Next Level Home Inspection can take surface samples and perform air tests to help determine whether or not mold is present and if so, what type of mold it is. We use two types of mold testing techniques to collect mold air both outdoors and indoors.
- Direct sampling of visible mold growth through lift tape sampling which is then sent to a laboratory for analysis.
- Controlled air testing impactors that use an air pump to draw in and impact airborne mold spores onto the sticky surface of a mold culture plate. These impactors are then sent to a laboratory for analysis.
What if the building’s heating, air conditioning system and/or HVAC ducts are contaminated with mold? We will tape mold culture plates [sticky surface facing inward] onto at least one air supply register grill of each zone of your heating, cooling, and ventilating [HVAC system]. To impact mold spores onto the surface of the mold culture place, we run the HVAC system for 15 minutes. These plates are then sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Where mold grows easily
- Attics inadequate ventilation or leaky roofs
- Behind and under tubs, toilets, showers, and bathroom walls
- Basements with dirt floors or water problems
- Carpeting and carpet padding
- Ceilings [from roof leaks]
- Ceiling tiles
- Clothing
- Drapes
- Crawl spaces
- Drywall in ceilings and walls
- Garbage disposal
- Heating/cooling ducts & equipment
- Humidifiers & vaporizers [inside]
- Leather items
- Wood products
- Rags
- Paint
- Paper, cardboard & other paper products
- Plants [house plants]
- Upholstered furniture
- Walls [from siding, roof, & plumbing leaks]
- Wallpaper & behind wallpaper
Frequent Causes of Mold Growth
- Basement flooding and water intrusion
- Proximity to lake, river, or ocean
- Clothes dryer exhausting into ceiling, walls or attic
- Defects + poor workmanship in construction
- Crawl space
- Inadequate ventilation
- Storing firewood indoors
- Flooding
- High indoor humidity [60%+]
- Overflow from showers, sinks, tubs & toilets
- Humidifiers & vaporizers
- Indoor plants
- Lot grading downward to home
- Venting inadequacies in bathrooms or kitchen
- Landscaping mistakes like mulch & plant glut
- Leaky roof
- Sewage pipe leaks
- Siding water leak
- Water supply pipe leaks
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