Mould Inspections

It appears that the opinions of the value of mould inspections varies greatly among NACHI members. I have performed many of them and I always check the home for moisture intrusion or damage, note any potential moisture issues or things which may contribute to moisture concerns (poor grading, damaged shingles, moisture in the attic, etc), check humidity and the temperature of the homes, perform air quality tests and sample any moulds that I find. With the air quality tests alone I have found extremely high amounts of mould in the home and have recently recommended that one home be reviewed by the local Health Department because of severe moisture and mould levels in the home.

My question is, what do your mould inspections consist of and how valuable do you see the mould inspections in general was as well as the sampling of visible mould or air?

Do homes need to be tested for mold

Mold inspections are valuable.
Mold testing is most often not.

In the case of the last home there were suspicions that the previous home owner covered up mould in the walls. There was severe moisture concerns in the bathroom, attic and crawlspace but the rest of the home looked okay. Air quality testing revealed extremely high amounts of spores in the living room - much higher than anyone’s standards. I would not have found this had I not performed air quality testing. It appears that there is more going on than just the visible mould that I saw. My client needs to know this information in order for her to make some decisions on what to do next. I don’t think this would have been possible without the air quality. Clearly some of the spores were left in the home after the walls were covered up. How would you have approached this?

I agree. It’s very important to inspect for signs of moisture problems and mold.

So you saw mold and tested for it and you still have no answers? If the money was spent instead on a more invasive inspection would you and your client have more answers?

Every home has mould .
No moisture no mould growth .
Look for dampness and report what you find and see.

You stated you found moisture so you had your answer .

Glad we found something to agree on.

Yes, the bathroom had severe moisture, but if the issue is limited to the bathroom it is a completely different story then if the entire home is contaminated. Clearly it is. Doing just a visual inspection would not have shown anything because it was covered. Also, the Stachybotrys found in the air shows signs of long term issues. Without the air quality test none of this would have been known.

Nothing is known now other than what you saw. What conclusions did the test help you come to that your inspection didn’t lead you to?

The bathroom has severe moisture and visible mold. No mold test needed. The money spent on mold testing could have been spent on a more invasive inspection.

Neither of those two statements are valid conclusions which can be drawn from a 15 minute air sample test which provides a spore count. Both can be determined through visual and some invasive inspection.

So are you suggesting that because I saw a mould-like substance in the bathroom (because it can’t be called mould until tests are performed) that I recommend tearing the entire home apart to see if there was hidden mould in other parts of the home? Now that I know the entire home is contaminated I am more confident to recommend additional procedures to search out mould. I can’t walk into any home, see a bit of mould on a wall and recommend the entire house be ripped apart. Knowing that the air in the entire home has severely high concentrations of mould spores gives me confidence that there is more going on than what meets the eye. Otherwise I’m just guessing.

Back to my original post: How do inspectors who actually perform mould inspections go about them. It is clear that Roy and Juan don’t do them. Does anyone else do them?

Can I quote this for my website and include your name?

So from the mold test you were able to determine the entire house is contaminated and there are severe concentrations of mold spores higher than anyone’s standards. What should be done?

How does that differ from what should have been done based on your visual observations of severe moisture issues and visible mold?

Also can you post some of the standards that your levels exceeded.

But this is not the scenario you presented.

Your testing has not added anything to your original information. You suspected an unknown and unlocated mold problem before, you still suspect an unknown and unlocated mold problem. You said the testing has made you “more confident to recommend additional procedures to search out mould”. I mean no offense by asking this, but why do clients have to pay to boost an inspector’s confidence?

What were the suspicions you mentioned based on?

Looks to me like you did not get much information from post #2 .
I wish you well with your home inspections .

If anything I’m more confused! We know there is moisture and mold in the areas noted. We know this from the visual inspection performed. However, now the mold test has “determined” the whole house is contaminated! Oh no!

If anything I’m more confused! We know there is moisture and mold in the areas noted. We know this from the visual inspection performed. However, now the mold test has “determined” the whole house is contaminated.

I see 162 have read these posts and only 3 have replied ,

I expect from this very few Homies see any advantage to getting involved with Mould.
Roy

much to learn from reading other’s opinions…I’ve turned down about 20 mold inspection calls the last couple months (more than Home Inspection calls), because I mostly agree with Juan and some others. I think it’s a waste of the client’s money, and I usually tell them that.

Thing is, most of them likely thank me, then call someone else who is willing to take their money anyway. They are somehow convinced they NEED one and will get one, and make my competitors richer…