Any AT Experts on Mold Growth in the Home?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Nov 8, 2012
20,828
4,777
146
UPDATE:

Over the last few months I've obtained a lot more information:
This is a rampant issue in the neighborhood. Lots of lawsuits going around in the neighborhood... Thankfully, the builder is a near Fortune 500 company so they have some loose change that we can at least grab some change from....

Needless to say, the crux of the problem is that the homes weren't engineered correctly to properly circulate/regulate air and instead creates humid conditions in the attic - this in turn drives mold growth all around the homes behind the drywall, and it also expands to the actual interior of the home via the A/C ducting pushing it out.


What is happening with the builder, etc.
Ultimately builder has admitted fault to a certain extent - the problem is that plenty of people are oblivious to how things work related to mold growth. I put in a warranty claim with the builder - they came out and did some simple air-related mold tests in a few rooms... Which isn't the problem. The problem stems from the attic, and it circulated through the duct-work... so it's basically a cop-out for the stupid people to give them the perception that there isn't a problem. They are doing this because of statue of limitations where they can wipe their hands clean regardless after 10 years.

For the cases where they are extreme (e.g. Black mold on the walls of the interior of the home and the tests come back showing mold) then they are complying... This means builders are:
  • Moving folks out - and their possessions
  • Bringing in contractors to strip out everything - replace A/Cs, Ducting, drywall, etc... + Other ways to remediate the mold.
  • Paying people a per diem for their costs to live elsewhere (which is definitely a substantial amount)


What is happening in my situation:
I tried working with the builder... as I stated, they came in, did their tests and stopped responding to my phone calls and emails. They are trying to wipe their hands clean and hoping that I stop bugging them. So now comes the lawyers.

Lawyers have come in and sent a REAL mold-testing company that isn't hired by the company, they know what to test and they know where to test it. Results are ENTIRELY different than what builder contractor had for obvious reasons. The last guy I had drilled into the dry-wall and would bring in a snake camera behind the drywall to show mold growing behind it. Scary stuff.

As a 2nd buyer of the home, I'm also not bound to arbitration since we bought from the first owner - not the home-builder. Hopefully that helps out as well.

Mold testing guy that came would drill a hole into the dry-wall and then use a smoke-releasing device next to the hole. One of the key give-aways (according to him) of what can cause mold is showing that the smoke is blown AWAY from the hole instead of simply inside the hole. His point was that the attic should be sucking in the air and releasing it - not pushing it out. I'm not an expert in understanding all this crap though.



Also @zinfamous yes, these builders are all across the US... mentioned at the top of this post they are near Fortune 500.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,136
30,086
146
UPDATE:

Over the last few months I've obtained a lot more information:
This is a rampant issue in the neighborhood. Lots of lawsuits going around in the neighborhood... Thankfully, the builder is a near Fortune 500 company so they have some loose change that we can at least grab some change from....

Needless to say, the crux of the problem is that the homes weren't engineered correctly to properly circulate/regulate air and instead creates humid conditions in the attic - this in turn drives mold growth all around the homes behind the drywall, and it also expands to the actual interior of the home via the A/C ducting pushing it out.


What is happening with the builder, etc.
Ultimately builder has admitted fault to a certain extent - the problem is that plenty of people are oblivious to how things work related to mold growth. I put in a warranty claim with the builder - they came out and did some simple air-related mold tests in a few rooms... Which isn't the problem. The problem stems from the attic, and it circulated through the duct-work... so it's basically a cop-out for the stupid people to give them the perception that there isn't a problem. They are doing this because of statue of limitations where they can wipe their hands clean regardless after 10 years.

For the cases where they are extreme (e.g. Black mold on the walls of the interior of the home and the tests come back showing mold) then they are complying... This means builders are:
  • Moving folks out - and their possessions
  • Bringing in contractors to strip out everything - replace A/Cs, Ducting, drywall, etc... + Other ways to remediate the mold.
  • Paying people a per diem for their costs to live elsewhere (which is definitely a substantial amount)


What is happening in my situation:
I tried working with the builder... as I stated, they came in, did their tests and stopped responding to my phone calls and emails. They are trying to wipe their hands clean and hoping that I stop bugging them. So now comes the lawyers.

Lawyers have come in and sent a REAL mold-testing company that isn't hired by the company, they know what to test and they know where to test it. Results are ENTIRELY different than what builder contractor had for obvious reasons. The last guy I had drilled into the dry-wall and would bring in a snake camera behind the drywall to show mold growing behind it. Scary stuff.

As a 2nd buyer of the home, I'm also not bound to arbitration since we bought from the first owner - not the home-builder. Hopefully that helps out as well.

Mold testing guy that came would drill a hole into the dry-wall and then use a smoke-releasing device next to the hole. One of the key give-aways (according to him) of what can cause mold is showing that the smoke is blown AWAY from the hole instead of simply inside the hole. His point was that the attic should be sucking in the air and releasing it - not pushing it out. I'm not an expert in understanding all this crap though.



Also @zinfamous yes, these builders are all across the US... mentioned at the top of this post they are near Fortune 500.

Negative vs positive pressure--the air should be blowing through and out of the space constantly, not trapped in those areas behind the wall. It's what you want for clean rooms, animal facilities, biocontainment spaces. Controlling airflow is essential when you want to contain/control the movement of airborne critters, such as mold spores. If you seal up everything properly, then the passive vents can do their work because of, uh physics or something. Sounds like they flubbed a couple hundred dollars worth of time and material to finish their work on each project and it is now going to cost them millions.
brilliant!
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
20,942
5,564
136
UPDATE:

Over the last few months I've obtained a lot more information:
This is a rampant issue in the neighborhood. Lots of lawsuits going around in the neighborhood... Thankfully, the builder is a near Fortune 500 company so they have some loose change that we can at least grab some change from....

Needless to say, the crux of the problem is that the homes weren't engineered correctly to properly circulate/regulate air and instead creates humid conditions in the attic - this in turn drives mold growth all around the homes behind the drywall, and it also expands to the actual interior of the home via the A/C ducting pushing it out.


What is happening with the builder, etc.
Ultimately builder has admitted fault to a certain extent - the problem is that plenty of people are oblivious to how things work related to mold growth. I put in a warranty claim with the builder - they came out and did some simple air-related mold tests in a few rooms... Which isn't the problem. The problem stems from the attic, and it circulated through the duct-work... so it's basically a cop-out for the stupid people to give them the perception that there isn't a problem. They are doing this because of statue of limitations where they can wipe their hands clean regardless after 10 years.

For the cases where they are extreme (e.g. Black mold on the walls of the interior of the home and the tests come back showing mold) then they are complying... This means builders are:
  • Moving folks out - and their possessions
  • Bringing in contractors to strip out everything - replace A/Cs, Ducting, drywall, etc... + Other ways to remediate the mold.
  • Paying people a per diem for their costs to live elsewhere (which is definitely a substantial amount)


What is happening in my situation:
I tried working with the builder... as I stated, they came in, did their tests and stopped responding to my phone calls and emails. They are trying to wipe their hands clean and hoping that I stop bugging them. So now comes the lawyers.

Lawyers have come in and sent a REAL mold-testing company that isn't hired by the company, they know what to test and they know where to test it. Results are ENTIRELY different than what builder contractor had for obvious reasons. The last guy I had drilled into the dry-wall and would bring in a snake camera behind the drywall to show mold growing behind it. Scary stuff.

As a 2nd buyer of the home, I'm also not bound to arbitration since we bought from the first owner - not the home-builder. Hopefully that helps out as well.

Mold testing guy that came would drill a hole into the dry-wall and then use a smoke-releasing device next to the hole. One of the key give-aways (according to him) of what can cause mold is showing that the smoke is blown AWAY from the hole instead of simply inside the hole. His point was that the attic should be sucking in the air and releasing it - not pushing it out. I'm not an expert in understanding all this crap though.



Also @zinfamous yes, these builders are all across the US... mentioned at the top of this post they are near Fortune 500.
The direction of air movement through the attic is going to depend on several different conditions. I certainly wouldn't use one small hole in the ceiling as an indicator of proper ventilation.
I'm not well versed in conditions in Texas, but around here mold growth is always caused by insufficient ventilation, or moisture intrusion. Both issues are correctable, sometimes easily.
 

Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
11,684
5,222
136
Good luck, OP. Mold isn't something to be trifled with.....can cause horrendous health problems in humans and animals.