Blogs

There seems to be a lot of confusion around viable sampling and when its appropriate to collect viables. The most common sampling method is the non-viable sampling method. I use Allergenco D sporetrap cassettes, on a buck pump calibrated to 15 liters per minute for 5 minutes. During the 5 minute sample, 75 liter of air pass through the cassette, where airborne particles are impacted on an internal slide that is coated with an adhesive substance. I send them off to a lab where a mycologist opens up the cassette and looks at the slide to see what stuck in the adhesive.

A nice lady from Santa Rosa called me and said "I have toxic mold growing in my home... what do I do?". I went out to the home for an inspection and found some minor mold growth on the bedroom ceiling. It was obvious that the roof was leaking (several shingles were missing from the last storm). This type of problem is easily fixed...

I did a mold inspection in Concord, California, last week. It was a bank owned property that was vacant for about four months. The prior occupant thought it would be a great idea to break off the pressurized toilet valve in the upper floor befor he left, so the water ran for over 120 days... full blast!  To say that there was mold would be redonkulous. Thers were mold-sickles hanging from the ceiling! Every square inch of drywall in the structure was saturated. Some of the walls looked like leapard skin, some looked like they were made of cotton.

With the recent cold spell that has effected Northern California, I have seen a rise in mold projects caused by the expansion and contarction of water supply lines. One recent project in San rafael involved a hot water supply line in a crawlspace. The pipe burst approximately five weeks ago but the owner was unaware. They did notice a drop in water pressure, so they turned up the heat on the water heater to co0mpensate for the loss of hot water. They did not know that they were actually increasing the temperature of the water that was spraying under their house.

I did an inspection of a home in Santa Rosa yesterday. It seems that the ice maker line to the refrigerator developed a leak. The home owner never noticed any water on the floor because there is tile set directly on the cement slab, which go up to, but not under the kitchen cabinets. This creates a depression under the cabinets. The moisture was flowing under the cabinets and then wicking up into the melamine cabinet material. Needless to say... the cabinets are shot and the granite counter top will have to come out.