Mold containment field with air purifier on the wrong side of plastic containment field. It was extemely disappointing to find out just how rampant mold remeditaion scams really are. We had a customer who lived in Florida with a rental property in San Diego Co. We were called out do a slab leak detection Carlsbad for her. There was a slab leak repair that we made.
As we were making the repair we accessed the pipe we needed to connect to under the cabinet. We noticed that there was some mold, not coming from the pipe we were connecting to, but likely from other sources, like the shower and a leaking vanity top.
We reported this to the homeowner in Florida. She was so thrilled about the lack of damage we had made in order to perform her repiping in Carlsbad, that she wanted our help on what came next.
As we were making the repair we accessed the pipe we needed to connect to under the cabinet. We noticed that there was some mold, not coming from the pipe we were connecting to, but likely from other sources, like the shower and a leaking vanity top.
We reported this to the homeowner in Florida. She was so thrilled about the lack of damage we had made in order to perform her repiping in Carlsbad, that she wanted our help on what came next.
She needed to look into the mold further. We recommended a company that we generally use to do the "put backs" as we are not licensed to do any work that requires a carpenter. We can do the mold clean up, but not make the repairs that might include drywall, floor repair, etc. We are picky and the company we usually recommend is good, Superior Restoration. Unfortunately, they were unable to get to her job as fast as she would have liked and she went looking elsewhere.
Still happy with our work, Timo became her eyes and ears. Under circumstances where water damage and mold are due to a plumbing leak, we normally would clean that up. This particular job had nothing to do with plumbing, but it was going to require removal of cabinets, possibly the bathtub, a lot of dry wall, etc. The new remediation company wanted someone to come out to look for a plumbing leak. Since we had already inspected the home & repaired the slab leak, we were confident that there was no other plumbing leak, unless possible the shower head was leaking behind the wall. We went by to take a look.
What we found was nothing less that stunning. Upon walking in the front door, we immediately had to enter into a sealed containment field, through a zippered doorway. The walls, the floors were all covered in plastic. There was a second zippered doorway, again every surface covered in plastic and we weren't even close to the area where we had seen the mold. There were THREE zippered containment doors you would need to go through in order to leave the house. It was like something in a horror movie where there is a horrible virus needing to be contained in this home.
It was some mold in the bathroom! When we got to the bathroom, we found most of the drywall removed and the bathtub. No problem with that, if there was mold or wet drywall, it had to come out. What was really strange is that the walls, now down to the studs and the flooring had all been coated with plastic. The bathroom was a sealed bubble and the the air purifier was able to only clean the air inside the bubble. Thing is, the inside the bubble wasn't where the mold was, that was on the other side of the plasic walls?! The mold was in the wood!
This was explained to the the property owner in Florida along with the pictures you see here. Eventually we ended up speaking with the lab that would be doing the mold testing. When we asked what they tested for, the person on the other end snapped, "I just test what I am told too!"
So What Does This Matter To You?
When you need mold remediation, it's going to cost you a large chunk of change. This is change that your insurance company likely isn't going to give back to you. You want to be sure you are getting a fair and honest job.
Here is what is wrong with this situation. Starting in the bathroom that had been lined in plastic......If a test was made of the air inside of the plastic bubble that had been created after having had the air purifier in there for even a short period of time, you would getting a very acceptable level of mold if any mold at all because the plastic room had been entirely sealed off from the source of the mold. The mold would have been on the other side of the plastic. So you would not be getting a true mold reading if testing occured inside of the plastic bubble.
This would surely give the homeowner a false sense of security. The all clear, the mold was gone. But it was never inside of the plastic bubble to start with. What happens when the plastic is removed and the wall studs where the mold was growing is once again exposed?
Second we spoke with an environmental lab that does the mold testing. Looking at the pictures, he said this is garbage. We would make them tear down all of the plastic and build a proper containment field with previously moldy areas being included in the containment field and the area to be tested.
Each of these containment zones are going to cost the homeowner and the only one really needed is the one containing the moldy walls in the bathroom. It's important to hire a reputable company with an excellent reputation. Sadly scams are out there.
Still happy with our work, Timo became her eyes and ears. Under circumstances where water damage and mold are due to a plumbing leak, we normally would clean that up. This particular job had nothing to do with plumbing, but it was going to require removal of cabinets, possibly the bathtub, a lot of dry wall, etc. The new remediation company wanted someone to come out to look for a plumbing leak. Since we had already inspected the home & repaired the slab leak, we were confident that there was no other plumbing leak, unless possible the shower head was leaking behind the wall. We went by to take a look.
What we found was nothing less that stunning. Upon walking in the front door, we immediately had to enter into a sealed containment field, through a zippered doorway. The walls, the floors were all covered in plastic. There was a second zippered doorway, again every surface covered in plastic and we weren't even close to the area where we had seen the mold. There were THREE zippered containment doors you would need to go through in order to leave the house. It was like something in a horror movie where there is a horrible virus needing to be contained in this home.
It was some mold in the bathroom! When we got to the bathroom, we found most of the drywall removed and the bathtub. No problem with that, if there was mold or wet drywall, it had to come out. What was really strange is that the walls, now down to the studs and the flooring had all been coated with plastic. The bathroom was a sealed bubble and the the air purifier was able to only clean the air inside the bubble. Thing is, the inside the bubble wasn't where the mold was, that was on the other side of the plasic walls?! The mold was in the wood!
This was explained to the the property owner in Florida along with the pictures you see here. Eventually we ended up speaking with the lab that would be doing the mold testing. When we asked what they tested for, the person on the other end snapped, "I just test what I am told too!"
So What Does This Matter To You?
When you need mold remediation, it's going to cost you a large chunk of change. This is change that your insurance company likely isn't going to give back to you. You want to be sure you are getting a fair and honest job.
Here is what is wrong with this situation. Starting in the bathroom that had been lined in plastic......If a test was made of the air inside of the plastic bubble that had been created after having had the air purifier in there for even a short period of time, you would getting a very acceptable level of mold if any mold at all because the plastic room had been entirely sealed off from the source of the mold. The mold would have been on the other side of the plastic. So you would not be getting a true mold reading if testing occured inside of the plastic bubble.
This would surely give the homeowner a false sense of security. The all clear, the mold was gone. But it was never inside of the plastic bubble to start with. What happens when the plastic is removed and the wall studs where the mold was growing is once again exposed?
Second we spoke with an environmental lab that does the mold testing. Looking at the pictures, he said this is garbage. We would make them tear down all of the plastic and build a proper containment field with previously moldy areas being included in the containment field and the area to be tested.
Each of these containment zones are going to cost the homeowner and the only one really needed is the one containing the moldy walls in the bathroom. It's important to hire a reputable company with an excellent reputation. Sadly scams are out there.
RSS Feed