Mold in the attic

[rmichaud]

I have a friend of a friend that bought a house several years ago. He had been having leaking problems in the past little while. The roof is only about 3 yrs old.

He asked me to check it out. In the process I find mold in the attic due to very poor ventilation.

My question is. would the mold problem dry up if he solved the problem of ventilation (ie. clear the soffits etc. ) or does he have to remove the old plywood and put on a new roof.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

I haven't taken the Mold Course yet

[James E. Braun, CMI]

The wood most likely can just be cleaned and sealed from the inside of attic under negative air pressure. All insulation will have to be replaced, and any intrusions sealed going through the ceiling before the mold can be cleaned. The entire attic will need to be HEPA vacuumed and then damp wiped. This should all be done under the mold remediation guidelines of ANSI/IICRC S520, Second Edition. Air samples should be taken, at least, on the level below the attic after cleanup is complete. These are the minimal steps required. May need to do more, it depends on how bad the problem really is. If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me at jbraun@mo.nachi.org.

[Steve McRae]

Got any pictures?
If it dires, it won't continue to grow, but will still be there. Depending on how bad it is, you might be ok encapsulating it. If it's a bigger problem, you might have to weigh the cost of remediation vs. new roof and plywood.

[James E. Braun, CMI]

The main concern is the spore drift. You do not want considered toxic spores in the living environment.

[Russell J. Hensel]

Dead spores are just as toxic as live spores

[James E. Braun, CMI]

There is a study that shows dead mold spores can cause cancer. That is the main reason why peroxide misting or ozoning is not accepted by the mold industry.

[Russell J. Hensel]

Really James? I will google it sounds like good reading material. Thanks

[rmichaud]

Thankyou gentlemen for all your input.

[agallatin]

Originally Posted by jbraun

There is a study that shows dead mold spores can cause cancer. That is the main reason why peroxide misting or ozoning is not accepted by the mold industry.

That's interesting ! Some people in the inspection industry are promoting the use of ozone treatment .

[James E. Braun, CMI]

Ozoning has it uses. Sometimes it does more harm to the house than when it helps. In my opinion, ozoning of books is okay because they are so hard to clean. Ozoning will eat at some of the bindings though.
And for those rare cases in older homes that has layers of building materials on them and you cannot get a good clearance sample. Sometimes it is better to ozone than to spend more than what the house is worth gutting the structure. You really do not have much to lose anyway. But this is just my opinion, the mold industry does not endorse ozoning.