Mold Inspection Staten Island paints a clear picture of what’s going on in a home. It uncovers the extent of a mold problem, assesses risks to occupants’ health and provides remediation options.
When a professional comes to perform testing, shut off any air purifiers or humidifiers. Doing so maximizes the concentration of spores for easier detection.
The first step in any mold inspection is determining how much moisture exists. Moisture leads to mold, and the more moisture is present, the more serious the problem will be. During the inspection, your mold tester will look for signs of moisture, such as watermarks on walls or ceilings, damp areas behind wallboards and carpeting and musty smells. They will also check for leaking pipes, roof leaks and high humidity levels. They will especially look in basements, crawl spaces and bathrooms where a lot of moisture is likely to occur.
During this stage, your mold inspector will also take a sample of air from the space where the mold is suspected. This sample will be tested for the presence of harmful mycotoxins, which are toxic chemicals produced by some types of mold. The air sample will also be tested for the concentration of spores, which are released into the air as mold grows. The spore concentration in the air will be compared to the concentration of spores in an outdoor sample.
This inspection will also include checking for other conditions that can lead to mold, such as a lack of ventilation and the presence of pests and wood rot. The inspector will also check the grading of the property, as mold often develops in areas that are not well ventilated and where soil is prone to shifting and flooding.
When looking at a potential new home, you should always be on the lookout for signs of mold, particularly if you have allergies or other respiratory problems. Inhaling mold spores can trigger symptoms such as fatigue, coughing, wheezing, skin rashes and throat irritation. In some cases, inhaling certain types of mold spores can even cause life-threatening lung infections.
A thorough mold inspection can help identify the type of fungi in the house, as well as locating hidden areas where mold may be lurking, such as behind latex paint and inside walls and ceilings. Black mold, known as Stachybotrys chartarum, is a particular concern and requires immediate remediation. This type of mold is harder to remove than other varieties and can actually damage the structure of a building if left untreated.
Air Sampling
Air sampling is a key part of a mold inspection. It determines the types and concentration of mold spores in your home’s air. Inspectors typically take several air samples throughout the house and send them to a lab for analysis. The lab then identifies the type of mold in each sample. This information helps pros figure out how serious a problem is and what remediation techniques will work best.
The key to successful air testing is comparing the results with outdoor data. The air inside your home will be different from the outside because of things like weather conditions, the life cycles of mold spores and the amount of ventilation. The lab will then compare the spore counts of your indoor and outdoor samples to see how similar they are. The goal is for the indoor spore count to be lower than the outdoor sample.
To get the most accurate air data, your technician should collect the outdoor and indoor samples at the same time. If the two samples are collected too far apart, there could be an environmental change that affects spore counts. For example, a sudden storm might bring in more spores from the outside, which would cause your indoor spore count to be higher than it should be.
There are two types of air sampling: nonviable and viable. Viable tests use a culture to identify the types of mold in a sample, but this process takes a lot of time. Nonviable air tests, on the other hand, can give you a much quicker result. They use a device that pumps air over a sticky substance that traps the spores. These tests reveal only the genus of mold — not the specific species – but they can still be useful for determining the severity of a problem.
Even though these two types of tests can be useful, they are not the only tools that a professional should use when evaluating a home for potential problems. It is important for your mold expert to also evaluate the property visually and take surface samples, especially in areas that you suspect are affected by a moisture problem. This way, he or she can determine whether the problems are caused by mold, humidity, or some other issue that needs to be addressed with professional remediation techniques.
Culture Tests
Mold spores need an environment, food and moisture to grow. When they’re inhaled, the spores can cause a variety of symptoms including headaches, fatigue, skin rashes, throat irritation, and respiratory infections. Identifying the source of the problem, such as water damage or high humidity, is key to prevent further problems and protect your family’s health.
A mold inspection typically includes air and surface sampling. The inspection also looks for signs of water damage and the condition of roof and plumbing systems. If a property has been flooded in the past, look for discoloration on walls and ceilings, especially behind latex paint. Look for sagging and warped ceilings, and check the ground around the foundation to make sure it slopes away from the house.
If you suspect the home has a serious problem, a mold inspector can perform a swab test to determine the presence of fungal spores. This will cost you more than a general mold inspection but is essential for determining which types of mold are present in the home.
Surface sampling can be included as part of a standard inspection, but more extensive testing will incur an additional charge. Swab samples require a small amount of liquid, which is placed on a slide and sent for analysis. The test results provide information about the type and quantity of fungi that are present.
The swab test can help identify what species of mold is in the home, and whether any are toxic. Depending on the type of fungi, additional tests may be required. For example, black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum) can be difficult to identify, and requires a culture sample to determine the specific type.
The most important aspect of any mold inspection is to take a thorough walk-through of the property. Look in every nook and cranny, including the attic and crawlspaces. Look for water damage, and pay special attention to tucked away areas, like closets, attic rafters and the corners under cabinets. Also, look at the grading of the land around the house, to ensure that the ground slopes away from the foundation. This will help prevent water from entering the basement and lower your risk of a mold infestation.
Remediation Options
When a home has substantial mold growth, it requires professional remediation to clean and remove the affected areas and restore air quality. Remediation also involves repairing the source of moisture so that future growth is prevented.
A trained, licensed mold inspector will assess the contamination in your home to determine the extent of damage and recommend remediation options. They will take visual samples of the mold and moisture, and if necessary, perform an air test to evaluate the spore count in your home.
Mold tests provide valuable information about what’s present, but they’re no substitute for a thorough visual inspection. It’s essential that your inspector checks places that aren’t easily accessible, including behind walls and beneath flooring or ceiling tubes. In most cases, mold growth results from water damage that allows spores to settle and begin growing.
The spores collected by the swab, tape or bulk sample are then sent to a lab for analysis and identification. These tests can confirm whether or not a specific mold is present, but they don’t indicate the size of the contamination. The only way to know the size of a mold colony is to conduct a swab, tape or air cell testing in multiple locations throughout the home.
Molds grow best in moist environments and a visual inspection will reveal a variety of surface growths as well as the underlying cause of the contamination. In addition, experienced inspectors look for spores in the surrounding areas of the mold to help estimate how far it has spread. This is especially important since mold spores can attach to other surfaces and begin growing without being visible.
