Mold is fairly common and is known for making its way into our houses no matter how hard we try to keep it away. Mold spores are always present in the outside air, but they usually don’t become a problem until they find a good spot to root. And a good spot for mold growth would be a surface containing organic materials with access to moisture. Organic materials are impossible and unnecessary to get rid of, but moisture is something you can control.
As mold remediation experts, at Guardian Basement Waterproofing we recommend regularly checking for these four main causes of excess moisture in your home:
Leaky Pipes
Whenever you find mold next to the plumbing pipes and fixtures, leaky pipe is almost always to blame. It could be a waste line, a washer hookup or any other water carrying pipe. You are lucky if you have access to the pipe at the place of suspected leak, but for most of their length pipes run behind drywall making repair and cleanup a complicated procedure. Your local Baltimore mold removal professional can help figure out the best and safest way to fix the pipe and eliminate mold.
Bad Connections
Sometimes, you can have water coming from the outside if the builders made mistakes during construction or connections loosened up over time. When windows, doors, vents and other openings in the wall or roof are not flash with the surrounding surfaces, you get a gap, which is how rainwater may get in. If you notice mold on the outside of your house, check the corresponding spot on the inside, because there’s a chance the mold already made its way in.
Inadequate Insulation
A lack of insulation on duct work carrying cold air or cold water pipes causes warm air to condense on contact and release moisture. This is called condensation and it’s the reason behind “sweaty” pipes and moldy insulation materials. When the outside air is cooler, the reverse happens: the warm air escaping from badly insulated duct work condenses and causes moisture problems.
High Humidity and Poor Ventilation
In many cases, high humidity is caused by a leak that, combined with bad air circulation, allows for air moisture content to go up. However, such rooms as bathrooms and kitchens are often known for high humidity that can be blamed on the room’s function – running/boiling/steaming water. That’s why you can find mold growing on bathroom ceilings and other surfaces that don’t come into direct contact with water. The solution is a good ventilation system (often combined with a dehumidifier) that is powerful enough to filter out moisture from a particular area.
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