Mold Inspections

Mold Inspections

Mold is everywhere. You can’t eliminate it. If you could we’d all be in trouble as nothing would ever decay and we’d all be so buried in junk and debris that nothing could grow on the earth. But we don’t much like to see mold indoors and certainly not on our walls, ceilings, or furniture.

There we remove it or clean it off. Because there are potential health risks involved, especially for some people, and because there are significant costs involved in large mold remediation projects, home buyers often contact mold inspectors to ask about testing a home for mold during the home buying process.

A thorough building investigation for problematic mold needs to address hidden mold reservoirs, for which mold inspectors approach is to complete a detailed inspection and building (leak) history as well as to record occupant observations and complaints.

A low-cost superficial test for mold (such as an “air test for mold”, a “home test kit for mold” or a “culture”) is likely be a waste of money since those approaches to screening a building for mold contamination are unreliable. Certainly if problem mold is visible that’s unambiguous. But superficial visual inspections and grab-tests for mold in air or on surfaces, performed without being accompanied by a very thorough building inspection, history taking, and occupant interview, have a high risk of missing important reservoirs of problem mold in a building.

Some “mold inspectors” may charge as much as a true expert to examine your building ($750 to $2000) but in fact may be doing little more than a quick inspection for visible mold and a few superficial tests. This is also an unreliable approach.

Since water and moisture are gating factors for indoor mold contamination we recommend that you start with a thorough inspection of the building for conditions likely to produce a mold problem – leaks, moisture traps, bad ventilation, history of flooding, etc.

Why to Hire a Good Home Inspector to Check for Mold-Producing Conditions in a Building

If your “mold inspector” is simply going to enter the building, collect a few air, surface, or culture samples, and perhaps report on obvious visible mold in the living space, you’re not receiving a very professional nor very reliable service.

An experienced, thorough, detailed, qualified home inspector will be much better at recognizing those (mold-conducive)conditions than a typical “mold inspector” or a typical industrial hygienist who does not know building science and who lacks experience in identifying where and why mold problems occur in buildings.

Home inspection standards, training, and experience teach inspectors where water, leaks, and moisture problems occur in buildings. Here are some examples of water or leak history problems that can create a hidden mold problem in a building:

A one-time basement flood due to a burst pipe, sewer backup, or area flooding – the basement may now look clean and dry but significant mold contamination may be present in basement walls, under carpeted floors, or in building insulation.

An older home with poor under-roof ventilation may have experienced condensation and moisture-related mold contamination of the attic insulation, roof sheathing, or hidden side of ceiling drywall; in northern climates such a home may have had ice dam leaks into wall cavities, producing hidden mold in building walls.

A home where plumbing leaks from an overflowing bath tub, leaky fixture traps, or supply piping leaks may have had leaks into wall and ceiling or floor cavities, leading to hidden mold contamination A home with a history of recurrent a damp or wet crawl space is at extra risk of moldy crawl space insulation, producing mold species whose spores move upwards into the occupied space by riding normal air leaks and air convection currents.

A home inspector is expected to recognize these leak and moisture problems even though they are not performing an environmental inspection.