Category: Home Inspection

When to Call a Mold Remediation Expert

Molds can be the most unwanted guests to any home. They can slip into your house through the air in the form of spores, get stuck, and proliferate on damp structures until you notice untidy discolorations on your walls, ceiling, floor, and furniture. When molds infest your home, it will inevitably look unkempt and untidy. And not only that, you are exposed to some health hazards, and your home can eventually bog down if the infestation is not addressed.

Mold is a type of fungus that can travel through the air in the form of spore. When in contact with a damp structure, it can multiply to form a colony. Molds are important in our ecosystem because they help in the decomposition of organic things, but having them in our home is a serious problem

At the first sign of mold in a home, DIY solutions can be enough to stop the spread of molds. Preventive measures can also be done. Molds live in damp areas, so you should always check on moist areas in your home and keep the humidity inside your house at low levels.It may cost you some money, but it will be far worst when mold spreads to other parts of your house.

When You Cannot Trace Water Leaks

Dampness in some parts of your house, such as in the basement, kitchen, and bathroom, are caused by leaks in your water pipes. These areas are the most common sites of mold colonies. Fixing leaking water pipes will surely help in addressing the problem with molds.

When Molds Are on the Ceiling, Roof, and Exterior

Molds can cause your ceiling or walls to fall. They can also live in your roof and exterior walls of your house which are difficult to reach and clean. In the worst scenarios, molds can weaken your home’s foundation.

When Your AC System Is Infested

When molds enter the ductwork of your air conditioning system, it may be difficult to stop the spread of these harmful fungi. The spores may be carried through the air and may end up in other parts of your home. You may be inhaling them which can cause allergic reactions.

Home remedies mold removal or commercial mold remediation services?

Doing a quick Google search will show you how hiring mold remediation specialists is a somewhat controversial decision. Some people claim that mold remediation is just a cash grab, while others proclaim that it saves lives. Other people say you can handle home mold remediation yourself. The truth, as with most things, falls somewhere in the middle.

Just because you have a little bit of mold does not mean that your house has to be torn down. But, there are some scenarios when calling in the professional is a good idea. Mold can cause allergic reactions in some people and some mold—like the dreaded black mold—creates mycotoxins that are extremely dangerous to a human’s health. If not careful house mold removal can cause mold to spread and grow in other areas.

Commercial Mold Remediation Services

Mold Damage is serious and will only get worse if not taken care of. Here are a few reasons to call in professional mold / mould remediation specialists.

You are uncomfortable identifying different types of mold. There are thousands of mould species, and many look alike. For example, not all black mold is the dangerous Stachybotrys chartarum. If you are unsure about whether the mold you see is dangerous to your health, you need to call a professional mold remediation specialist.

If you have recently had a water event, such as a flood or burst pipe, then you should seek out a home mold removal service. Mold thrives in water, so it may be taking advantage of the recent water event to grow out of control in your home.

You should schedule a mold remediation is you smell a musty odor or see discoloration. A lot of mold will grow on upholstery like drapes and carpets. If you see discoloration in these places, it is likely that you have a mold problem. Most molds create a musty smell. Thus, a constant musty odor in your home could indicate a mold issue.

If you or your family begin to have unexplained health issues—especially upper-respiratory problems—you need to have a mold remediation right away. Professional services use techniques to make sure that the mold spores do not get released into your home’s air and cause further health issues.

Home mold remediation: Products for Removing Mold

If you see mold in your home, but it only covers a small area and you are not experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, then you may be able to take care of the mold by yourself. For example if you have a little area of black mold in bathroom this may be an easy fix. There are a number of products and procedures for removing mold at home. Home mold removal can be an inexpensive fix if found early. Mold can spread quickly and will cause mold damage that can become expensive to fix if not properly treated.

Home Mold Testing Kits

There are also a number of home mold testing kits available. While they are not as effective as a professional examining your home, they will let you know if you have mold in your home. If you are worried about having a mold outbreak, then we recommend picking up one of these kits. Finally, make sure to read the labels on your mold cleaning product of choice. The instructions will tell you how to use the product most effectively and how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

The Levels Of Mold Remediation

The most important thing in cleaning mold is to see the levels. Before you hire mold remediation, you have to consider whether you need professional help or not. Sometimes, you may need to save your money for other needs because you still need to fix other things in your house. Mold could be another problem when you neglect it. That is why the first thing before you decide cleaning it is by seeing the levels of mold remediation. We all know that it is not easy to identify the problems, but when we have read the guide, it is pretty easy to identify the level.

The importance of seeing mold level is to know whether you need to clean by yourself or call professional for it. The level of mold could be defined based on the size of your stuff. The higher level requires professional to clean the mold. We provide the understanding of mold levels is to make sure that you will not take a too fast decision in hiring professional because when you have enough professional equipment, you still can clean the mold by yourself without spending money and also you can save more money for other needs. Here is the level of mold remediations you should understand before you take action.

As we have mentioned before, the levels are considered based on the size and place of mold living. The first level is around 10 square feet or even less. What you have to do to clean the Level I mold is by cleaning it using commercial mold cleaner All you have to prepare is your health condition first and also the equipment. Make sure that you are healthy and not suffering asthma or allergies. You also need to make sure that your hands and face are protected properly.

Wear mask and glove when you want to clean mold level 1. Level 2 mold is around ten up to 30 square feet. Do the cleaning twice and vacuum moldy stuff or area you have cleaned. You can call professional service if you need it. Level III is 30 to 100 square feet. It is a big one, so you need mold remediation to clean the mold. Level IV is bigger than 100 square feet. It could be the biggest one and of course you cannot do DIY mold cleaning. The last level or level V is mold infected in AC system or HVAC. You have to call very professional service to clean the mold.

How to Clean Mold

A small leak in your kitchen turns into a black spot on the ceiling. An unventilated bathroom grows mold in the shower. Wherever there’s an excess of moisture in your home, unsightly (and unhealthy) mold is likely to follow. To learn how to clean mold from walls and furniture and even HVAC systems

They walked us through how to clean a small amount of mold on your own, plus how to tell when it’s time to call in the pros. More than just an aesthetic issue, untreated mold can cause breathing problems, trigger allergies, and even damage walls and furniture, so this is one home maintenance task you’ll want to tackle ASAP.

How to Tell If You Have Mold in Your House

“Visible growth may seem like an obvious sign you have mold, but don’t forget to use your sense of smell,” Sometimes a small amount of mold is assumed to be dirt, or mold may be lurking out-of-sight in your HVAC system—this is where your sense of smell comes in. “Is there a strange, earthy smell in your home that won’t go away, no matter how much air freshener you spray? Mold may be at the root of the issue.” That earthy scent is caused by microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), or the gases produced by mold. If you suspect that mold may be hiding in your home’s air ducts, call in the pros to inspect your HVAC system and run tests for mold.

When to Clean Mold Yourself

“The general dividing line between homeowner cleanup versus professional remediation is whether the mold is covering under or above 10 square feet,” Also consider the location of the mold and how involved its removal might be. If there’s mold on drywall, removing it could reveal even more mold behind the finished surface, resulting in a more complex process. Plus, those with mold allergies should probably leave the cleanup to the pros.

How to Clean Mold

What You’ll Need:

Gloves

Googles

N-95 face mask

Liquid dish detergent

Scrub brush

Soft sponge or cloth

Follow These Steps:

Before you get started, protect yourself by wearing rubber gloves, unventilated googles, and a properly fitted face mask.

Mix a solution of dish detergent and water in a bucket. If you’re cleaning a non-porous surface like a cabinet or vanity, dip a brush into the solution and use it to scrub the mold away. For more delicate surfaces, use a sponge or soft cloth.

Absorbent materials that have gotten moldy, like carpet or drywall, will typically need to be removed. Once mold gets into fibers or porous materials, it can be very difficult to get rid of the mold completely.

Once all of the mold has been cleared away, make sure the area dries completely—after all, moisture is what got us into this situation in the first place. Use a cloth to dry off furniture, or open windows or set up fans to speed up the drying process.

Pro Tip: Avoid painting or caulking moldy surfaces. It may cover up the mold, but it’s not guaranteed to stop its growth and could lead to peeling paint later.

Mold Prevention Tips

1). Make sure you sprinklers are not getting the sides of your home wet. Replace spray types with bubbler type if with in 3 ft. of your home. Make sure you are not over watering.

2). Regularly check under sinks, toilets and behind the refrigerator if it has an ice maker.

3). If you have a flood, get it dried out immediately, don’t hesitate to call in a specialist with dehumidifiers not just fans.

4). Regularly check the evaporation drain tube for your HVAC system, these can put out 3 or more gallons of water a day and if it gets plugged up it can drain directly into your home.

5). Change the HVAC filter every 3 months.

6). Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.

7). Open a window in the bathroom when showering and run the exhaust fan during and after showering to remove all steam.

8). Make sure all planters, slabs and walkways are below slab and sloped away from the home.

9). Do not have plants growing on or very close to the walls of the home.

10). Check and repair your roof after every wind storm.

How To Take A Water Sample

Water may appear clear and pure, but water from wells or other sources may contain dissolved minerals and other substances. Generally, Indiana’s ground water provides a good supply of safe water that doesn’t need much treatment. Indiana has approximately half a million private wells. If you are a private well owner, you need to test your water supply to insure the well supplies safe, high quality water

With the advice of your county Health Department or Cooperative Extension office, decide what tests are needed for your water supply. The WQ bulletin “Why Test Your Water?”, available at your extension office, may be helpful in determining which tests to run. After selecting the tests, choose a lab to test the samples. See WQ 1, “Water Testing Laboratories” for the location of labs that test water from private wells.

Steps required for taking a water sample will vary for different tests. Timeliness and cleanliness are important when collecting any water sample. Use the sterile collection bottles the lab sends you and not your own bottles to take a sample. Labs often will only accept samples taken in their collection bottles. Also complete all the forms the lab requires to process the sample.

A water sample needs to be submitted to the lab within 48 hours of collection. In some cases it must be kept cold prior to testing. Care must be taken to prevent anything but the water from contacting the inside of the bottle or the cap. Contaminants are often present in small amounts. Careless sampling prevents accurate test results.

For most water tests, follow these steps when collecting a sample:

Take the sample close to the pump, before the water goes through a treatment system.

Do not take the sample from a swing-type faucet.

Inspect the faucet for leaks. Select another faucet if there is leaking.

Remove the aerator.

Disinfect the faucet with bleach or a flame.

Run the water several minutes to clear the line.

Take the sample midstream.

Do not touch the sides of the collection bottle, the opening or inside of the cap.

If needed, store the sample in the refrigerator before taking to the lab.

Submit the sample within 48 hours of collection.

Transport the sample in a cooler or ship in an insulated container.

Free Drinking Water Analysis for Residents

The safety of your home’s water supply is crucial to your family’s health and well-being. Particularly when used for drinking, your water needs to be clean, clear and free from harmful contamination.

Water Safety

Many potentially harmful microscopic organisms and dissolved inorganic substances could be lurking in your water, whether it comes from a well or from your city’s water supply. Particularly if you live within five miles of a gas station, factory, farm or cemetery or if you have a septic system/leach field on your property, you are more likely to find certain substances in your drinking water that not only do not promote health but, in fact, do just the opposite. Agricultural and industrial waste products, pesticides, human and animal wastes can all contaminate groundwater, making water supplies less-than-safe to drink. Even heavily fertilized lawns can contribute to the problem of groundwater contamination.

Several of the worst water contamination offenders, which can harm human health but are easily detected through high-quality water testing, follow:

Coliform bacteria

Nitrate (in high concentrations)

Lead and other toxic metals

Arsenic (a metalloid)

Complimentary Water Analysis

An experienced Aqua water evaluation consultant will visit your home and carefully collect a specimen for analysis. The complimentary water analysis we use will detect many contaminants the presence of which can alert you to the need for water treatment. The certified evaluation results we provide will arm you with the knowledge you need to select the water-treatment system that will rid your water of the unhealthy contaminants it harbors. Whether you opt to use one of our water filtration systems to remove contamination or our analysis gives your water a clean bill of health, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing your water is safe.

Commitment to Water Quality

neighbors use for drinking, cooking, dishwashing and personal hygiene. We feel you have a right to know exactly what’s in the water you use every day. That’s the most important reason we offer complimentary water testing. It’s also one of the many ways we partner with you to raise the quality of life your family enjoys, bringing your home that much closer to becoming the haven of health and comfort that it was intended to be

Well Water Testing DIY To Advanced Lab Testing

I get into specific potential contaminants to consider testing for as well as Do It Yourself testing versus using a certified and licensed analytical laboratory. I hope you find this episode useful and informative.

Well Water Testing Topics Covered:

Well water testing do it yourself

When to get lab water tests done

Reasons why one should test their well water

The advantage of do-it-yourself test kits

Figuring out what your potential contamination sources are

Different types of contaminants for which to test

How to self-test for water hardness

In this podcast series I give easy-to-follow tips and information all about well systems, well water quality, well water treatment systems, and how to improve quality of your well water. In this podcast, we’re going over well water testing.  Basically, reasons why you should test your well water periodically, what to test for, how often should I test my well water, when to use a certified lab versus doing it yourself, and a test you can do yourself today at home without any test kit and get the basic idea of one of the parameters of your water.

Importance of Well Water Testing

So you might ask, “Why should I test my water?” well, if you think about it municipal city water systems test their water routinely, regularly. They’re on top of it, making sure the water is safe and that they’re required too anyway. But there’s no requirement to test a private well, except when you first have it drilled or maybe you’re refinancing your home and they know you’re on a private well and they might want to a basic test for bacteria, perhaps nitrate, and few other things.

But the government isn’t going to come after you to make you test your well water and situations can change over the years. Perhaps your well was safe at one time but now it’s contaminated but you don’t know it because you can’t smell or taste the contaminant. So it’s a good idea there’s just a few basic things you should test for on a regular basis. The decision on what to test for is really based on the types of land you use in your well and what your goals are.

PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELLS & SYSTEMS

It is the responsibility of the private water well owner to sample and have their well water tested. The State of Alaska, Drinking Water Program, does not sample, test, or regulate the construction of private drinking water wells. In fact, the only local governments that regulate and have established standards for private water wells

Also, it’s important to note that while the DEC-Division of Water requires minimum separation distances for on-site disposal (septic) systems and other potential sources of contamination from private water wells, it is typically enforced only when a septic system is being installed by a certified installer. Therefore, failure to meet or maintain minimum separation distances for new and existing private water wells may only be highlighted during the sale of your home.

Wellhead protection

Maintain proper drainage away from the well; e.g. ensure no standing water around the wellhead.

Make sure the top of the well casing is at least 12 inches above the ground surface, or well house floor, and higher if the area is frequently flooded. Remember “High and Dry”.

Eliminate potential sources of contamination near the wellhead.

Maintain a sanitary seal to minimize the risk of contamination entering the well casing, such as animals seeking shelter.

Well testing

Regularly test your water: at a minimum perform annual nitrate and coliform bacteria analyses, and in certain areas, test for arsenic.

Well records

Well log

Pump test and aquifer test records

Maintenance records for your well or pump

Water test results

Water Rights documentation from DNR

Test Plugs – Helpful Tips

What is the purpose of Test Plugs?

Testing plugs are used to stop pipes and to carry out low pressure testing on many types of pipes, and often this testing is mandatory. In order to meet building regulations any new construction, whether residential or commercial, may require a drain pressure test.

What types of Test Plugs are available?

Bailey Test Plugs are available in two forms, centre lock and rim fastening. Centre locks can be produced in steel/aluminium or nylon to suit the application (rim fasts are only available in steel).

How do you use Test Plugs?

Please note: Testing should be carried out to current Building Regulations

Air Test – Testing Guidelines

Seal pipe section with appropriate size drain test plug. Remove any grease or foreign material from installation point. Ensure no dirt is trapped between seal of plug and plates. Ensure plug is inserted square to pipe wall. Ensure wing nut and sealing cap is tight.

Fit test nipple to one of the drain test plugs.

Connect rubber hose via ‘Y’ piece to nipple, ‘U’ gauge and hand bellows.

Fill ‘U’ gauge with water to ‘zero’.

Squeeze the hand bellows gently until the level reaches 100mm on the open side of the gauge and the lower limit below zero on the closed side. The level should not fall to less than 75mm during period of 5 minutes without further pumping, after allowing a suitable time for stabilization of air temperature. If it drops below 75mm within the specified time the pipe section is leaking.

Water Test – Testing Guidelines

Fit an expanding plug, suitably braced to resist the full hydrostatic head, at the lower end of the pipeline. Also plug any branches. The pipes may need strutting to prevent movement.

Provide a means of applying the test head of water at the top end of the line, preferably using a 90 degree bend and a straight pipe of the same diameter as the line. Ensure that the standpipe and plug are suitably strutted to resist the applied hydrostatic head. Provide a means of filling the pipeline with water.

Fill the system with water keeping pockets of trapped air to a minimum.

Fill the standpipe to the requisite level.

Leave for at least two hours to enable the pipes to become saturated, topping up as necessary.

After the absorption period measure the loss of water from the system by noting the amount needed to maintain the level in the standpipe over a further period of 30 minutes. In carrying out the test to the requirements (please see current Building Regulations), the standpipe should be topped up at regular intervals of 5 minutes and the amounts measured. Seal pipe section with appropriate size drain test plug.