Why Does Mold Grow in Attics and Crawl Spaces?

This new post is in response to a question raised by another post of mine. 

"Mold - Where and How Does It Grow?" 

Bob asked, 

"Can I ask why there is often mold in attics and crawl spaces ? It makes no sense, because mold and mildew need humidity. Because I have even heard that in many cases, you can have mold in your attic without it having any leak from the roof. Any opinions on this ???"



Bob, here is the answer.

Great question. There are many reasons that mold can grow in attic and crawl spaces. All that is needed is moisture, a food source, and the omnipresent mold spores can grow. 

Any broken or leaky pipe running through these areas will suffice, but there are other more subtle moisture sources. These are some I have actually seen.

Possible moisture sources in an attic:

1. A leak from blown-off shingles or damage to the roof.
2. A leak around a protrusion, like a chimney, furnace flue, or parapet wall rising up through the roof.
3. A clothes dryer or exhaust fan that is vented into the attic.
4. Insufficient ventilation, (lack of soffit, gable, and/or roof vents,) that allows normal moisture to build up in the attic rather than being exhausted outside, especially in climates with normally high humidity.
5. Ice damning will push moisture up under the shingles and into the attic.
6. Water from an air-conditioner or furnace condensate line that isn't drained properly.

Possible moisture sources in a crawlspace or basement.

1. Ground water coming through cracks in the concrete floor or walls in a basement.
2. Ground water percolating up through the dirt in the crawl space.
3. Water from a leaky toilet or drain line on the main floor that drops into the crawl space.
4. A clothes dryer or exhaust fan that is vented into the crawl space.
5. Insufficient ventilation that allows normal moisture to build up rather than being exhausted outside, especially in climates with normally high humidity.
6. Water from an air-conditioner or furnace condensate line that isn't drained properly.
7. Broken or disconnected drain lines in the crawl space.

All of these, and possibly other sources, can provide the moisture needed for mold to grow. Because we seldom go into the attic or crawl space, we are not able to monitor these areas and these conditions can cause significant damages over time, including rot and mold.

Regular inspections, or just being aware when you are in these locations, will help to identify and correct these issues before they become problems. - dlm

What To Do With Wet Electronics

Alan growled as he started down the basement stairs and found the light switch didn't work. There was no way to replace it without fishing through the semi-darkness below and finding a new bulb. As he stepped off the bottom step onto the floor, an icy cold sensation entrapped his foot sending chills up his spine. Then the other foot landed with a splash and the shock of the cold water grabbing him above the ankles made him shiver. "Courtney," he screamed to his wife, "bring me a flashlight! And hurry."

In the eerie glow of the flashlight, standing safely on the bottom step, Alan and Courtney surveyed the damage to the family room. A large piece of drywall had fallen from the ceiling above the computer desk. Water sprayed from a broken pipe and cascaded down the monitor, printer, and computer into 6 inches of water on the floor. What a mess.

After the water was turn off and drained from the floor, Alan approached the computer. All of his records from his home-based business, decades of family photos, and years of genealogical research were stored in that plastic case. Without that information, continuing his work and family would be a nightmare. He had to know if it still worked.

He turned on the monitor and pushed the button on the computer. Nothing happened. No lights, no sound, . . . no hope.

So, what do you do when your electronics get wet?

First, we must define electronics as any item that has an electrical cord or a battery. The list is daunting, but it includes:

Stereos, cell phones, and sensors;
Tablets, TV's, and toasters;
Coffee makers, clocks, and computers.

First step:  Do not turn it on or plug it in.
Unfortunately, our immediate response is to see if our phone still works. We plug it in or turn it on and thereby cause most of the damage. Older electrical appliances like a toaster, lamp or vacuum can have power applied to them with minimal damage, although they often will not work while wet. But items with circuit boards, which includes any "smart" appliance, most adjustable gadgets and all equipment with a display screen, can be permanently damaged if they are turned on while still wet.

Here is the reason why.

Electricity is used to power electronics. Electricity travels very quickly through conductive materials like copper, aluminum or water. When there is enough water in a device to span one or more wires or conductors carrying power, the electricity jumps between them, causing a short and often burning up a component. In older items that have larger insulated wires, the terminals are far enough apart that they need to be submerged in water to cause a short. Since they have no small transistors, resistors or capacitors to burn out, they often just blow the breaker in the electrical panel of the home.

Circuit boards, on the other hand, are specifically designed to have many conductors in a very small space. They are packed with transistors, resistors and capacitors that control and define the flow of electricity. Chips and processors for computers, phones and watches can have hundreds of feet of uninsulated wire in an area smaller than your fingernail. A single drop of water can span dozens of wires and cause enough electrical shorts to completely destroy the unit.

Second step: Dry it out completely.
Professional electronics recovery laboratories have dedicated drying rooms that heat the temperature up as high as 140 degrees F. Dehumidifiers and exhaust fans pull any moisture from the air creating an environment dryer than the Mojave Desert. Electronic devices are dis-assembled, batteries removed and left in the drying chamber until completely dry, usually as little as 24 - 48 hours. Most computers, laptops, and printers, etc., have small batteries on the mother board in addition to the operating battery and/or power supply. These need to come out too as they can cause corrosion to their contacts through electrolysis.

Sometimes in the case of fires or mud, parts are first washed and rinsed with de-ionized water, then dried thoroughly in the chamber.

Some sources on the internet suggest placing wet electronics in a bowl of uncooked rice. This works because the desiccant properties of dry rice suck the moisture out of the phone. It works better if you remove the cover and battery, then bury all the parts in the rice.

Hair dryers could work if you didn't get the item too hot thereby damaging additional components and you could hold it there for 24-48 hours. Most hair dryers will over-heat and turn off in about 15 minutes, but if they didn't, the rest of us have other things to do today and tomorrow.

I have cell phones, digital thermometers, and watches that I have dried completely at home. Open them up, remove the battery and set them over a heat register in the winter or on a window sill on the south side of your house where the sun shines in most of the day. The display screen on my digital cooking thermometer was half full of water after it fell into the sink, but 24 hours on the window sill, it was dry and worked perfectly.

Third step: Re-assemble and see if it works.
Most of the time, electronic gadgets, dried properly, will work just fine, especially if they were turned off when they became wet. If not, then you will feel justified to pay for a replacement.

I once did a fire where the family had boat-loads of special collectables worth tens of thousands of dollars. With three-quarters of the house completely destroyed, it was impossible to reconstruct even part of the list of damaged items. Then the mother remembered that she had gone through the house with her son's digital camera a week before the fire and photographed all her collections.

We found the camera in the basement bedroom submerged in 6 inches of dirty, sooty water. We took the SD card out, cleaned in off, dried it and recovered all the photos. We could have saved the camera too, but the expense would have been greater than cost of a new camera.

So, to review.

What do you do when your electronics get wet?

First step:  Do not turn it on or plug it in, make sure it is off.
Second step: Open it up, remove any batteries, and dry it out completely.
Third step: Re-assemble the appliance and see if it works. 

Mold Coverage and Insurance Policies

"Not covered, what do you mean?" Sarah whispered to her self, but wanted to scream.  Instead, she just stared at the adjuster like a deer in the headlights.  "I'm sorry," the adjuster murmured, "but your policy doesn't cover mold remediation."

Returning from three weeks of unimaginable fun in the Bahamas, Sarah and her husband Jack discovered that the washing machine water line had broken, spraying water all over the laundry room.  

There was mold growing on the laundry room walls as well as on the ceiling and walls in the bathroom below.  There must be thousands of dollars of work to be done and if isn't covered by their insurance, she had no idea how they would pay for it now.  

What is insurance for, if not for this?  Why isn't this covered?  

She felt cheated, . . . abandoned, . . . violated.

Mold coverage in insurance policies varies greatly from company to company and you must check with your insurance company to see what coverage you have purchased. 

What follows is a general synopsis of how I have seen different insurance companies in the United States deal with mold coverage.  As coverages change from policy to policy as well as from year to year, I will not identify specific companies and their policies, just general guidelines.  You must check your own policy to determine the coverages you actually have.

Example: Homeowner, Rental and Commercial policies, even issued by the same company, usually have differing coverages for damages, repairs and remediation.

General Mold Exclusion  
Every insurance policy has a General Mold Exclusion.  Wording for this exclusion usually follows this vein:

"Fungi", Wet or Dry Rot Or Bacteria meaning the presence, growth, proliferation, spread of any activity or "fungi", wet or dry rot, or bacteria is not covered under this policy.

There is a reason for this exclusion and its wording.  Insurance policies are designed to cover the costs of repairs to your property in the event of a sudden, unforeseen or accidental event.  Damage caused intentionally, by neglect, or abuse, is not covered under most insurance policies.  Insurance covers accidents, not maintenance.

To make this distinction, policies do not pay for any repairs, unless it is a direct result of a sudden or single, event or occurrence, which causes loss or damage.

Therefore, damage that results from failure to properly maintain your home or long term damage that could or should have been fixed, such as a slow leak, but wasn't, are not covered. This would also include fungal, mold or bacterial growth that was a result of the environment; especially in very warm, moist, humid climates, where mold and bacteria proliferate without a water leak occurring.

Example: Mold grows along the baseboards behind the bed or dresser, or in the corners of the room at the ceiling because of condensation resulting from high humidity levels, caused either by the climate or a bathroom shower. Neither clean-up nor repairs would be covered.

While this is a general policy, there may be situations where mold remediation might be covered.

Complete Exclusion
A few companies have a complete exclusion on any mold remediation, regardless of the source.  There are no instances where they will cover any mold remediation. Many policies with exclusions, will cover the costs of the covered repairs, such as drywall, paint and carpet; but they will not pay for any labor or equipment needed to clean or remediation the mold.

Some policies will also not cover the water loss itself, if mold has grown as a result.  Their reasoning - If your home had been properly maintained, the leak would have been discovered and corrected before mold had time to grow.

Example:  You take your family on vacation for 2 weeks.  A water line breaks as you drive down the street, flooding your home the entire time you are gone.  There is significant mold growth in the wet areas of the building.  With this type of coverage, neither the mold, nor the water loss damages would be covered.  You would have to pay for all of the repairs yourself.


Mold Riders
Many insurance companies, after announcing an exclusion on fungal, mold or bacterial remediation, will add back to the policy, a rider covering remediation and clean-up under limited conditions.  These conditions can include:

1. Mold growth that occurs as a result of a covered loss.
2. Existing mold growth that has to be removed/cleaned before damage from a covered loss can occur.

Example: With this policy, if you went on the same trip, as in the previous example, all the repairs, including the mold remediation, would be covered.

If your policy has the rider covering remediation from a covered loss, it still will not cover mold growth resulting from an uncovered loss, such as ground water or culinary water that enters through the foundation from the outside.

Limits of Coverage
Providing you have coverage for mold remediation resulting from a covered loss, the limits of this coverage vary greatly.  Your company could pay any one of the following:

1. From $1000 up to $100,000 toward the remediation of the mold only.  The repairs to the structure would be covered by the water loss portion of the policy up to the value of the policy.   The average cost allowance for the mold remediation by insurance companies is between $5,000 - $10,000 per occurrence.
2. From $1,000 up to $10,000 for the total cost of repairs.  This would include the cost of the mold remediation as well as all of the drywall, paint, carpeting, etc. 

Statistically the national average for the cost of a typical mold remediation, as well as my personal experience, is about $2,000 - $3,000 for the remediation and about the same or less for the repairs. Some jobs are more, some are less, but most people will never encounter a remediation situation of $50,000 - $100,000 where their entire home needs to be demolished. Most often, there is mold growing along the baseboard in a bedroom, or growing behind a kitchen cabinet or bathroom vanity.

It should be evident, that coverage for mold, fungal or bacterial remediation varies drastically from company to company.  It is imperative for home owners to carefully research what their policies cover and what risks they may still be exposed to.  Paying $5 less per month for a policy that does not have mold coverage is no bargain if you later have to pay $1500 to $5,000 for repairs that resulted in mold growth.  But then, maybe you always win at blackjack, too.

It is also important for agents to carefully read and discuss with company adjusters, what the policies they sell actually offer their customers.  There are few things worse that overselling your product to a customer and then watching the resulting anguish and heartache as they try to deal with the situation; while your credibility erodes and your client defects.

Mold coverage in insurance policies varies greatly from company to company and you must check with your insurance company to see what coverage you have purchased.

 

Mold - What is it and How Does It Affect Us?

Anna screamed and dropped the box of canned goods.  The basement bedroom they were using as storage always smelled a little musty, but the bottom of the box and the carpet underneath it, were covered in black mold and the room now reeked, making it hard for her to breath.  

How could this happen?  What did it mean?  Would they all get sick?  Would they have to move to protect her family?

Anna's head was spinning as terrible words boiled up from her subconscious.  She slammed the door and rushed up the stairs to call her husband.

"Black Mold,"
                                            "Toxic Mold,"
                                                                          "Killer Mold"

Mold is actually one of the basic components of our ecosystem.  Its purpose is to eat and digest the organic waste in our world, primarily cellulose, break it down into basic components, so this material can be re-cycled by nature, as humus in the soil.  If we did not have mold, we would find ourselves hopelessly overcome with grasses, dead leaves, branches and trees that would never decompose or go away.

There are over 100,000 different species of mold in the world.  Hundreds of them have the capacity to grow in our homes when conditions are right.  Stachybotrys is the common "black mold" that received unusually harsh treatment in the media.  Because its waste is a toxin, like several other molds, it was labeled "toxic mold".  In an effort to demonize it in law suits, attorneys began to refer to Stachy as "killer mold".  But, mold doesn't kill people and it does not have the same toxicity or danger as chemical weapons.

Molds are living organisms which require 3 basic components to grow.

     1.  Available mold spores
     2.  Water
     3.  And a food source

Food sources for mold are virtually any organic substance, although the varieties that grow indoors on buildings, tend to prefer cellulose products; such as wood, paper, cardboard, etc. If you take any one of these 3 components away, mold can not grow.

Mold also prefers warmer temperatures with little or no light or air movement. Although it can grow in virtually any temperature, even in the Antarctic; we generally find it most abundant in temperatures from 60 to 100 degrees F.  It often grows un-noticed in a home because it tends to be found behind beds, dressers, under boxes on the floor, inside walls, inside cabinets, etc.

Different areas of the country have a greater or lesser propensity for mold growth.  The east coast and deep south that normally have high humidity levels, can have prolific mold growth.  Ample moisture in the air easily condenses on building surfaces providing the needed source of water.  These areas also have more rampant growth in the wild that can easily be transferred into the buildings on air currents, increasing the availability of spores to germinate.  Mold grows exponentially, so the more spores you start with, the faster it multiplies.

Even the dry deserts and high mountain valleys of the western US, have everything needed for mold growth, except an abundance of water.  But if there is a small water leak in a building, mold will readily begin to grow.

There is a common misconception that if you kill the mold, it will no longer be a problem, as with bacteria.  This is not a reality.  Bacteria and viruses have soft cell walls that break apart and decompose very rapidly after they die.

Mold, on the other hand, has a hard cell wall, much like a nut, that does not break down nor decompose without water.  Also, when mold dies, it sporulates, that is, it spews out hundreds of thousand of spores (eggs) that await the opportunity to hatch and grow.  Introducing water will decompose the mold carcasses, but will also germinate the waiting spores, (eggs) and the mold colony will continue to grow and thrive.  Since dead mold provides the same level of irritation that live mold does, it must be removed from the environment to have the remediation successful.

We are all exposed to mold on a regular basis.  It could be an apple or an orange that has been in the fridge for 3 months.  You smell it in flower beds and compost piles.  Maybe there is a small amount of mold growing on your window sills or under the bathroom vanity.  Generally, exposure to mold, has little or no affect on healthy people.  It is only when it becomes concentrated in an enclosed space, as in a bathroom or bedroom, and levels are elevated, that it becomes a concern.

Exposure to mold is usually through inhalation.  When we breathe in the spores,  they irritate linings of our nose, throat and sinuses.  We experience much the same reaction as people with hay fever.  In an effort to extract the spores, our bodies produce symptoms such as; watering eyes, stuffy sinuses, runny noses, sore throats, dry hacking coughs or a general, all over feeling, that we might be getting sick.  The good news is; once we are removed from the source of irritation, the symptoms disappear within a few hours, or at most, a day or two.

Exposure to mold is determined by both quantity and duration.  A person who is exposed to a small amount regularly over a long period of time, may have more detrimental affects than someone exposed to a large amount for a short period.  The irritation that is inflicted on our bodies, generally results in fatigue and/or exhaustion of our immune systems; allowing us to become susceptible to other viruses and bacteria in our environment.

There are 4 groups of people that tend to have greater sensitivity to mold exposure.

1. Those who have upper-respiratory conditions, such as; asthma, hay-fever, chronic pneumonia or bronchitis.  This is because their respiratory system is already weakened from their conditions.
2. Those who have compromised immune systems, such as; chronic fatigue, fibro-myalgia, lupus, Epstein bar, etc.  The irritation from the mold continues to weaken their immune system along with their resistance to disease and illness.
3. The very young, as under age 3-4.  These children have less body mass and they breath air close to the floor where mold spores tend to congregate, giving them higher doses of exposure.
4. The elderly already have tired immune systems because of their age.

Discussions of the effect of mold on people have to take into account so many factors, that a simple blanket statement of how much exposure is safe is impossible.  This article sheds some light on what variables need to be considered in determining the negative effects of mold exposure.

Mold - Where and How Does It Grow?

Aaron signed as he sat his soda can on the table.  True to form, he couldn't finish a drink before it hit his bladder.  Excusing himself from the room, he quietly went to the bathroom.  The door was locked.  "Must be one of their kids," he thought.  Maybe John and Sarah wouldn't mind if he used their master bath, since he had about 30 seconds before the filtered soda would leave his bladder, whether he was in an appropriate spot or not.

As he closed the door and lifted the lid, Aaron noticed the dark staining on the wall and on the baseboard behind the toilet.  "What in the world?" he muttered, and then he recognized that it was mold.  Growing along the wall, it was all the way from the vanity to the tub.  It gave him the chills to know that his best friend lived in such filth.  He quickly finished and gratefully closed the door behind him as he eagerly returned to the party, thinking of any excuse to leave as soon as possible.


Mold requires 3 ingredients to grow; mold spores, moisture and a food source.  Once all three components are in place, mold can begin to grow most any place.  All homes and businesses, regardless of how clean, have mold spores and food sources readily available.  All that is missing is the moisture for growth to start.

While mold can grow in nearly any location in your home, there are a few places where it is much more likely to start.  Regular inspection of these places will help to prevent or reduce mold growth.  Regular means daily if you are paranoid, or once a week to once a month if you are conscientious.

1. Under sink cabinets - Sink cabinets always have water lines.  It is possible for a small or large leak to begin most anytime in either the supply or drain lines.  The older the plumbing, the greater the chance of a leak forming.  They can occur from old gaskets, rusty pipes, or worn-out fixtures, etc.  Once a pin-hole leak starts, the water will erode the hole larger and larger until a drip every day becomes a steady stream.  Because we seldom inspect under the sink, mold can grow undetected for quite some time.
2. Behind and under your fridge - Water and ice lines to the fridge are fragile.  They are usually 1/4" lines of either plastic or copper tubing.  As the fridge is moved in and out for cleaning and inspection, it is easy for the tubing to be crimped or run-over by the wheels, causing a small hole to develop.  Movement and vibration also loosen the fittings, allowing water to leak out.  A slow, steady drip can become an adequate source of moisture for mold growth and remain unnoticed for weeks.
3. Around tubs or showers - In these locations, there is soap scum and bodily oils that collect in corners.  These are food for mold to grow.  If the shower is wiped down or cleaned regularly and the room is properly exhausted, you can minimize mold growth.  Also, over time, the joints and corners of tile and cultured marble surrounds, develop cracks.  These will allow water to seep into the framing under the shower and start mold growth under and between floors, as well as onto ceilings below.
4. Exterior windows and doors - Windows, especially in the colder climates, are frequent haunts for mold.  Dust and water condensing on the glass collect on the sills and provide a perfect environment. This is particularly true when heavy drapes and curtains are over the windows and seldom if ever opened allowing the moisture to build up and condense.
5. Around any other water fixture, i.e.; toilets, water heaters, boilers, swamp coolers, etc. - The older the home, the more likely a leak can begin.  Water heaters have warranties that range from 5-12 years.  They are usually pretty good at not lasting much longer than the warranty.

Here are a few of the less likely places I have seen mold grow.

1. Attics - If you have a leak in the roof, the water will provide the environment for mold to grow.
2. Crawl spaces - Some locations have extremely high ground water.  This water can condense on the framing members and start mold growth.  Venting crawl spaces as per code, as well as installing moisture barriers on the dirt, will greatly reduce the chance of this happening.
3. Between the layers of vinyl flooring - Often the wax ring that seals the toilet to the drain will develop a hole allowing water to seep out along the sub-floor, under the vinyl.  When this water penetrates the layers of paper in the vinyl, mold can grow.  This generally creates a grey to purple stain in the flooring.  It looks much like someone spilled grape juice and it stained.  No matter how hard you scrub or what cleaner you use, the stains will not come off.  The only solution is the vinyl has to be replaced.
4. Sub-flooring under wood or laminate flooring - In the event of a water leak or flood in a room with laminate flooring, the foam or plastic barrier under the laminate will trap moisture next to the sub-flooring material, allowing mold to grow.  Often it takes months to years for this water to dissipate.
5. Exterior walls behind furniture - Mold in these areas usually grow from one of two sources.  First, water intrusions from the outside such as sprinklers or rain water.  Second, high humidity in a room that condenses on the cooler locations behind the furniture near the floor.  Either of these reasons need to be corrected before effective remediation can occur.

Regardless of where or how mold begins to grow, the guiding principles of remediation are:

• Correct the source of water.  If the source is not stopped, mold will begin to grow again within a few weeks of the repairs.
• Remove and dispose of all damaged material.
• Wipe and HEPA vacuum the area until clean.

Mold - How Do You Clean It Up and Keep It From Coming Back?

Alex was in shock.  In his hand he held an estimate from the restoration company to remove the mold growing in the basement bedroom.  He had hoped it would only be a few hundred dollars, not thousands; and they didn't give any guarantee that it wouldn't cost more, once they tore his house apart.  How could this cost so much?  There was quite a bit of mold in the bedroom and bathroom, but not this much.


They also said his insurance might not cover the clean-up or the repairs.  What good was home owner's insurance then? How would he explain this to his wife?  Oh, and she would probably want him to do this himself, too.  Fear gripped Alex as he saw their planned vacation to Disney World, dissolve into a heap of black, smelly mold.

To comprehend the cost of mold remediation, we must first understand the protocol or the method needed to remove and clean it up.  We discussed in another post, a common misconception, that if you apply an antimicrobial, you kill the mold and it will no longer be a problem, such as with bacteria or viruses.  This is not a reality.  Bacteria and viruses have soft cell walls that break apart and decompose very rapidly after they are killed.

Aspergillius Mold Spores

Mold, on the other hand, has a hard cell wall, much like a nut, that does not break down nor decompose without water.  Also, when mold dies, it sporulates, that is, it spews out hundreds of thousand of spores (eggs) that await the opportunity to hatch and grow.  Introducing water will decompose the dead mold carcasses, but will also germinate the waiting spores (eggs) and the mold colony will continue to grow and thrive.  Because mold does not dissolve upon death, they provide the same level of irritation that live mold does and must be removed from the environment to have the remediation successful.  Therefore, the proper protocol for mold remediation is "mold removal".

The schedule of tasks to remove the mold consists of the following order of events:

1. Identify and repair the source of water
2. Contain the affected area with plastic barriers
3. Technicians must wear full protective gear including respirators or masks
4. Install negative air pressure; filtering and exhausting the contaminated air to the outside
5. Remove all contaminated materials; drywall, carpet, framing, etc.
6. Double-bag and dispose of contaminated materials
7. Sand or scrape mold from any remaining structural framing that can not be removed
8. Hepa vacuum all the surfaces inside the containment area, including all plastic barriers and equipment
9. Wash/wipe down all surfaces with a fungicide
10. Hepa vacuum all surfaces inside the containment area, again.
11. If damaged area is still wet, install appropriate fans and/or de-humidification
12. Once the area is dry, hepa vacuum the entire inside of the containment again
13. Industrial Hygienist tests the air quality to determine if the remediation was successful
14. If testing fails, re-clean entire containment area and re-test as needed
15. Remove all barriers, double-bag and dispose.

These are just the basic steps than need to be taken to properly remediate mold.  Often there is more vacuuming or cleaning.  Sometimes testing is not performed, under the assumption that the remediation will be effective.

Addressing the price of such work, contractors also need to provide proper training for their technicians, as well as purchase and maintain fans, de-humidifiers and negative-air machines that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars each.  Most states also require pollution insurance, in addition to regular liability insurance, which costs additional thousands to tens of thousands of dollars a year, depending on the volume of work they do. On top of all this, the contractor still needs to realize a profit to remain in business year after year.

While there are unscrupulous contractors that use mold remediation as a vehicle to separate a customer from their money, most contractors are merely passing on the actual costs of doing business with a sufficient profit margin to allow them to remain in business.

There are many times, with smaller jobs especially, that a home owner has the skills and experience to do the work themselves, with proper instructions, but they still need to follow the protocol outlined above to protect themselves and their families.  A "smaller job" is generally accepted as one containing less that 10 sq ft of moldy surfaces.  If there is more than 10 sq ft, an experienced, professional mold remediation company should be hired to do the work.

As for questions regarding insurance coverage, check out Mold Coverage and Insurance Policies

Mold Myths

Paul hung his head in despair.  They almost had the sale of their home finalized, but now the home inspector's report said that he had found mold around the water heater in the basement.  He was sure the sale would fall through now and they would never be able to sell or rent the house, ever!

This would be disastrous.  They had to move to another state for his new job and they couldn't survive with this albatross around their necks.  What could they do?  Was there any hope?

There are many myths regarding mold that need to be dispelled.  Once mold has started in a home, it is very possible, in all but the most extreme cases, for the mold to be properly remediated, repairs made and for the home to be as good or better than it was before.  The presence of mold will have to be declared in future sales of the property, but proper documentation of the cleaning process will satisfy most buyers.

Below is a list of other myths regarding mold where I have explained the truth.

Myth - Once I have mold in my house, it will continue to infect the entire building.
Mold requires available mold spores, moisture and a food source.  If you have mold start to grow in your home, the source of water is fixed and professional repairs are made to remove the damaged materials, mold will not continue to grow.  Mold is not like a hive of bees that can migrate to other locations at will.  It is a very small organism that can only move on air currents and requires a specific environment to grow.

Myth - Mold will kill my family.
Mold does not kill people or other living entities.  Because it is an irritant, repeated exposure can weaken our immune systems making us more susceptible to other bacteria or virus that may be floating around.  Once we are removed from the contaminated environment, any negative symptoms disappear in a few hours or at most, a few days.

Myth - People catch mold.
People do not catch mold.  Inhalation causes irritation that motivates the body to expel the invaders, creating symptoms such as; watering eyes, stuffy sinuses, runny noses, sore throats, dry hacking coughs or a general, all over feeling, that we might be getting sick.

This is the same reaction produced by those with Hay Fever or Allergies.  The symptoms are merely the body's attempt to remove the invaders.

There is one extreme case where mold spores will grow in your body.  This is with Aspergillius mold spores.  They can grow in our lungs if we are exposed to a large enough quantity and our immune system is sufficiently weaken.  It creates a condition known as Aspergillosis in which the patient is very sick and usually requires large doses of intravenous anti-biotics for weeks to recover.

While this situation is possible to develop, most people are physically unable to remain in a contaminated environment long enough to inhale sufficient quantities of Aspergillus for this condition to start.

Myth - Mold will make you sick. 
People with repeated exposure to mold can become sick, but it is not the mold that makes them sick.  It is the weakening or exhausting of their immune system that leaves them susceptible to other illnesses that are available.

Myth - Mold is Toxic
As explained above, mold is an irritant.  Some species of mold excrete waste known as mico-toxins.  These are also irritating to our bodies, but they are not toxic in the conventional sense of anthrax or carbon-monoxide.  Like mold spores, they do nothing more than stimulate the symptoms in our bodies so they can be expelled.  These symptoms can include; watering eyes, stuffy sinuses, runny noses, sore throats, dry hacking coughs or a general, all over feeling, that we might be getting sick.

Again, once we are removed from the source of irritation, the symptoms usually disappear in a few hours.

The Science of Drying a Structure

 

Mary was so embarrassed. She was sure that everything was dry from her "little flood," but looking at the red markers on the wall, she realized she was very wrong. The contractor had used some kind of meter and showed her where the walls were still wet. But how could the drywall be wet a foot up when the wall didn't feel wet or cold? And how would they be able to remove the water without tearing the wall apart?

For decades, the restoration industry used historical evidence in drying a structure. Basically, if it worked once, we would use it again. Everyone knew that moving air dried clothes and when the air was heated, it dried them even faster. No one really knew exactly why, but that didn't matter as long as it worked. So contractors put fans in houses for three days and said,"It is dry."

Today, using sensitive measuring devices, the industry has applied the laws of physics and chemistry to drying. Now, we not only know how the drying process works, we can predict with a great degree of accuracy, how long it will take and which technique will work best for a given situation.

There are three basic principles needed to dry a structure. Leave one out and the drying is delayed; leave two out, and drying grinds to a halt.

The first principle is heat - The more heat there is, the more energy is transferred to the water molecules and the more primed they are to move from one area to another. In most situations, the optimum temperature for drying a structure is between 90-105 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is much hotter, damage to the home can result. If it is too much cooler, the molecules will not be excited enough to move. Often, supplemental heat will need to be added to raise the temperature to the desired level.

The second principle is pressure - We control the direction of the water movement with air or atmospheric pressure and vapor pressure. The Bernoulli principle of physics explains that the faster a fluid is moving, the lower the pressures are inside the fluid. Air is a fluid, therefore, the faster it moves, the lower the pressure in the air. When the pressure of the ambient air in the room is less than the vapor pressure of the wet carpet, pad or drywall, the water molecules move from higher pressure to lower pressure or from the wet materials into the air. This migration is known as evaporation. The greater the pressure differential, the faster evaporation will occur.

The third principle is evacuation - Once the first two principles are successfully implemented, the air will quickly become saturated with water and evaporation will cease. Water molecules need to be evacuated from the room before evaporation can continue. In many situations, opening windows and doors to the outside will allow for the water to move out of the structure, lowering the vapor pressure in the room so evaporation can resume. This is especially effective on warm summer days. But when the temperature drops 30 degrees at night, high levels of humidity exist out of doors or security issues are present, other means of evacuation need to be employed. The most common option is a refrigerant dehumidifier.

The refrigerant dehumidifier cools the moist air to the dew point, forcing the water molecules to condense and fall out of the air. This water is collected in a holding tank and purged into a sink or floor drain when the tank is full. As the water is removed from the air, the pressure in the air is reduced allowing for more water to move from the wet materials into the air. Most refrigerant dehumidifiers work best in the 90-105 degree range.

There are several variations on these principles that can increase success in drying. Sometimes, hot, dry air is blown in to the building to create high pressure inside the room. This forces the air to leave through cracks and openings in the exterior, taking moisture with it. Other times hot, dry air will be pumped in to pressurize the walls while blowing fans lower the pressure of the room.

The best protocol to use will be determined by considering the following:

• Amount of water present
• Security concerns
• Weather
• Season of the year
• Indoor and outdoor temperatures
• Nature of the wet materials
• Construction of the building

Using proper tools, including; moisture meters, thermal hygrometers and thermal imaging cameras, restoration contractors can dry most structures where the extent of damage does not require replacement.

What Do You Do After a Fire

         

1. Contact your insurance company. You need to report the fire, and your insurance company will give you valuable information regarding your coverage, including where to stay if your home is un-inhabitable. Your insurance company will usually dispatch an adjuster to evaluate the damage. Sometimes it will be that day, but often it is the next business day after the claim was reported.

2. Contact a reputable restoration company. You will need to choose a restoration contractor (such as Utah Flood and Fire) you are comfortable with. Your insurance company may recommend contractors in your area, but the final decision is yours alone. Your insurance company will pay the reasonable repair costs for most reputable companies. A restoration company will be able to help with the following items.

3. Secure the premises. Often in a fire, the firemen need to break doors or windows to enter the house or evacuate the smoke as quickly as possible. The fire may also have burned holes in the walls or roof. These need to be boarded up and/or covered as protection from weather and theft.

4. Restore the power. The power is usually shut off to the house as a precaution. The flames may have burned and exposed live wires that could short and start another fire. A qualified electrician is needed to separate the damaged circuits and restore power to the house. The power company often needs to inspect the building before they will allow the power to be restored.

5. Turn on the water. In major fires, the water is also shut off by the fire department. This is to prevent additional water damage from pipes that may have been damaged. This will need to be checked and turned back on before the cleaning process can proceed.

6. Restore the gas. The gas is also shut off as a safety precaution. A plumber is needed to check the gas connection and work with the gas company to restore the service.



Beautiful tri-fold copies of this article are available for distribution by insurance agents, adjusters, fire and police departments. Contact Utah Flood and Fire Network for more information

Understanding and Preventing Ice Damming

"Ice damming, what in the world was that?" Peter heard what the contractor was telling him, but the words didn't make any sense. There was water damage to the drywall and carpet in his living room and this sounded like a contrived excuse for someone to charge him a lot of money.

One of the least known and mis-understood forms of water damage comes from ice damming. It occurs when climatic conditions are just right. Heavy snow accumulation, combined with warmer days (35-40 degrees F) and freezing nights (20-30 degrees F) precipitate the formation of ice dams.

During the day, heat rising through the insulation from the interior of the house and warmer temperatures outside, begin to melt the snow. Water runs down the roof, under the snow, to the edge of the eve. Because there is no heat under the eve, the water freezes in the last foot or two, creating an ice dam. Day after day, it continues to increase the height of the dam. More and more water fills the reservoir. It begins to seep under the shingles because of capillary action. Water can wick up hill to a height of two to three vertical feet. Eventually, it finds a breach in the roofing and enters the house.

The process to fix the problem has two parts. First, the wet drywall and insulation must be removed and discarded. If left in place, significant mold growth is inevitable. Often some of the drywall on the ceiling will need to be removed. Plastic may need to be stapled up on the ceiling to separate the warm air in the house from the freezing temperatures in the attic.

Water will continue to seep in as long as the snow is there, so the cavity needs to remain open until the snow has melted from the roof. This will allow the owner to monitor progress and know when the repairs can occur. One to three months is not uncommon to wait until the repairs can confidently be completed.

The second step is to remove the ice dam from the roof. There are a couple of options available:

1. Physically remove the snow and break the ice dam. This process is practical only on flat to lower pitched roofs. Even then, there is a great possibility for damage to the roof as well as the snow remover.
2. Lay heat cable in a W pattern from the eve to at least one foot over onto the heated space. This will melt channels through the dam enabling the water to flow out and stop the damage. Check to ensure that the cable does not overlap or lay over on itself, as some cables will short out and stop working if this happens. Fires have also been known to occur from these situations.
   

The prevention of ice damming requires proper drainage of the melting snow. This is usually best done with heat cables run in a W pattern along the eve, up valleys and in gutters and downspouts. The key is to make it possible for the water to run clear of the house, even in the most extreme conditions.

What will my insurance company cover in a water loss?

Each insurance policy is different and you will need to speak with an insurance adjuster to determine exactly what your insurance company will cover in a water loss.

Most companies cover the water damage resulting from broken or frozen pipes within the perimeter of the building. A simple way to determine if a loss is covered is to remember that your policy usually covers your home, that is the building. Accidents that happen to or within the building are usually covered. This would include valves that fail, pipes that break or freeze, washing machine hoses that split, sink supply lines that pop off, any appliance that has water and malfunctions or accidents such as forgetting to turn off the sink or tub.

Most companies do not pay for the repairs to the source of the problem, only the resulting damage. Example: if your water heater ruptures and floods the basement, the replacement of the water heater will likely not be covered. The rest of the damage, from drying the structure to replacement of drywall and carpet, probably will be.

The exception to this rule is in the case of a frozen pipe. The freezing water is considered the source and the split pipe is part of the resulting damage and usually your insurance company will cover this in a water loss.

Most companies also cover the damage from drain line blockages, providing the blockage is within the foundation of the building. This would include toys or diapers that clog the toilet and make it over flow or broken drain lines that cause damage. The test of coverage is if the plug or break is within the foundation of the home. Those companies that do not offer sewage back up as part of the standard policy may allow you to purchase coverage as a rider.

Sewage back ups outside the foundation of your home, fall under another category. If the blockage is between your foundation wall and the curb, most companies do not cover this type of loss. If the blockage or break is in the street, beyond your curb, it is often, but not always, covered by the City or water district that owns those lines. If liability is accepted, coverage can range from a flat payment of $2500 toward all the cleanup and repairs up to paying for the complete repair and replacement for all the damage. Costs for sewage backups usually start at $2,000 and can easily go up to $20,000 to $30,000, depending on the extent of the back up. It is important to determine who is liable and what they are paying before you begin the clean up and repairs.

Coverage for water from the outside is a multi-faceted issue. Some companies will cover a loss if the outside water is from a plumbing source, (sprinkler line, main water line, etc.) Others will only cover it if the water is from a plumbing source and it enters the house through an opening, (a door or window.) But others will not cover water from the outside regardless of the source or entry point. It is good to discuss this with your agent so you have a solid understanding of what your insurance company will cover in a water loss.

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