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mold

| Posted in General Discussion on October 10, 2002 09:24am

Hi…my brother’s house is only 5 yrs old but in a couple of rooms you can see the outline of the nail heads and 2x4s on the ceiling.  It’s most evident where the ceiling meets the wall and given the darker color we assumed it was mold.  We found that the insulation contract blocked the “bird cages” with insulation, so for the first five years there was little to no venting happening.  Anyway, we cleared the bird cages so venting is not a problem anymore, and from what we can tell the mold isn’t spreading (??) so now what do we do?  Is there anything else I should be looking for?  Is it safe to assume the mold is no longer growing?

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  1. AndyEngel | Oct 10, 2002 09:45pm | #1

    Does your brother burn lots of candles? More importantly, is the heat exchanger in the furnace sound? IME, soot's as likely to be the culprit as mold is these cases.

    Andy Engel, The Former Accidental Moderator
    1. mathman6 | Oct 10, 2002 10:35pm | #2

      Not much with candles and given the age of the HAVC I assume it is in working condition.  FYI, most of the problem does occur in the familyroom, which does have a fireplace that is used, however, the problem (althought to a much lesser extent) also occurs in the masterbed room (on the other side of the house).

      is there a way to tell if it's soot vs. mold?

      One final point, he noticed that he can smell the wood buring in the back bedroom and bath when ever the fireplace is used.  could there be a "leak" in the internal chimmeny?

      1. User avater
        rjw | Oct 11, 2002 12:07am | #3

        Not much with candles

        That's a relative term; some candles produce a lot of soot, esp. soft wax candles (in jars) and scented candles.

        If it's not candles, there could be a potentially deadly CO problem; don't screw around with this.

        and given the age of the HAVC I assume it is in working condition. 

        Dangerous assumption.  I've seen brand new furnaces right after installation producing way too much CO.  Have your furnace serviced EVERY YEAR!

        FYI, most of the problem does occur in the familyroom, which does have a fireplace that is used, however, the problem (althought to a much lesser extent) also occurs in the masterbed room (on the other side of the house). 

        Ductwork moves air (and soot) around the house.

        is there a way to tell if it's soot vs. mold?

        Bleach will typically clean mold but not soot.

        One final point, he noticed that he can smell the wood buring in the back bedroom and bath when ever the fireplace is used.  could there be a "leak" in the internal chimmeny?

        Or it copuld be backdrafting.  Have it checked by a certified fireplace inspector trained by Dale Feb's organization: http://f-i-r-e-service.com/f-i-r-e-service/mainframe.html

        1. mathman6 | Oct 11, 2002 12:20am | #4

          ok, how would you try to treat a sample area with bleach??

          checked the fireplace website you suggested however, no one certified in my area (Washington State) any other suggestions re: testing for a backdraft?

          1. User avater
            rjw | Oct 11, 2002 02:51am | #5

            Take a cotton swab, dip it in some bleach and moistion a stained area; my understanding is the soot won't be affected, the bleach will take the color out of the mold.

            For backdrafting, look at the surface directly above the firebox opening; if it's backdrafting you'll probably see smoke stains.

            If you can't get one of Dale's guys, go with a certified chimney sweep and ask for a category II inspection using a video camera to sheck the flue.

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