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Mold Remediation – Inspection & Testing Service

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Specializing in Attics, Basements and Mold Problem Homes:

BASEMENTS:

If you have noticed a musty, moldy odor from your basement or another area inside your home this smell could be from mold growth. This is especially of concern if the basement has a high humidity level during the spring or summer, has ever gotten wet from heavy rains, has had recurrent water leaks or got wet from a leaky or burst pipe. Most molds only need a humidity level around 70% to start mold growth on most cellulose materials.

These include basement walls, drop ceilings, fixed wooden ceiling joists, sills, sub-flooring and stored items (especially cardboard and varnished furniture items). Once rugs or sheetrock walls have gotten wet, toxic molds start growing on them within 48 hours. * Exterior basement sheetrock walls with insulation behind them are very difficult to dry.

Even if you had them professionally dried, its common for aspergillus and even black stackybotrys mold to have already spread throughout the lower wall materials, insulation and into the wall studs before these walls were dried.

ATTICS:

Have you noticed dark discolorations on your attic ceiling joists or sheathing. There are multiple types of toxic molds that will grow on attic ceiling sheathing and ceiling joists. All it takes for the mold to start growing on the attic ceiling or sidewalls is for the ceiling to get damp or wet during the cold periods of the year. Some molds are also light gray to dark gray colored (especially on the ceiling joists).

Others molds are dark colored or blackish and usually found growing on the attic ceiling sheathing. The most common cause for attic ceiling mold growth is moisture in the attic condensing on the cold exterior ceiling and side-walls. The most common source of isolated attic ceiling mold to a specific area is from a bathroom ceiling fan improperly venting into an attic.

Ice-dams are another cause of attic ceiling mold. But, poor attic soffit and ridge venting is the main cause of attic ceiling mold. When excessive attic moisture is combined with limited attic venting, mold growth is all but guaranteed. We are very experienced at determining attic ventilation problems and can give you detailed information on how to properly correct the venting problem that lead to the mold growth.

Testing a wall for elevated moisture

Home Mold Inspection & Testing - Detection

Finding The Mold:

The first step, as part of our specialized on-site service, includes a visual inspection for black mold or any other type of mold growing on interior surfaces of your home. If during our visual mold inspection and testing, we detect mold growing in an area, we can take a direct sample from the area or object and have it tested for toxic mold spores. If you suspect hidden mold in your home or a home you are buying, we can perform environmental air sampling.

Note: Air testing for hidden mold is one of the best methods used for detection of hidden mold. Our air quality testing method is used to locate and identify the presence of up to 60 different species of toxic mold. Mold testing samples will then be taken and are each encoded with a unique number sequence for later test result confirmation.

Note: If obvious visible mold is found growing on a wall or ceiling surface anywhere inside your home mold testing is usually not needed.

Mold Testing & Laboratory Analysis:

Is it toxic? Air testing and direct sample cultures are sent out to a certified third party accredited laboratory in MA that specializes in examination of collected mold samples.

The collected samples are analyzed under 300 and 600 power microscopes. The lab tech identifies the mold spores by species and counts the spores to come up with a count that is given in spores per cubic meter of air. We will then forward the lab report to you with an explanation of the results. If a risk is identified, a mold abatement plan can then be written up and forwarded to the client.

Note: Mold spores are everywhere in our environment. What is important to know is if any of the more toxic mold types are found and at what levels. There are acceptable levels for many mold types where no mold remediation would be needed. But, if an elevated level is discovered mold remediation would then be recommended.

Mold Remediation:

We’ll contain the work area, set up a high capactiy HEPA filtered air scrubber to remove airborne mold spores and small debris particles. We’ll then remove and dispose of all contaminated materials. Then, our Mold Remediation Technology is performed by trained, professional technicians.

Mold Prevention:

How can I stop mold from returning after I have had a mold remediation treatment performed? Find the moisture or water intrusion source(s) and correct them.
If the mold problem was in the basement:
  • Make sure gutters take roof water at least 6 ft. away from exterior foundation
  • Seal any foundation wall cracks that seep rain water
  • Install vapor barriers in crawlspaces
  • After remediation, run a good quality self-draining de-humidifier
If the mold problem was in the attic:
  • Prevent Winter ice dams on the roof – properly install an ice dam membrane
  • Make sure the upstairs bathroom fan is venting outside – not inside the attic
  • Check the attic soffit vents – make sure they are not covered with insulation
  • Homes should have high air flow ridge vents with functional soffit vents
  • If soffit venting isn’t possible – proper powered side or roof venting is an option
Notes for Attics: The period between 2/1/2015 and 3/15/2016 had the worst ice-dams in recent history. If your attic didn’t have proper ventilation and your attic ceiling got wet from ice-dams you probably got mold growth on your attic ceiling. The mold usually looks whitish grey on the ceiling rafters and dark grey to black on the exterior ceiling sheathing. The mold usually starts growing on the north side lower attic sheathing and spreads from there. Mold growth from ice-dams and water damage is commonly covered by insurance, but not always. Mold growth caused from inadequate ventilation though is the most frequent cause of attic ceiling mold growth. You’ll need to call your insurance company and have them send out an adjuster to see if you’re covered.

Notes for Basements: If you ever had a water intrusion incident in your basement from either a heavy rain, water tank leak or from any other plumbing failure and the carpet or lower walls got wet even for 2 days, mold growth could already have developed. Also, the elevated humidity levels could of started mold growth on stored items and on the basement ceilings. This mold growth usually starts out looking just like a light gray dusty film.

Much of this mold growth is hidden on the backsides of the basement walls. When the basements finally dried, this mold growth didn’t die. The mold spores just became dorment. The spores still exist and are still viable. Many mold types will still produce mycotoxins for many years if not removed. Some spores can live for up to 10 years without moisture. If the walls get damp from high spring or summer humidity, or wet again from any of the heavy summer and fall downpours, the old mold spores will quickly start growing new mold.

A mold smell is often detected when the moisture rises high enough again for dorment mold spores to because active again and start reproducing. The smell often fades away again when the wall, and or, ceiling materials dry out again. Dorment mold spores still cause health problems, but the health problems from mold spores gets much worse when the humidity rises above 70%. This is when new mold growth occurs producing more mold spores and increased levels of mycotoxins.

4/1/2021 – Attic Ceiling Mold Update: Even though the the winter of 2020 – 2021 had little snow and was a little warmer than usual many homes with limited attic ventilation still got attic ceiling mold. We saw many cases of a light colored mold on rafters in attics and many more with black attic mold growth on the exterior attic sheathing. There are many types of black mold growth in attics.

Note: Out of the 60 types of mold growth we test for, the most commonly found mold species we find growing on attic ceilings are aspergillus, penicillium and cladosporium.