Mold - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jamesnj · #1 03-17-2003, 09:55 AM

What can be done to prevent mold? All of a sudden black mold is growing on the ceiling air vents. Nothing has changed we keep the thermostat at the same setting we always have but suddenly in the last 6 months mold is growing

#2 03-17-2003, 10:21 AM

Take down the vents and wash them in a chlorine bleach mixture. You don't want that stuff getting into your walls. If you can fink Kilz paint in a matching color, then yoiu may want to follow through with painting them. That should keep the mold from regrowing.

Diesel-Lover · #3 03-17-2003, 10:28 AM

Is it mold or smoke particles settling on dust/lint.

What kind of weather are you dealing with and what level of humidity is there in your place. Have you checked your humidifier lately, and your filters.

If its smoke on a fuel fired furnace you may have a leak in the heat exchanger etc get the furnace checked also buy a CO monitor and check your smoke detector right away.

If its really mold I'd get a check done as to type of mold, if its that wicked stuff call your insurance agent.

To clean up generic mold/mildew one of the remedies I have seen is one part bleach to 10 parts water. Though I generally use 1:2 when I clean the shower tiles/grout and then rinse. Use gloves and safety glasses plus keep the area well vented.

Oh and don't warm up that diesel in the garage!

G-Benz · #4 03-17-2003, 12:14 PM

Black mold is a big problem in Texas...to the point that some insurance companies have stopped underwriting homeowners policies and even cancelled current ones!

The deadly strain is to be taken seriously! Have it tested immediately! You did say it has occurred over the past few months...typically the volatile strain leaves occupants with recurring illnesses. Anything like that occured in your household lately?

One of the reasons this has become a problem as of late is that homes are constructed with such effective insulation, that when a moisture problem erupts, there is little or no way for air to dry out the affected area, so mold can breed unchecked.

You may have a roof or plumbing seepage that has allowed in moisture and now has propogated into the ventilation system...so you and your family could be breathing this stuff!

Sorry for sounding so alarming, but when a home with black mold is featured in the news in Texas, you get to watch total evacuation of persons and property, and stripping the home down to the interior frame (yeah, carpets and sheetrock removed)! So fixing the problem almost requires total home reconstruction (which is why insurance companies are so edgy about having potential claims)!

Check with one of those companies that clean out your ventilation system...they are probably trained to recognize the problem.