Mold Facts & News Articles
About Crawl Spaces
Problems:
Traditional crawl spaces with dirt floors and vented foundations provide an endless source of moisture in a home. Moisture can destroy a home by providing an environment for mold and insects that destroy wood products. Crawl space moisture affects not only the floor system directly above, but also the entire house.As warm air in a heated building rises, replacement air is drawn in at the lowest part of the house-your house is actually sucking the ground. This natural upward air movement is called the “ stack effect”- - it’s how chimneys work. Consequently, whatever is in the air in your crawl space eventually flows up into the living sections - - up to 40% of the air we breath on the first floor was once in the crawl space.
The Myth of Foundation Vents
New research indicates that foundation vents do not always expel moisture or keep the crawl space dry. Rather than removing crawl space moisture, venting can make the problem worse.Building scientists have found that when warm, moist outside air enters a crawl space through vents, the air cools and dramatically increases the relative humidity of the crawl space.
When the relative humidity goes over 100%, condensation accumulates on the walls, floors and building components. Mold spores traveling on air currents enter the Crawl Space through the vents, landing on these wet surfaces – the prescription for mold growth – dark, damp and wood to feed on.
Just 100 cfm of 70°F dew point air entering a crawl space would require the removal of about 10 gallons of water per day!
Solution
To avoid moisture’s negative affects, a crawl space vapor barrier should be installed, isolating the home from the ground and the humid outside air. Then the crawl space should be dehumidified.All crawl space vents should be covered making the crawl space as air tight as possible.
Call Mold Solutions, Inc. for consultation on your particular needs and custom tailored pricing.
What About Existing Mold?
Don’t let anybody fool you – mold must be removed from joists, sub-floor, piers, foundation walls and insulation before you can consider long term maintenance for the crawl space. Remember the “ stack effect” we talked about earlier? It applies to mold spores as well. All professional remediation protocols will require mold removal.Mold Solutions, Inc. utilizes three methods for mold removal dependent upon the level of contamination:
- Light mold contamination is removed by wire brushing.
- Medium mold contamination is removed by orbital sanding.
- Heavy mold contamination is removed by dry ice blasting – the latest, safest and cleanest way to remove impregnated mold.
For more information about Bac-Shield XP, please visit our Bac-Shield page
Beware of synthetic chemistries (Bac-Shield XP’s main ingredient is Chitosan which occurs naturally) that profess to kill fungi for 20 years or more. Look at the label and ask about toxicity. If a product kills fungi for that length of time, do you really want it in your crawl space? Again, don’t forget about the “ stack effect”.
From mold remediation to maintenance, Mold Solutions, Inc. has “The Solution for the Pollution.”
Last Updated: 2009-02-09 15:46:19
Additional Articles
About Crawl Spaces
Problems: Traditional crawl spaces with dirt floors and vented foundations provide an endless source of moisture in a home. Moisture can destroy a home by providing an environment for mold and insects [Read More]
New Commercial Construction
Since most commercial establishments are concrete and steel the treated surfaces are different. Mold Solutions, Inc. treats the sealed concrete floors before flooring goes down in the first mobilizati [Read More]
Existing Commercial or Public Buildings
Ever notice musky smells, stained ceiling tiles and black spots on varying surfaces? You can bet it is mold. Since we know that mold produces spores that become airborne, it follows that the HVAC is g [Read More]
New Homes
Mold Solutions, Inc. is offering a 10 year warranty on treated surfaces. Typically there are two mobilizations in treating a home. One is after the house is “dried in” but prior to drywall installatio [Read More]
Existing Homes
A major manufacturer of Gyp board has estimated that 70% of all homes in the U.S. has mold in the wall cavities.What is a homeowner to do when he suspects or finds mold in his house?The answer is to u [Read More]
BE BOLD IN FIGHTING HOUSEHOLD MOLD
When Billy Seymour moved into a rental home in Lexington this summer, he started having sinus and congestion problems and felt lethargic and unmotivated. He started to suspect mold [Read More]
What are the symptoms of exposure to mold?
Headaches Memory lossProblems focusing or concentratingChronic fatigueNose and throat irritationPersistent cold-like symptomsBurning, itching or watering eyesDizzinessNauseaTremorsHeart palpitations [Read More]
Mold and Your Health
I heard about "toxic molds" that grow in homes and other buildings. Should I be concerned about a serious health risk to me and my family? Find the answer and more on the CDC web site. [Read More]
IRS Private Letter Ruling
RULING NUMBER 200607003NOVEMBER 10, 2005In a private letter ruling, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has determined that the cost of removing mold from a taxpayer’s business premises was an ordina [Read More]
Dalton Daily Citizen
Dalton Daily Citizen – Dalton, GA “Staph is a serious thing,” Dalton football coach and athletic director Ronnie McClurg said, “especially if you don’t get on top of the problem. We had a proble [Read More]
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys KeyNews.com Later in the seminar, in what Lodging Association Executive Director Jodi Weinhofer called an unusual move, a vendor for a commercial product made his pitch to [Read More]
From the Center For Disease Control (CDC)
Regardless of what type of mold is present, it should be removed. Since the effect of mold on people can vary greatly, either due to the amount or type of mold, you cannot rely on sampling and cul [Read More]
The Melina Bill H.R. 5040
PENDING FEDERAL LEGISLATIONTHE MELINA BILL The bill directs EPA and HUD respectively to establish guidelines that identify conditions that facilitate indoor mold growth and measures that [Read More]
Helpful Links
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Before and After
Dry Ice Blasting
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