MOLD!
Do you have it?
Problems / Solutions /Costs
How To Control Mold
To help control Mold Growth, you need to understand how it gets there to begin with.. Mold is a fungus. It will appear when a couple of things are present in your crawl space.
1. High Moisture content or humidity level.
2. Organic matter for the Mold to feed on.
High Moisture or Humidity levels are usually caused by water either inside or outside of the crawl space. When the soil becomes saturated and full of water, the moisture and humidity in the crawl space will rise. Putting vents with fans or dehumidifiers in the crawl space may help a little, but the water problem needs to be addressed.
Once the mold finds Organic matter, ie, Joists, Subfloors, Roots that may be in the soil, or even left over building materials, it will be hard to get rid. Not Impossible, but difficult.
Please see the related article for more information on Crawl Space Water Problems. Also ask our service tech when he comes out for an inspection. There is a solution and its not that bad.
MOLD ISSUES
Health Effects –
1. Asthma, asthma triggers, or asthma symptoms (such as episodes or attacks)
2. Upper respiratory tract symptoms
3. Eye symptoms
4. Skin symptoms
5. Allergies or allergic reactions (symptoms not otherwise specified)
6. Wheeze
7. Cough
8. Difficulty breathing, trouble breathing, or shortness of breath
9. Infections (including those affecting people who have chronic lung disease).
10. Adverse effects to the nervous system
11. Fungal colonization or opportunistic infections in immune-compromised individuals
12. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Some Really Nasty Molds:
Stachybotrys – Black Toxic Mold
We see mold everyday in crawl spaces, basements, on floor joists and walls. Most of the time it is harmless. In other words, non toxic. This non toxic mold still presents health issues and also wood rot problems.
Some people are allergic to mold of any kind, small children, elderly but more often, we hear of the 30 to 55 year old that has allergies. Sneezing, watery eyes, or just a general ill feeling could be from a mold living in your crawl space or basement.
Keeping the crawl space dry is of utmost importance here in the south. Hot and humid weather during the spring, summer and fall, cold damp moist air during the winter allows moisture to build in your crawl space and basement. Once the level is high enough, mold wild begin to feed on the organic material such as wood joists, sill plates and band plates. The cost to repair these things is quite high.
One common mistake we see is calling the white powder on cement blocks mold. Mold can only surrive eating organic material.
The white stains in the block are called efflorescence. Usually cause by high water within the block. This is not a good thing and needs to be address. This is very common with unsealed block and brick. Water soaks into the block and washes out minerals from the concrete.
This problem can often be stopped by installing footer tiles around the inside perimeter of the crawl space and a sump pump to remove the water. Downspout Drain lines are also needed to move the roof water away from the foundation and also cleaning and sealing the block after the system is installed.
Crawl Space Maintenance should be a monthly service!
Don’t forget about us!
Apple Drains – Drainage Contractors – ORLANDO FL (321) 200-0685
See Also
Underground drains work to move water fast away from the foundation. We install underground drain, underground gutter drain, underground drain pipe, crawl space drain, underground pipes, drain tile, sump pump, gutter, downspout drain line, yard drain, french drain, gravel drain, solid pvc pipe, perforated pipe, channel drain, catch basin, drive way drain, side walk drain, basement drain, floor drain, sewer line, kitchen drain, bathroom drain and tub drain. Call us for a free estimate!
Low spots in the backyard hold water. If there is no gravity or fall away from the area, that water will usually stand and stay there for days. This invites mosquitos and other insects as well as kill the sod, shrubs and eventually you have a big mud mess.
To solve this problem, a French Drain with catch basins leading to a sump pump, or small lift station, is needed. The water is collected by the French Drain and is piped to the sump basin. Then Sump Pump lifts the water up and can send it to the street or storm.
Todays pumps are not only extremely powerful but they are also efficient! They can move anywhere from 40 to 100 gallons a minute.
The systems works like this….
French Drain is perforated pipe surrounded by gravel. This collects subsurface water.
Catch Basins placed in low spots collect the immediate surface water runoff.
When it rains, the water pooling in the is first collected by the catch basins, then the as the ground water rises, the French drain collects the water. All this water is piped to the Sump. The sump pump lifts the water and send it out to the street.
We install French Drain with catch basins everyday! They work great. Even when collecting huge amounts of water. Here is a video showing a recent install. The amount of water collected here comes from 8 yards and the system works!
Apple Drains has a crew available for storm damage, trees down, home repair, roof repair and drainage and flooding. We can help!
The biggest clean up after a hurricane is trees down. Having lived through 3 major hurricanes with calls coming in from all over the state, we know what you need and how to correct it.
We have 24 hour emergency service for trees, roofs and drainage.
Call or use our service sigh up for service.
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