Mold Testing

Do you have moisture intrusion problems in your building? Does the building smell musty? Are there spots on the ceilings/walls that keep coming back after cleaning? Do you have that stuffed up feeling after you have been in the building for a little while? There is a very good chance you may have mold in the building. Home Check Mold Inspection is here to help you solve your problem! Whether you live in Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Rockford, Crystal Lake, Elgin, Arlington Heights, Palatine and surrounding areas, we offer our services to keep you and your family safe from poor indoor air quality.

A Home Check mold inspection can provide you with a Certified mold inspection that includes a easy-to-read written report including digital pictures and a report from an accredited laboratory. Building owners and homeowners can benefit from knowing if their moisture intrusion issues are mold producing and also get advice on how to eliminate the water from entering the structure.

What Is A Mold Inspection?

The short answer is: "A mold inspection is when a person looks for mold growth in a building." To give you a better understanding of what mold inspections should and need to include, here are important factors to consider for mold inspections.

Mold colonization behind wood baseboard.
Mold colonization behind wood baseboard.
Source: EMLab P&K

Six Important Things You Should Know About Mold Inspections

  1. Mold inspections need to be performed by a qualified mold inspector who has formal training and experience with mold inspections. Training and experience are necessary.

  2. Mold inspections should look for evidence of past or current mold growth. Past mold growth may indicate a water problem which will come back when certain conditions return such as a recurring leak. Past mold growth may also cause sensitized individuals to have an allergic reaction or, conceivably, cause some individuals to start becoming sensitized to mold.

  3. Mold inspections should look for mold within the building, inside walls, and in other areas where mold growth is undesirable, including areas where mold growth could be causing structural issues such as wood decay in crawlspaces.

    Mold growth on drywall in wall cavity
    Mold growth on drywall in wall cavity.
    Source: EMLab P&K

  4. Some mold growth in buildings may be perfectly normal. For example, Ceratosystis and Ophiostoma are two molds that grow on lumber (sometimes referred to as lumber yard mold) and are frequently found growing on two by fours or other structural framing within buildings. These molds grow on the sap of wood and stop growing once the wood has dried. Although they cause black staining on the wood, they do not cause any structural issues. If black staining is found on wood, the mold inspector can take a sample and send it to the mold testing lab for analysis to determine if it is one of these molds.

  5. It is very important (and some would say essential) that the mold inspection look for sources of moisture. Water is essential for mold growth. Without a source of water, you will not have mold growth. Consequently, if there is mold growth, it must be associated with a source of moisture. If this source of moisture is not found and eliminated, the mold growth will return and remediation efforts are of negligible long term value. The importance of looking for sources of moisture cannot be overstated and must be included.

    Pencillium on water damaged wood flooring
    Pencillium on water damaged wood flooring.
    Source: EMLab P&K

  6. Mold inspections are a subset of investigations called "Indoor Air Quality" (IAQ) investigations. These investigations look at the broader question: "What irritants are present in the air causing discomfort to the occupants?" If you are having a mold inspection because you feel ill when you are in a certain building or room, you might consider whether other irritants may be causing the discomfort and .



Why Would I Need A Mold Inspection?

Common reasons for mold inspections include:

  • If you have an allergic reaction such as a runny nose, sneezing, or itchy eyes associated with being in a certain room or building.

  • To verify that sources of moisture have been successfully stopped and that no residual mold growth has been left after a known water and mold problem has been fixed.

  • To confirm that there is not an existing moisture or mold problem associated with a new building or home that you plan to rent or purchase.

If a specific water problem resulted in mold growth in a specific area, that doesn't necessarily mean you need a mold inspection. For example, if a roof leak has resulted in moldy ceiling tiles, then simply fixing the roof leak and replacing the ceiling tiles may be all that is necessary.

 

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Below are some things we have found.

Crawlspace danger- Much has been written on mold, especially stachybotrys (also called "black mold").  It is NOT common that we find stachybotrys, however we have found it, as pictured here to the right in this crawlspace.  Believe it or not, this insulation was originally white. Stachybotrys, along with Aspergillus and Penicillium is known to cause irritations in many persons respiratory systems.  Fortunately almost all molds can be cleaned up and systems be installed to prevent them from coming back. For more information on mold, please visit our "Resources" on this website.

Attics- By far the most common place we find mold, including those that are non-irritant molds and nothing more than a nuisance to clean up, are in attics.  Because it is outside the everyday living envelope, it would probably be less cause for irritation.  However, many people susceptible to molds would be affected by mold in the attic. The type of mold can NOT be determined by sight alone, a microscope and a trained eye are needed.  This attic could have been any number of molds, some causing irritation, others not.  Until we know what kind of substance it is, we prefer to call all mold looking material as "dark staining".

Usually attic sheathings mold occurs from elevated humidity into the attic envelope.  At right, we see the bathroom vent being discharged into the attic.  When the warm moist air from the bathroom touches the cold wood sheathing in the winter, condensation develops, causing mold to develop.  Proper ventilation helps, but proper routing of bath, dryer and fresh air intakes to utility rooms also help prevent mold development.

Here we can see how the dark staining has limited itself to the lower (and poorly ventilated) soffit eves area.  This is because the upper parts of the attic were well ventilated in this case and the lower portions of the attic were less insulated.  Higher than ideal household humidity filtered up into the attic.  Crawlspaces without vapor barriers and furnaces with the humidifier turned up too high can cause these issues in the attic.

Insulation itself can also grow mold.  Here we see that household humidity filtrated through the attic hatch door and other poorly covered areas and cause a general grey tinge to the insulation that was originally bright yellow.

Plaster walls- can also experience a mold problem as seen in photo to left.  Normally we only take samples of areas about 1 square foot in size or larger. This spot is about four square feet in size.

Drywall- Because paper faces both sides of drywall, it is a common area for mold to grow.  Here,it is probably best to just remove the drywall.


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Email: homecheckamerica@comcast.net, Telephone: (224) 698-1422 or Toll Free: (866) 245-4663