Living With Mold is Simple, Don't

2/7/2020 (Permalink)

February 7^th, 2020

Living with Mold is Simple……. Don’t

Suppose your house suffered some wind damage recently due to the high winds that came through back in October (2019). You patched the roof with plans to “fix it yourself” when the seasons change and the temps warm up. A temporary tarp or other covering it currently being utilized to minimize further water from leaking into your house. You assume everything will be fine, and come Spring, one weekend you and perhaps some friends and family will simply remove the temporary covering and patch the roof. Everything is then good to go…..right? Not exactly.

See the entire time you have had the temporary patch on the house, water could have leaked in. Not to mention, what happened to all the water that leaked in before? Did you simply mop up what you could find, spray a little Kilz or similar product on the roof in order to remove the visible reminder of your misfortune? Well, when the season warms, and your attic space heats up, mold will begin to form, if it hasn’t already.

The type of mold that forms will cause problems, but what those problems are is hard to tell. Every type of mold runs the potential to cause negative health effects. As the mold grows, spores are released into the air, eventually getting into your HVAC lines and negatively affecting your air quality. Since mold requires moisture to grow, the moisture it absorbs also absorbs into the wood, potentially causing wood rot. It should be noted that mold itself does not rot wood, but the moisture it attracts does. This is why it is very important to contact SERVPRO if you suffered water damage from any type of storm event in the past.

According to FEMA, using the residents of Hurricane IRENE as an example, once you see you have water damage, you should do everything you can to dry out immediately. If you do not have the proper tools and resources to do it, SERVPRO of LBL South does, and will respond to your call within four hours or less with the proper drying equipment. If you see mold, the general rule of thumb is DON’T DISTURB IT! Contact SERVPRO of LBL South and let us examine the mold, determine the type, and safely remove it from your home. Improperly disturbing/removing mold from your home could give it more moisture/room to grow. It is best to let professionals get rid of it the moment it is detected.

RESOURCE

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2011, September 18th). Be safe, don't stay in a home infested with mold or mildew. Retrieved from Federal Emergency Management Association: https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2011/09/18/be-safe-dont-stay-home-infested-mold-or-mildew

Mobile Homes and Moisture Issues

2/4/2020 (Permalink)

February 5^th, 2020

Mobile Homes and Moisture Issues

According to an article published in 2009, which uses a United States Census Report, more than 56% of the mobile homes in the nation are located in the southern states. Tie this with the abundance of moisture in the ground, therein arises many opportunities for mold to form in and around the mobile home. Let’s take a moment to understand the dynamics which set the stage for mold growth in mobile homes, then discuss how you can potentially minimize/prevent unnecessary mold growth in your home.

Mobile homes by design (recent ones manufactured anytime after 2000) secure the insulation, water lines, electric lines, and HVAC ducts installed underneath the flooring of the home with a heavy duty plastic lining. This material is there to protect the underside of the home, especially the wood flooring, from vapor rising up from the moist ground beneath it. In the South, as noted above, we have an abundance of both moisture in the ground, which results in the excessive humidity levels we experience. This plastic vapor barrier pre-installed on your home, also has a negative side effect, in that it hides slow leaks which may arise from poor fabrication or wear and tear. These leaks absorb first into the insulation, then begin to trickle down, pooling in a low spot it finds within the vapor barrier. During this course of time, humidity levels trapped between the vapor barrier and the floor sets the perfect stage for mold growth throughout the underside of your home. The spores from this growth eventually finds its way into your home as it grows up through the pores in the flooring and walls.  

Preventative Measures You Can Take and What to Report to SERVPRO of LBL South

• Routinely check under your home. Inspect the vapor barrier for sagging spots, which could lead to a slow leak
• Identify why moisture has accumulated at that spot and where it originated from
• Once the source has been identified and the leak eliminated, what path did the water take from the source to the location in which you found it

It is important that you inspect the vapor barrier of your home at least twice a year. Any vapor barrier that is altered (purposefully or unintentional), should be replaced/repaired as soon as possible so as to stop outside humidity levels from permitting mold to grown on all porous materials under the home. Mold can potentially negatively affect your air quality, and the integrity of your home. Call SERVPRO of LBL South anytime you detect moisture or mold in your home at (731) 642-1284.

References:

Manufactured Housing Research Alliance. 2000. "Moisture problems in manufactured homes; understanding their causes and finding solutions." United States Department of Housing and Urban Development . Accessed February 04, 2020. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/moisture.pdf.

Yousef, Hibah. 2009. Most mobile homes are in the south- Census. September 23rd. Accessed February 04, 2020. https://money.cnn.com/2009/09/22/real_estate/mobile_homes/index.htm.