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Guide to testing mold on building drywall: This article describes proper procedures for sampling mold on drywall in buildings. Because moldy drywall or "sheetrock" is often the consequence of a building flood or wet floor, the moisture gradient in drywall varies at different heights above the floor surface. Because different mold genera/species vary in their hydrophilic nature (some molds love water more than others), different mold genera/species are likely to be found at different heights on a building wall. Which molds are most important to sample? This document describes how to find mold and test for mold in buildings, including how and where to collect mold samples using adhesive tape - an easy, inexpensive, low-tech but very effective mold testing method. This procedure helps identify the presence of or locate the probable sources of mold reservoirs in buildings, and helps decide which of these need more invasive, exhaustive inspection and testing. Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman. How to Test or Sample Building Drywall, Gypsum Board, "Sheetrock" and other Building Surfaces for Mold Using Clear Adhesive Tape
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In our photographs shown above the thick black mold growth on drywall in a wet basement appears to nearly "stop" in a neat horizontal line just about four feet from the floor surface. Why?
Stachybotrys chartarum, which dominated the mold on this drywall, really likes wet conditions. As we explained above, the genera/species of mold growth may vary on a surface of the same material as a function of variation in moisture levels in the material.
In our photo at above right we show by having made a test cut into the moldy drywall that mold growth stopped its rapid advance up the drywall when it encountered the horizontal tape joint between the lower and upper runs of drywall in the building. We have found two common explanations for this observation:
I had energy efficient windows installed in my townhouse over a year ago. This past spring one of the master bedroom windows leaked after a rain storm because the caulking failed. The company immediately came out and recaulked the window and it hasn't leaked since.
[Photo at left provided by InspectAPedia, taken from a New Jersey home and not the building discussed by this reader, shows mold growth on drywall and on wallpaper beneath a leaky window. A single rainstorm combined with the window having been left partly opened caused this mold growth.
After checking the basement ceiling cavity below this window as well as in the wall cavity itself, our investigation found that the total moldy area was less than 30 sq.ft. and the mold cleanup could be handled as a normal renovation job. More examples of mold growth on and in wall cavities and hidden by wallpaper are shown at MOLD GROWTH ON SURFACES, PHOTOS - Ed.]
My concern is that I now have a water stain under the window on the drywall, and since I have a mold allergy, I'm wondering if there might be mold on the inside of the drywall. I read your article on testing the dry wall but as mentioned in the article would rather not cut into it unless it's necessary. I looked at other articles but didn't see one with a picture resembling the water stain I'm concerned about. What would you recommend?
By the way, this is a very helpful website. I was considering using ozone for any possible mold in my place but see from your article that's not a good idea.
Continued: I emailed you recently about the possibility of mold forming on the inside of drywall under a window that leaked last spring when it rained.
I contacted a bonded company about replacing the drywall. The gentleman I spoke on the phone with told me that he's attended mold seminars and that mold requires an ongoing source of water or moisture over an extended period of time to grow. In his opinion, since my leak occurred only once during a rain storm that lasted an hour or so, there's little or no chance mold could grow on the inside of the drywall under the window. He also said that since the water stain is barely visible, this is more reason to conclude there's no mold on the inside of the dry wall.
I thought it would be a good idea to check this on your website, but didn't find any topic that seemed related to the conditions for mold formation, so I thought I should email you. Is what he says about mold formation accurate? And if so, is it reasonable to conclude that there's probably no mold on the inside of the dry wall under the window that leaked?
I'm hoping he's right, because I won't have to replace the drywall. I'll replace it if necessary, though.
Thanks again for your help. G.N.
A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem with mold, hidden mold, and with tracking down just how much water leaked into the building and where it went.
First, how disappointing that your new windows leaked - certainly a wet wall below a leaky window is not particularly energy efficient, and indeed it could become a mold reservoir.
The risk of a mold problem that you can't see but that is significant enough to merit removal is not something I nor anyone should guess at by email nor by telephone (that is, with no building inspection) with so little information. MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE provides advice on deciding (or not) to hire someone to inspect and test for mold contamination.
Watch out: mold testing alone, without a building inspection, case history, and occupant interview, is not reliable.
I would not rely on "mold tests" - a test, especially an air test for airborne mold, performed without an expert diagnostic inspection of the building is just not reliable in cases where the result is "negative".
Continued reply: G., your bonded company expert is mistaken, as you can see in our example photo above showing mold growth in the wall cavity and behind wallpaper below a window following a single event leak.
A single water entry event can cause mold growth in a building cavity, on the wall cavity side of drywall, in the wall insulation, on the kraft paper insulation facing, on the building structural wall wood studs or cavity side of the exterior wall sheathing.
Your expert would, however, be correct, if s/he asserted that the extent or size or severity of mold growth from a single event leak depends on the size of the leak, the amount of water entering the cavity, where it went, what materials got wet, and the moisture exit rate from the building cavity.
Unlike your expert, beyond that advice I'm reluctant to promise what is or is not in a building cavity on a building I've not studied. Often an expert on site finds evidence of chronic leaks that a normal building owner may never have noticed. Very often very small leaks or wet spots do not produce a significant problem mold reservoir.
But because building wall or ceiling cavities dry out very slowly, leaks into a wall or ceiling, even from a single event, can initiate problem mold growth in those areas. In general, if a building interior or building cavity interior contains mold friendly organic materials such as wood, paper, drywall, fabrics, drywall, mold growth can be expected to occur if the area remains wet for 24-48 hours. Low temperatures can sometimes slow down mold growth so a building that was wet during freezing weather may have a bit more time.
When the building cavity finally has dried, several conditions are likely to occur:
In general, if there has been anything but the most absolutely trivial leakage into a building wall or ceiling cavity, and if thus we decide to investigate, I recommend choosing the one or two most suspect leak areas, where there is the most evidence or suspicion of the area that received the most water or was the most wet. In those areas I'll make a small test cut, perhaps 2" x 4" into the ceiling or wall, through the drywall. There we perform a visual inspection for visible mold on all surfaces and materials; if there is insulation present we also collect a vacuum sample of that material, and we collect tape samples of any visible mold on any of the newly exposed surfaces.
If that most-suspect area is "clean" of any strong suggestion of mold contamination, we don't cut or dig further without some other compelling reason to do so.
What is appropriate when there has been building leakage and where there is a concern for possibly significant hidden mold contamination is to make a decision about whether hiring an expert is justified in a particular case - see MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE for advice on making that decision.
More photographs and examples of mold growth on drywall are found at Mold on Drywall or Sheetrock®. Also see HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND.
I attached three mould photos for you. Can you help me to find out the possible reasons? - L.Y. 6/4/2013
A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem. That said, here are some things to consider:
In all cases of indoor mold growth the mold needs food (wood, paper, organic material), oxygen, and water; some molds thrive on light, some are tolerant or intolerant of UV, and other factors.
Of all of these, water is the key necessary ingredient which we can track and which is inviolate - that is, no water, no moisture = no problem mold growth.
I have no context for the photos, no age, no building history, occupancy, use, or other key information that an onsite inspection would disclose.
But I note that your middle photo looks as if it is a ceiling and because there is a vent therein I suspect this may be over a bathroom; Common moisture sources for such an area might include
The density of mold growth in your photos suggests that there have been leaks from above. But in some cases even without actual water leaks into a ceiling or wall we can see dense mold growth on building drywall caused by other wet building conditions (flooding of the floor for example, or a heating or steam pipe leak).
Mold growth tracking ceiling or wall framingThe fact that the mold seems to track or be more dense along lines resembling either drywall joints or actual locations of framing would argue for either leaks from above penetrating at drywall butt joint seams or quite often, temperature differences (wood framing in contact with drywall produces cooler temperature than insulated ceiling cavities).
Temperature variations can in turn invite higher levels of condensation on cooler surfaces in those areas. We also see this effect in THERMAL TRACKING & THERMAL BRIDGING
So even when we don't see leak stains showing a water source, the mold growth pattern might track moisture gradient in the materials and thus suggest something about its cause.
You will need to remove the moldy drywall in any case, as well as any insulation that has been wet or exposed to mold.
That will let you inspect the wall or ceiling cavity for leaks as well as to check that the bath vent fan is actually venting and is properly used.
But how to explain the reasons for this photo? It is the most black area (I showed in previous email)when my landlord removed the ceilling, there has plastic.
`Actually I know very little knowledge about mould. My landlord said the mould was caused by the lack of heat. Can you show me some ideas?
Does the water stain of the second picture show water leakage? This house is more than 40 years old.
There is no indoor ventitaltion system, the fan in the bathroom has been blocked for long time and the fan had not been insulated well.
There's no fan to transfer gas to outside in the kitchen. - Y. 6/5/2013
Mold is is not directly caused by lack of heat - cooler temperatures in fact retard mold growth, if all other conditions are equal. But lack of heat that leads to condensation problems or to a frozen burst pipe and leak can indeed cause or encourage indoor mold growth.
And I would agree that heating a building, as it dries a building, would avoid problem mold growth provided that there are not leaks or abnormal moisture sources.
If there is mold there is a condensation or leak problem to find and fix. If the mold is on the wall cavity side of the plastic then there are leaks into the wall cavity - either water leaks or air leaks, perhaps combined with incomplete or improper insulation. I'd have to see more detail to have a more confident opinion. From your photo I'm not even sure what's ceiling and what's wall.
Some speculative examples of what could be going on include:
The suggestions I made earlier about tracking down leak and moisture sources should, perhaps in this case, be combined with inspection for air leaks into the cavity from indoors or from outside.
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