Quote:
Originally Posted by t walgamuth
Yes. If he straightens out his gutter and keeps the mud and weeds out of the area I believe he will have no more trouble. I am planning to create a scupper or something to provide an outlet other than going over the wall into his entry way.
I am hoping we can get it dried out before the mold has a chance to grow. I'd rather not peel off the drwall in that area and redo all the finishes!
Is there a way to test air quality to see if its growing?
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Yep, keeping the water out is essential.
The affected area should be sealed off to the greatest extent possible, and dehumidified. Mold needs 55% humidity to grow. There are a variety of air and surface tests available. I used this site for some decent info when I bought my current house, a repo that had some water issues. -
http://www.toxic-black-mold-info.com/ and a NYC page -
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/epi/moldrpt1.shtml
My situation was one of extremely obvious mold growth, so I had no need for tests to determine if it was present. I had to eliminate all leaks, then remove affected drywall and clean underlying studs. Then I baked the house while running a dehumidifier 24/7 for about a month (I had other demo projects to do while everything dried) Then a liberal application of boric acid, and reinstalling drywall. I even mixed boric acid in with my drywall mud and texture, to insure a full treatment.
I would think that if you can get the area dried out, and the humidity down, then you'll be alright. It may be that installing a humidity gauge in that area would be a good idea, in case they get more minor flooding occurrences that go unnoticed.