Moldy Stuff

Mold, also know as Fungus, has become a huge issue in homes as of late, with concerns coming from the medical as well as the insurance communities. Many misconceptions are floating around, which that have caused panic and hysteria. Usually a trained sense of smell is all that is required to locate a problem, and visible signs all that you need to confirm the diagnosis. The spores can cause a respiratory irritation, and if a preexisting sensitivity or respiratory illness exists, it can exacerbate that problem.

But all mold  is not bad, although I often refer to it as the “M” word. I prefer to use “bacterial growth” as it is more subtle. We must remember that mold is what makes the blue in blue cheese. It is what makes bread rise in the form of yeast. Mold is also the natural decomposer, it digests rotten organic matter (sometimes before the expiration date).  It is also the foundation of fermentation. God only knows where we would be as a civilization without that.

Mold Triangle

Mold, like fire, has a triangle of opportunity to proliferate: some sort of food (some sort of organic matter),  warmth (in most cases), and moisture. When combined the organism flourishes and reproduces at an incredible pace.

The EPA has set guidelines for dealing with mold and I believe they have a very sensible approach. they have provided many resources and reading materials to understand mold, to prevent it, and remove it as needed. The bottom line is that we want to prevent its growth and proliferation by being aware of where it comes from and making sure we treat it with respect.

From Levco’s perspective, mold in an area that is moist is an outward sign of a water problem that requires fixing. If dry, it is a sign that there was an issue that was not cleaned adequately. From a health perspective we focus upon proper respiratory protection, proper disposal of contaminated materials, and good personal hygiene.

We categorize water problems into two categories Acute and Chronic.

Acute:

The source of acute water problems are usually obvious. The stopping of the leak is of foremost importance. Cleaning up after an acute leak takes patience and attention to detail. we have seen many acute leaks that have not been dried adequately and have provided the third leg of the mold triangle. Seepage between floors and under materials tat do not breathe like vinyl flooring are prime locations for mold growth.

Chronic:

We find all sorts of telltale signs of mold that have existed for eons. In one case, a hillside leak came through a foundation crack and created mold growth in the insulation. It was stopped by the visqueen vapor barrier and never made it to the drywall. The wall eventually dried out, but when we went to remodel we needed to take special precautions not to breath in the spores.

Chronic Mold

We were recently referred by an insurance agent to a client who was having her laundry room flooring replaced with tile. When the contractor removed the vinyl, there were all sorts of black colored mold that had disintegrated the particleboard underlayment and left visible stains on the OSB subfloor. Within a few minutes, it became obvious that the leak was resolved long ago and the moisture was gone as well. The dust like material was easily vacuumed up with a HEPA vacuum and then the area was scrubbed with a soap and water solution. Finally, the entire area was soaked with a strong antibacterial solution and allowed to dry prior to having the new plastic underlayment applied and tile set.

How We Attack a Mold Issue:

Once we have decided to remediate a mold issue,

1. We survey the affected area from a safe distance.
2. We protect ourselves and provide containment.
3. We rapidly determine whether this is a project we can handle or if it requires referring to a specialty subcontractor.
4. We focus our attention upon ensuring that the leak or source of moisture has been resolved.
5. Once resolved, we make a plan for cleanup and repair.
6. Depending upon the severity, building components might require cleaning and disinfectant all the way to removal and disposal.

As a remodeler I was forced to add a mold clause that addresses the issue.

MOLD: Mold is a naturally occurring form of bacteria, it is everywhere including in healthy homes. In some occurrences, rare instances, sensitivity and reactions to particular types of mold can occur. We do not proclaim to be specialists in this field; however, we are aware of what it looks like, how to clean it up, and basic prevention techniques. When we suspect a mold hazard to health, we will at our discretion, contact a specialty contractor or mold resource for third party verifications and or recommendations. The Owner will be consulted and a Change Order will be initiated to provide this task at the Owners expense.

Having a third party response to a mold issue can be an expensive undertaking. At Levco, we try our best to handle these issues for our clients reasonably and responsibly. We have several backups in this area, most of which come with a hefty price tag.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Fall In Boise

Although we remodel here in Boise Idaho and we do not really offer these services, I would like to get the word out to “Show that we care.” about you and your home. Planning for cold weather is a good thing to do. I especially like getting these things done during our brief Indian Summer. The list may seem long but taking care of the items isn’t so bad. I believe we all do some form of looking at these things subconsciously; the checklist form may help those that grow accustom to seeing things out of place. As an idea, knock several off the list per weekend till the weather turns cold. By the way, the list is in no particular order. I offer this to my clients of Levco Builders and anyone interested in prolonging the life of their home.

Dirty and Clean

1, Change Filters Regularly
I leave my HVAC fan on all the time to even out the temperature in the home The circulating air has the added benefit if being run through my 4″ pleated filter. I found that changing the filter when we switch from AC to Heat and visa-verse is a good time to switch. Everyone’s filter will need to be changed a different intervals, mine works out to every 6 months.

Operable Foundation Vent

2 Close Foundation Vents
This is a good thing especially if you do not have a conditioned air space. Radon gas is technically held back by plastic sheeting covering the ground and here in Idaho we live in a moderate Radon area. Open foundation vents allow some circulation and that is a good thing for 2/3 of the year. Winter temperatures allow freezing temperatures to enter the home and potentially cause damage by freezing water in pipes. Not to mention the wasted heat caused by allowing freezing temperatures to attack from below. Ground temperature here in Idaho is about 65 Degrees as is the water temperature, so why not take advantage of a warmer crawl space. I have also seen foundation vents below grade that have permitted a superhighway for water to enter the home.

Hose and Bib

3 Remove garden hoses from the faucet
This one gets so many people in trouble. Frost proof faucets are an amazing thing. They shut off the water inside the home where freezing temperatures are much less likely to be. That being said you can make even the best faucet fail if you leave the hose connected. Water trapped in a faucet has the potential to freeze inside your home. When a hose is left with water trapped in the neck of a frost proof faucet, the neck bursts freezing on outside of the gasket but it is still an unnecessary spring time repair.

Clogged Downspout

4 Be vigilant about gutters
There are a multitude of commercially available gutter lids to keep leaves out and as I get older I realize that they are becoming more valuable. Lets face it getting up on the roof and blowing out the gutters is dangerous! My emergency medical side recalls many fall responses. Who wants to break a hip over a clogged gutter or worse! If you are planning to clean the gutters, consider attacking them from below if possible, the lower your body is to the ground the better. Checking gutters includes verifying that the downspouts work and drain away from the home.

Reverse Grade

5 Verify Positive slope from foundations
This is one that is simple to do and is worth taking a perimeter walk. Use your eye to confirm that there is a grade away from your home. We often see water that lands at the “Drip Line” headed back to the home. Especially if you have a basement this can cause acute and chronic problems. This is also a good time to look for tripping hazards like bicycles and kids toys. Fixing this situation would be fairly simple. It would involve lifting out the tiles, repacking the base gravel and repositioning the tiles.

Gable vent screen

6 Check Roof, and Gable vents.
Roofs wear out over time, look at the condition of your roofing material, a warn out roof should not come as a surprise. Look especially at vents that are near trees. I have seen bats, birds and squirrels entering homes to be where it is warm for the winter in a bed of insulation. Correcting holes with small grid metal mesh will usually do the trick.

Clogged exhaust vent

7 Ensure exhaust ducts are clear.
This includes bathroom exhaust fans and dryer vents. One is done by either removing an interior connection or an exterior vent cap. Vacuum, brush or blow them out. Excess lint I suppose can cause fires but more commonly just extends the drying period of clothing and makes exhaust fans worthless. These ducts to the outside are one of your best defenses against humidity build up in the home. Here in Idaho we find that humidity is usually inverse to the temperature so the warmer it is the lower the humidity. It is not uncommon to have humidity in the 25% in summer. Human comfort levels of humidity run about 40%. According to the EPA, with the humidity above 60% mold can grow very quickly. Humidity causing devices like showers, hand washing dishes, plumbing leaks, and clothes dryers can cause mold to grow if left unchecked. Make sure fans are working properly and left on long enough to dehumidify the room. Electronic timers. This is a cool devise to make your indoor air quality better. When I take a shower I tap the button 3 times and it insures that the shower will dry out completely. I’ll be darned if I can get my wife to do the same.

Blowing in a blanket

8 Look for opportunities to add insulation.
Making a great thermal barrier between inside and out will greatly decrease the likelihood of condensation buildup. When hot and cold come together on a surface where humidity exists (the glass in this example), this is where the moisture will condense. I have seen condensation build up on painted cinder block walls so it is not just glass that is the culprit. This is also why we no longer place plastic on top of insulation before drywall is installed (in cases where we suspect this could occur).

Detector test

9 Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors.
Take a broom handle and push the buttons to ensure they are working. I am not a fan of changing the batteries annually. Rather check them and if they work Cool! if not they give you the early warning beep. If you do not hear a beep, replace the battery. On a side note they are only usually rated to operate for 5 years or so so you might want to upgrade the entire unit. Mine have been in for 10 years and work fine. There is also a smoke in a can you can use to test them if you want to verify proper operation. This is also a good time to review your escape plan especially if you have small children remember, studies have shown that even the loud beeping of a smoke alarm is not always enough to awaken children.

Too Close for Comfort

10 Remove potential fire hazards
Although stacking stuff in front of the furnace and at the base of a gas water heater seemed like a good thing at the time… This is a potential combustion point. Get stuff put away safely. You should have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and in a garage shop area. Your furnaces and area heaters have not been on for months, a blow out with a compressor is going to get that dust out of the combustion chamber and off the fan fins.

The proper tool for blow outs

11 plan to blow out the sprinkler system.
This may seem like a no-brainier for those of you used to living here but it is worth a reminder for those that have just moved in from a warmer climate. It is not that you have to be the first one on the block to take care of this, it’s that you don’t want to be the last. Trapped water in plastic pipes above the frost line tend to crack in the very cold months. (Why can’t someone invent a self draining system?)

CSI

Let’s first outline the subject matter. I recently published a similar blog on foundation moisture to review the senses and how they can be used to ferret out what is wrong. In this post I am exploring how I use my senses in a broader way. I work like a Crime Scene Investigator or CSI when it comes to remodeling. It gets easier with time but it requires concentration and some reflection when it is all done. The standard 5 senses work just fine for most things, however it is the 6th that often solidifies the course for my recommendations.

Common sense is not so common. What sets Levco apart is our willingness to get opinions from multiple experts. I realize that despite our experience, not all problems are simple to solve. Every contractor has an opinion, we reserve ours until we get corroboration from experts on complicated or rare problems.  At Levco we run toward unusual situations, we are stimulated by the unusual and love to solve home problems. Our goal is to develop a plan that works to address the problems that are found.

Homes tell a story and a brief inspection using your senses usually helps you find clues about what the home was originally. You can also determine what had been done to keep it functional over the years as well as uncovers some mysterious things. On a very recent outing I found a large aluminum box adjacent to the stairwell. The owner told me that the HVAC guy said it used to be hooked up and was central air conditioning. I examined it and found a very early version of an electronic air cleaner.

Something smells off

SMELL: I just had a flashback to Grandpa Ben’s shop. Turns out that I developed a habit or reusing paint thinner, the sludge settles and the thinner is still good so when I opened the top I realized that this was an old grandpa Ben trick too. He was a child of the depression that stood in bread lines and ate hardtack at the orphanage so it comes as no surprise that he was thrifty.

I use my sense of smell most commonly on initial inspection; a whiff of something musty may mean mildew or mold. Some folks have a real reaction to mold, I do not, but that is a good thing to have. Sycamore trees give off a nasty thing at certain times of year that makes you cough and give you a scratchy throat. Dead things give off a powerful smell. Pets can ruin a home and their urine can really make a place stink. I recently smelled lots of naphtha or moth balls at a job site.  Perhaps they had an infestation, it is an old remedy. Other smells are clues too such as cigarette smoke and occasionally coal; the important thing is to be aware that what you smell is as important as what you don’t smell.

One of my favorite stories about smell involves a close call with natural gas. We were smelling it in the neighborhood in the mornings and it was pretty strong. This had gone on for a few days so I brought my combustible gas sniffer and went to the neighbor’s house. I had it on as I knocked and when the door opened it started to scream. “GET OUT!  I YELLED!” It was winter and they all filed out and I turned off the gas. After investigating I realized that the furnace was malfunctioning. I was able to fix it quickly. Did I save the neighborhood? Possibly, incidentally they had taken the flue off to get more heat in the home. I guess they had so many broken windows the carbon monoxide went out with the exhaust gasses. I fixed that too.

Hearing

HEARING: Less helpful but there none the less. Creaking hardwood floors, sparking switches, outside noises while inside often means poor insulation or missing windows. Rattling fan blowers may indicate a poor exhaust fan or HVAC blower problem. Clogged exhaust fans make a weird noise too.

Touch

TOUCH: Moistness, damp feeling, temperature, I used my fingernails to identify Celotex, an old type of insulation/rigid board that made a nice printable ceiling. (In my research for this article I discovered that Celotex may have asbestos in it as a result of being mixed in back east. Touch is often used in conjunction with other senses to verify something that is not quite right.

Sight

SIGHT: The most powerful sense, looking for cracks, wavy walls, things that are out of place. Painted over wallpaper is a good example of a recent find. Occasionally we can find where a doorway once was. Other items include loose handrails, (your feet touch too)  loose tiles, misaligned thresholds and transitions, stuck doors and door knobs, leaks and water where it doesn’t belong or fresh paint, so I ask myself, what are they hiding? Over spanned lumber or timbers. uneven flooring, scary electrical situations, Fungus growing on siding, bug infestation. I found a great site for things seen on home inspections.

Our eyes have an amazing ability to forgive and see past things especially once you get familiar with a place. That is why first impressions are so important. The eye sees it all, it takes a brain to determine if something is off.

Taste anyone?

TASTE: Not used often, although one time I was offered some tea and cookies, so taste came in handy at least once. To be honest I can’t recall a time when this sense came into play for determining anything of interest.

Common Sense

COMMON: The final and most important sense is common. I have seen so many homes that have been carved up without thinking. I am working on a home where they excavated beneath a poured cement floor. I see sagging floors only to discover that the supporting structure had been partially removed on several. I have yet to respond to a home cave in. I am certain it is just a matter of time. Faulty electrical wiring is a huge problem. We just removed a bunch of Romex wire that was stapled on the outside of the home that was abraded and deteriorated. Kids were playing around it. I love telling the story of my dad giving a remodeling seminar and a fellow asked seriously…”I am considering taking down my brick chimney… Do I take it down from the bottom or the top”. I suppose those questions are fewer and further between thanks to the internet and quick access to good information.

Tools of the trade include a Moisture Meter, Flashlight, Camera, a poker to jab into the soil around foundations, Magnifying glass, Thermometer (instant read laser) Electrical Tester. Just to name a few.

Much of what we do at Levco here in Boise Idaho, seems to be dealing with moisture in foundation walls. Weather we are dealing with a remodeling project and active problem, doing preventative measures, or just inspecting foundations that have telltale signs of moisture penetration, there are several signs and symptoms of water being a culprit.Essentially you need to use several of your senses.

basement effervescence

• Smell, a musty odor often a clue to water behind a wall. 
• Touch, a flaky powdery feeling mineral build up called effervescence. Moisture passes through the foundation slowly and deposits minerals on the inside of the foundation. It can pop off paint.
• Sight, Effervescence is a whitish, often flaky or powdery substance, often found at cold joints and minor cracks. It can be seen mid span too and often traces down from a level where the water is coming through the wall. Dark stains on pine paneling is another sign.
• Taste, not useful in this situation.
• Common, (that rarest of senses) in this case best used to avoid a potential accidental ingestion.

Active problems These are usually from one of these common problems in our area.

1. Ground Water: Although I live a mile from the river, the water table is about 17 feet (at least it was when I had my well dug). Water can rise up and come into a basement or crawl space. The pressure can be tremendous and seep in. This is common in areas near the river, especially like this year when river levels are high.  Hillside flows can also be the culprit, I have seen in the Shenandoah area with springs and creeks flow from the rocks. Neighbors watering can effect a downhill property several homes away.
2. Reverse Grade: This means having the dirt slope towards your home. This allows water that falls nearby to run towards your home. Fortunately in the Boise North End the soil is sandy and most water returns to ground quickly. We see the occasional subterranean foundation vent and tree roots penetrating cracks in foundations when the tree was planted too close to a basement wall.
3. 

   sprinklers on a house

   Sprinkler systems: the usual culprit is a misdirected head. In one case I was able to put my hand through soggy siding and OSB right into the insulation. Back flow preventers, and sheared off sprinkler heads have done plenty of damage. We did one repair that was caused by leaving a hose on near a foundation for an hour which lead to water entering a gap in the footing straight into the home.

4. Gutters & Downspouts: Gable sides gather a tremendous amount of water and dump it next to the foundations if there are not gutters. Window wells scoop it up and can overflow. Gutters direct water to downspouts that, if not taken via pipe away from the foundation, can cause all sorts of water to come in. We do not warrant Egress Windows that have no gutters on the gable side.

Dealing with active issues begins with discovering the cause of the problem, or in some cases, causes plural. It is not rare to find a series of issues that need repair. In one case the suspect was reverse grade plus they had  a canal running near the back yard that is higher than the home. The owners believe that the canal is the problem. My take is to solve the problem later and deal with the situation now. What’s wrong is more important sometimes when the source is not positively identified. Rather than allowing me to pump the crawl they have elected to allow it to go on… “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” It will become a problem eventually I assure you. In another classic response to a landlord’s call was to find a sprinkler pointing at the home , full gutters, roots growing through foundation cracks and reverse grade. They also had a leaky faucet shutoff valve but that was the least of their problems. From an insurance perspective, unless the water issue was caused by a domestic water source i.e., plumbing…you are not covered. Only the Federal Government covers true flood insurance from other causes.

Preventative Measures: Our approach is to think like the water. Waterproofing is an art and we do not profess to be experts. However there are lots of things we have learned along the way most of which are employed regularly.

Sheet Drain

Keeping water out from the outside: This is the first line of attack for Levco. Using tar for parging is a good start. We use a product called Bituthane with their primer first to seal up below Egress Windows. We also use Vicor around windows. Our egress window wells have gravel in them and a reverse grade. Other cool moisture proofing materials that can be put outside the foundation include Bentonite impregnated materials like rope that we place in the footing to stem wall notch and impregnated sheets against foundation walls. When used in addition to a sheet drain provide a suspender and belt approach to solving a problem for good. Bentonite is also found in cat litter among other things for its absorbing abilities.French Drains and connecting down spouts work well too. All of these techniques are like tools in a tool belt and should be used only when appropriate.

Keeping water out from the inside: This is the second best way to attack basement water problems. Products like Dry-Loc and Xypex work well and are a good second line approach. They seal concrete up from the inside and if incorporated into an overall plan would be fine.

Interior Perimeter Drain

Another common solution is what I call the Judo Method. This involves trenching a perimeter inside the basement and install drain pipes to bring all of the water into a sump pump system. Although this may seem extreme, sometimes it is easier to just let the water in and pump it out rather than keeping it out in the first place.

Case Study: In one case on a daylight basement we put fabric cloth against the bank, then one foot of lava rock leading to a perforated pipe surrounded in fabric cloth. Then gravel a sheet drain with a rubber pond liner membrane against the concrete. The idea was to get the water to go down to our pipe then to a sump pump. It worked but I wish I had not pumped the excess water up the hill. Always use gravity when you can.

I use to call in a third party for third party verification of my opinion but over the years it became obvious that I knew as much as the consultant. In researching his credentials I discovered that he was quite convincing and a good salesman, but he was a remodeler once that became the resident expert by doing this sort of work.

If you have questions or need third party verification of your suspicions, I am available for consultation and would gladly help set up a plan to eliminate the moisture problems from your basement.

Batt Insulation

This project was a fairly straight forward insulation project with a vented area above the insulation that will allow for proper venting and circulation that will prevent condensation and moisture problems. Normally Visqueen is stapled to the walls over the insulation then the drywall is placed over it. We base our decision not to use a Visqueen moisture barrier upon the most recent building science. Studies have shown that we do not use it and here is why. Imagine the moisture, we live in a dry climate on the edge of a desert. The warm moist air in a home passes through the drywall and the cold air is coming in through the siding, house wrap sheeting and insulation. It meets at the Visqueen and condenses causing moisture problems. Eliminate the Visqueen and it doesn’t have a place to condense. Use the interior painted drywall as a moisture barrier and the problem is gone. Local building code does not mandate Visqueen usage and the insulation companies are willing to use it or not. I feel that we have clarity on the issue finally after plenty of research. In my opinion is that this issue is also a green building thing because it improves indoor air quality by eliminating a source of mold.

Windows in this historic home are very important to the structure from a architectural look and feel as well as from and insulation perspective.

New windows

Although the windows had been replaced within the past 10 years they were white vinyl (not approved for the historic

Inside

district) and they were not installed in a energy efficient manor. For this project we selected Cascade brand high efficiency glass, metal clad wood windows from Viewpoint Windows. Installing these windows was made easier by gutting the inside. Levco always uses manufacturer recommended instillation techniques. In this application we used Vicor, a rubberized adhesive product to seal the windows in and prevent leaks of air and moisture. The

Exterior window detail

exterior and the interior will be using an original detail with a 90 degree rounded detail that comes into the windows. This will tie

the home together and be true to it’s original style.