ShareThisBy DWIGHT BARNETT
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Q: We have a musty smell in our foyer. We ventured into the crawl space and found about an inch of water on the ground and clusters of mold in the water. How can we fix this problem without it costing us a fortune? Is this something we can do ourselves?
A: There is hope. What you see on the surface of the water is a scum that forms in cool, damp, unlit spaces. When the water is pumped out, the scum will be sucked out with the water.
What about any mold left behind? Mold contamination has often been overstated as a health hazard by people, including me, who initially did not understand what we were dealing with.
To date there are no known deaths that can be attributed to the presence of mold or mold spores. It can, however, trigger allergy problems, some severe, and be a significant nuisance.
After the moisture in the crawl space has been removed, all molds present will go dormant. Mold has to have warmth, food and water to live. Take away any one of these elements and the molds can no longer survive.
Because most of the home's structure and coverings contain cellulose, which is the main food source of molds, we cannot remove the food source. The crawl space and basement must be above freezing, so we cannot take away the warmth in our effort to get rid of it.
That leaves only the moisture. And that we can take away from the molds.
In a crawl space or a basement, install a sump pump and a dehumidifier to lower the amount of moisture in the air. You will need to maintain the conditioned area's moisture levels at somewhere between 40 percent and 60 percent to contain the mold growth, yet leave enough moisture to prevent wood shrinkage that could damage the structure.
If the crawl space is below the outside grade level, you might consider installing a product called CleanSpace. CleanSpace is a plastic encapsulation system that, when installed, can prevent water and moisture entry. The product is so named because the crawl space is said to be clean enough to live in.
While its not cheap, it is guaranteed by the maker to be effective.
(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 268, Evansville, Ind. 47702.)
