffers pulmonary damage. They are the most vulnerable. However anyone with sensitivities, allergies, asthma etc. can have serious reactions to it. An attorney will start with the current insurance company covering the property and can sue all the way back to the original builder, including all previous chains of owners if there was no remediation evidence.
Since there is no starting point of time they go back to the original build date. They do a permit history search. They go after any roof work, plumbing work etc. If there is remediation evidence, they sue the company that signed off on it, and everyone forward from that point. If the remediation co. is no longer in business, they will sue anything that has money and an interest in the house at the point. Banks/Insurance companies will be accused of not having done proper inspections or taken appropriate actions if they knew. Speaking as a licensed contractor that has had remediation certification from my training, in the past 7 years or so, insurance companies will not write a policy that covers any mold in homes in a high mold claim area, or a home that has had a previous mold issue. It will be stated in the policy that mold is not covered. And you will sign a document stating you understand that fact. It requires a separate rider. That rider generally has a price limit. That protects them from being sued, for more than that rider amount. If your policy does not specifically exclude it, and there is no separate rider, the attorneys go after them for the entire value the house is insured for. If you as a homeowner had a mold problem that you fixed and did not disclose at selling, you are a target for any future owner that has any problems.
The caveat here is the 20 foot rule. If it is less than 20 feet it isn't considered a health risk and does not require disclosure.
Not trying to scare you at all here. Just trying to educate. Mold is a litigation goldmine for attorneys and nightmare for the others. I live in a neighborhood that has a house that was foreclosed on, that was purchased new for 576K in 2007. It has mold that was caused from a workmanship defect (the original builder). It has not sold and it has a price of 185K on it at this point. That is the price of the lot and a foundation it sits on. To repair this one will require the removal and replacement of an entire load bearing wall and multi level chimney. It was noones fault but the builders. He declared BK 3 years ago. The bank was left holding the bag. I will wager the house will be torn down before it ever sells.
The hurricanes from the past 7 years has changed EVERYTHING for the insurance industry. Some will take exception to the 20 foot rule and simply refuse to cover any property with any mold issue period. Mold has cost them many millions of dollars of pay outs since these storms. So many repairs needed to be done so quickly that mold was never properly addressed at the time.
TallTom
Registered
No doubt you need to fix it. If you decide to hire it out, just discuss with the contractor. If it's small ask them if they have to pull a permit. If not I wouldn't worry too much about it. They know their liabilities.
fix what you need to, clean with bleach and water mix,, kilz paint, you should be good.... kilz seems to stop the bleed through if it comes back.
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