We received a telephone call from a homeowner who had been concerned about mold in the bathroom ceiling. My first question to him was: Is there a roof leak that you’re unaware of? He explained that a roofer had checked it out and said there was no roof leak. We chose to perform an Environmental Inspection of his dwelling.
Mold
Advised him to not alter anything about the house until we got there to perform the review. No Moisture, No Mold is our motto regarding mould. During the review of the house, it was found that there was a slow roof leak the roofer didn’t find. This is a frequent problem we find with roofers since they don’t visit the area in the loft to check it out. This place was at the corner with minimal clearance, so the roofer didn’t go there.
The homeowner called another Roofing Company since they felt the preceding Roofing Company was incompetent. In the present financial climate, it’s necessary to do the best job possible. This is a prime example of what happens when you do poor excellent work, the Roofing Company missing out on valuable work. Now lets get to another instance of hidden mold. This is one example of hidden mold at a Home: The owner of the Home is complaining about becoming ill with allergies following a water leak. This often happens if the flooded area isn’t properly expired up.The water has been cleaned up in the A/C Closet within 72 hours that’s generally sufficient to prevent microbial growth. No Moisture, No Mold.
Note this
There was no visible microbial growth anywhere but the customer was complaining about becoming ill in the house. The next question you’re likely to ask is if”No Moisture, No Mold” why is there an issue in this home. The first thing we did was take microbial air samples within the 3 walls of the Air Conditioning Closet. We sent them to the Microbial Lab for analysis. The samples came back positive for Chaetomium and Staphybotris Mold from the walls. The next phase of this investigation requires an invasive evaluation with a licensed Microbial Remediation who’s properly trained.
During the next stage, it was found that there was an old water flow that was not cleaned up correctly. This is common especially if the former homeowner attempts to hide present water damage in a sale. This is why it’s important to get your home properly investigated whenever you’re purchasing an older home. The expense of this remediation to the homeowner has been an approximately $950 and clearance testing costs, which should have been paid by the former homeowner. Guesswe live and learn the hard way. To conclude, roof leaks will need to be investigated by a competent Roofing Contractor that checks it out in the loft if accessible.
Conclusion
Most mold cases are clear cut and don’t require a thorough Microbial Investigation. Just because you don’t see mold, does not mean there’s not a problem. It can be hidden within the walls. If you suspect mold, call in an expert Professional Mold Investigator who has qualifications from a legal organization like the Indoor Air Quality Association. If you’re under a Doctors care, always consult with them first before taking any advice regarding Asthma and Allergies from Microbial Growth.