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certifiedinspectionsofficial · 4 years

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How to Prevent Mold – By Certified Inspections

Yesterday, I received a call from my niece who was concerned that she may have mold in her condo in California.

Since I'm in NY and was obviously not during a position to travel over there, although a couple of days within the sunshine wouldn’t be such a nasty thing, I asked her a couple of questions then proceeded to offer her the requisite advice. I assumed I might share a number of this information regarding mold prevention.

First, one should consider the three commonest areas of a house that mold begins growing: the basement, the attic and therefore the bathrooms. Each area are often addressed with a special solution.

The basement gets moldy because it's almost the moisture within the ground. Not only does it get ambient moisture, but often times water seeps in through the inspiration. The answer is to first have it waterproofed; a procedure implemented by either a knowledgeable waterproofing company that gives a long-term warranty or by a licensed engineer who can design a viable plan.

Second, confirm there are not any cracks within the foundation, and if so, fill them in with epoxy or a comparable foundation repairing substance. Check to ascertain that each one gutters are cleaned, properly pitched, which the downspout diverts the water a minimum of 5 ft. faraway from the inspiration to a lower grade in order that water cannot discharge toward the house.

Finally, trim all vegetation a minimum of 6 inches faraway from contact with the house and confirm no ivy is growing thereon. Once the basement is water-tight, install a properly sized dehumidifier and keep the humidity level below 50% in the least times. Monitor the humidity level with a hygrometer.

The attic gets mold because the moisture from the house migrates upward and gets trapped there. Within the winter, the cold air outside the roof meets the hotter air inside the attic and condensation forms which causes mold to grow. Another common cause may be a fan vent that terminates within the attic. All vents from fans must expel air to the surface.

Attics should be properly ventilated unless the space is conditioned with foam insulation within the ceiling and walls. The simplest methods of ventilation are a full ridge vent mated with continuous soffit vents. All vents should be beyond obstruction and therefore the intake from the soffit vents should equal the exhaust through the ridge vent.

Gable vents should be closed off. If there are not any soffits on the house, alternate systems like the “Smart-Vent” are often installed, or a mechanical venting system are often installed.

Bathrooms should have properly sized fans that, as expressed earlier, are vented to the surface. They ought to be always used during showering and left to run 15-30 minutes afterward to rid all steam and humidity from the toilet. Bathrooms, especially within the tub and shower areas should be regularly cleaned, so mold will have an opportunity to grow.

The rest of the house should be kept as clean as possible, and it's worth investing during a HEPA vacuum to use on the surfaces. And under no circumstances should a humidifier be utilized in a house.

That's posing for mold trouble. The key to recollect is that mold requires moisture to grow. The more moisture is controlled through dehumidification and cleanliness, the less chance there's to encounter a drag that merits mold testing.

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certifiedinspectionsofficial · 4 years

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Myths About Lead Paint

Lead paint poses a health risk in and around houses and the workplace. Lead was determined to cause a number of health problems such neurological, reproductive, digestive muscular, and was banned from gasoline and paint in the late 1970’s. It is especially dangerous to children who can develop learning disorders and even retardation from relatively low levels of lead in their bloodstream. Despite the dangers explicated by the EPA, doctors and scientists, it remains a misunderstood subject.

MYTH: Lead is no longer being manufactured in paint. FACT: Paint may still contain lead as long as the level does not exceed 0.50% by weight.

MYTH: Children must eat paint chips to get lead in their bloodstream. FACT: Paint chips rarely are the direct problem. Opening and closing windows, doors and other “friction zones,” especially in the summer when humidity swells the wood, causes dust to be released into the air where it can be inhaled, or onto food, toys, furniture, or even the floor where it is touched. When the child puts their fingers into their mouths, they are ingesting lead. The same applies to soil in the yard. Exterior painting and sanding can release dust and chips into the yard.

MYTH: Only old houses have lead paint. FACT: Any house built before 1978 has an equal chance of having lead paint in it

MYTH: All houses built before 1978 have lead paint.

FACT: The date of 1978 only means that it was no longer legal to produce lead paint. But many paints manufactured before that time were not lead paint. Only some paints were lead paint. Even a bucket of lead paint may not result in lead paint being in the house. The lead may have sunk to the bottom of the can and only 3/4ths of the can was used.

MYTH: If the old paint was painted over, it can no longer be dangerous. FACT: If it was painted over in a friction zone like a doorway, window, railing or the like, as soon as the door or window is opened, all old bottom layers can become friable, releasing lead dust into the air. If the surface of on non-friction zone is not prepared properly, the bottom layers can become loose and flake off, also releasing lead dust into the air.

MYTH: A building shouldn’t be tested for lead paint – just assume it is. FACT: Often times, very little or no lead paint is found in even the oldest of buildings. The abatement can cost tens of thousands of dollars which would be unnecessarily spent if the testing had been first performed. Knowledge is power!

MYTH: I can just go to Home Depot and get a kit to test the paint myself. FACT: The rub-on sticks are not accurate. You get what you pay for. The only accurate methods are chemical analysis of chips and dust by a laboratory, or a properly calibrated XRF machine operated by a licensed technician. In addition, one must be trained to know where to look and how to effectively collect samples, both qualitatively and quantitatively. And beware of any company who quotes one price for testing your house, sight unseen. Something is wrong, because laboratories charge for analysis on a per-sample basis, and the number of samples needed cannot be known until the tester comes to the house and actually looks at the paint.

MYTH: I’m having my house renovated anyway so I don’t need to have it tested. FACT: Current laws mandate that only an EPA licensed lead abatement contractor can remove lead paint. This is a much more expensive proposition. If testing indicates no lead paint, or only isolated areas of it, you can hire a regular contractor to do the work at a lower price. Also, due to the reason just cited, a contractor will need to know if there is lead paint in the work area. Improper protocol can release dangerous lead dust into the air of the entire house where it could remain for many days, as well as landing unseen on surfaces and objects.

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