[hughster37]

We put an addiction on our one story ranch here in southern Maine. When the insulation people did they're work. They didn't run enough proper vent up the rafters and therefore, after a year or so we had visible water stains in the ceilling. Checking into this I found the black mold. I sprade the mold with a bleech solution and then pulled down the insulationg and extended the proper vent to the right level. Letting the house breath right. My problem is that. Even though I've fixed the moisture problem. The mold is still black. I don't believe that its growing or grown at all. But I'm thinking of selling this house.

What should I do and where should I start ?
Mold idenifacation ? Active mold test ?

Any help would be very welcome.

Hugh.

[ballengerb1]

Hire your own home inspector and get an evaluation. Get a test kit or have a pro do the testing. Better to fix and find problems now rather than after someone has made an offer on your home, they will use all defrects to pulll down the offer. Respray the mold with commercial mildewcide not just bleach.

[Corey1961]

Could you supply just a little more information please? Is the mold you talked about farther towards the middle of the attic or close by the ventilation chutes? Is it an open attic or tji rafters with the ventilation chutes running from your eaves to ventilate out the ridge vent?
By the way, the previous post is a totally correct thing to do.

[hughster37]

The mold is from where the insulation stopped and the open air rafters start. And continue to the ridgeline. The rafters and the roof plywood are blackish. In the open air area only. Stick built home.

[amsteube]

The staining probably will not come off without some sort of grinding. I work for a mold remediation contractor and what we would probably do in you situation is spray it with a diluted bleach solution (about 10:1 with hot water is fine) to kill all growth and then use a sander to remove any staining that will not wipe off. If it is old mold that is no longer growing the chances of it just wiping off are very small.

Also I prefer ridge vents to the overhang kind but if you aren't reroofing your house can be kind of a hassle.

Aaron

[hughster37]

Thanks arron. We do have a ridge vent. But the air was being shut off by the insulation stuffed over the proper venting. Is the dorment mold of any harm to anyone ?

[amsteube]

Once you have wiped down the mold with a bleach solution it is harmless. Mold can only become dangerous while it is alive because it lefts of spores as a way of germinating. The spores can get in your lungs and in extremely rare cases grow in your lungs. As long as you have the moisture problem solved and have cleaned up the mold as effectively as you can it should not be any danger because it is no longer releasing those spores.

On a side note: The mildewecide is not a bad idea but as the name applies it treats mildew not mold. Mold is a living thing and needs three things to grow, a food source (the plywood), air, and moisture (the only one of the three that you can attempt to control).

But as was said earlier if someone brings an inspector along with them and they see the dormant mold it may still be a reason for them to retract a bid.

Hope this helps,

Aaron

[hughster37]

Where you from arron ?

[amsteube]

I live right outside Omaha, NE. I work for a contractor that specializes in mold remediation, fire damage restoration, and water damage restoration.

[InspectorDan]

Bleach is not an approved mold remediation material. Mold is first and foremost a moisture problem. Are you certain you've stopped the source of moisture? You can buy an inexpensive moisture meter ($70 or less) online and you should be positive that your ceiling finish (plaster, drywall, whatever) no longer has elevated moisture levels when compared to nearby similar surfaces that are known to be dry. Once you are certain the area is at a stable normal moisture level you can remediate the mold. Home Depot sells a product called Concrobium sp? That should work just fine. Don't forget that mold has a very durable spore form that can begin growing again when exposed to moisture even after it's been 'killed'.

If you want to know what type of mold it is then you can perform a simple tape lift sample and take it to a local lab. The cost is about $45. You simply take clear scotch tape and a new sandwich ziplock bag. Using exam gloves you apply a strip of tape over the suspected mold area (if there are different colors of mold you may want to take more than one tape lift) and then tape it onto the inside of the ziplock bag. Seal the bag, write the date, time, and address on the bag and take it to the lab.

Getting back to the mold we can recap.
1) use moisture meter to make sure levels are normal
2) use Concrobium or other mold killer per label instructions
3) use Kilz or other stain killing primer to keep stain from bleeding through
4) paint entire ceiling

Good Luck!

[amsteube]

I suppose what is an approved solution to kill mold depends on where you live. In the area where I live not only is it approved it is the recommended solution for removal. Although if you are concerned about other growth you could apply a biocide such as microban.

Aaron

[InspectorDan]

Actually APPROVED depends on who is doing the approval. The New York City Dept. of Health sees it this way.


"You do not have to kill mold in order to clean up mold.
Cleaning up mold in essence means removing mold. Biocides
can be more dangerous than the mold. Don't use bleach; use
soap and water. Bleach kills, but it does not clean (remove)
the mold."

I think the US EPA agrees with that statement also.

With one possibly toxic material in the home (mold) why would you want to add another (chlorine)?

[InspectorDan]

Mold still has the potential to be dangerous after it's been "killed". The mycotoxins are still present and the spores can become reactivated by the addition of moisture. Do the research... there is a ton of information out there on this subject. Both HUD and the EPA have free booklets and downloads available.

[lovebird1]

Why so much moisture in house?

[KBC]

why so much moisture in house?

Hi lovebird1,

The reason for the moisture might be because moisture(condensation) forms when there isn't enough air moving through a roof line,the rafters have to be vented to allow this to occur.

A roof will warm up in the sun and the interior of the home is cooler,this causes condensation to occur.

Opposite conditions (cold outside and hot inside) also cause condensation,although with heat inside,the water vapor probably gets absorbed into the air rather than being built-up on the wood decking and rafters.

Hope this helps you understand.

KBC

[DryHero]

The answers are all over the place.

I am also a restoration/remediation contractor. This is a simple issue if you can avoid making it worse.

Mold in attics is often the result of inadequate ventilation, resulting in condensation on the roof decking. Over years or decades, mold eventually grows on the wet framing.

It is important to correct the ventilation issues first. Once the framing is dry, you can attempt to remediate. First step is usually HEPA vacuuming. Follow that up with some type of chemical treatment. I personally would not used Concrobium and absolutely no Kilz, paint or anything else that "seals" the surface. This can change the characteristics of the wood, trapping future moisture and actually making things worse!

There are a few chemical remedies that will not only remove the residual staining but the mold residual mold components themselves. Hope this helps!

[DryHero]

The answers are all over the place.

I am also a restoration/remediation contractor. This is a simple issue if you can avoid making it worse.

Mold in attics is often the result of inadequate ventilation, resulting in condensation on the roof decking. Over years or decades, mold eventually grows on the wet framing.

It is important to correct the ventilation issues first. Once the framing is dry, you can attempt to remediate. First step is usually HEPA vacuuming. Follow that up with some type of chemical treatment. I personally would not used Concrobium and absolutely no Kilz, paint or anything else that "seals" the surface. This can change the characteristics of the wood, trapping future moisture and actually making things worse!

There are a few chemical remedies that will not only remove the residual staining but the mold residual mold components themselves. Hope this helps!