How old is the mold growth?
Is it possible to determine the age and severity of mold growth.
The appearance of mold genera/species varies widely as a function of the growth substrate (paper, wood, cloth) and moisture conditions. For insurance adjusters, building investigators, and building owners, a common question that arises when reviewing building mold contamination is “when did this happen” or “did the recent building leak or problem cause all this mold?”.
A Single-leak event mold example.
This single leak and mold event occurred at a home where above the garage there was a bathroom with a jacuzzi. There was a significant leak, the plumbing was repaired but the actual water from the leak was left to dry on its own. When inspecting the garage, I noticed evidence of mold growth on the front side of the drywall in various locations. Also, a moisture meter was placed on the walls and ceiling, and it was a 100% wet in many areas that were not from the perspective of the customer affected at all. This leak had occurred 3 months previous to my visit and to think that wood, insulation and drywall would dry on its own without a proper water mitigation process was a big mistake. Almost half the sheet rock and insulation in the garage had to be removed and all surfaces remediated, all from a single water event. The first picture shows what the drywall looked like on the backside of the sheet, the side you cannot see. So when a Mold remediator tells you that most likely the drywall needs to come out this is a perfect example of why you are being told that, it’s not that we are trying to charge more for a job that doesn’t need to be done there’s just no possible way to clean this type of drywall from the front side, it has to be removed along with the wet insulation that acts like a sponge and holds in all that water and moisture.
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Ask Yourself…
- Are You feeling overwhelmed and concerned about your mold situation?
- Have you tried everything to try and stop the water intrusion in your basement?
- Are you tired of mopping up water from every rain storm?
- Is your wet basement destroying your home and its resale value?
- Do you have a musty smell or see visible mold growth?
- Have you had your basement “Waterproofed”-but it still leaks?
A Multi- leak event mold example.
The first picture was taken from a home where there was a water intrusion issue near the front door and side of the home. Over the years slowly moisture from holes in the cedar siding and gaps in the bottom of the walls allowed water and moisture to deteriorate the walls, part of the floors and joist in the crawlspace. The home was built in the early 1900s and had a partial stone foundation and a poured foundation. The area where the significant amount of mold was discovered was in a part of the home where they built an addition on top of a blue stone patio. On one side of the home where the addition was located that part was fine. But the side closer to the front door had a significant drainage problem outside which caused the exterior part of the walls to deteriorate and eventually allowed water and moisture to penetrate the home. This was an ongoing issue that had occurred over many years. We had to remove half of the floor in the living room along with sistering in the joists on the front door side of the residence.
Data like this can assist building owners and insurance claims adjusters in forming a reasonable opinion about the cause and age of mold contamination in a building.
In turn, that opinion can assist in setting priorities for building repair since if we do not correct the underlying causes for mold contamination in a building, mold growth is likely to recur and the investment in a given mold remediation project may be wasted.
So, in conclusion when determining the age of the mold or whether or not the contamination was from a single event or multiple really depends on the evidence collected and smart investigation work. In most cases most people will tell that the mold or water issue was from a one-time event. Sometimes that may be true, but in most cases it’s not. Any king of mold situation whether old or new should not be taken lightly as these two examples above have shown. Another question that gets asked a lot is whether or not the mold is active or inactive, and how does one determine one or the other. In our next article we will discuss this subject.
