kurt Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 Anyone else out there found themselves reviewing mold reports for customers? Aside from it being one of the dorkier things I've done in this gig, is there any baseline anyone's discovered that tells us anything useful?
allseason Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 Most of the testing methods I've been made aware of are full of confusing information and results, but I believe the testing is based on spore counts outside the building vs inside and the type of mold present. A real baseline would be how an individual is affected by the mold. It could make you miserable while at the same time I remain unaffected.
allseason Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 Nope and nope. OT - OF!!! M. And that.
Erby Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 Nope. I tell em it's a waste of time. Find the water source and eliminate it. Remove / repair any damaged materials. Get on with life. I also point them the the CDC and EPA stuff on mold.
Les Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 Crap! I had a multi paragraph response complete with Walter Jowers references and it just disappeared into the ether. Mold report, the several hundred I have read, are worthless. A second grader could do more better! I have a very difficult time respecting those inspectors that "test". Have they even read one of those reports? edit: www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ether
Erby Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 Les, my short responses get typed here but if'n I'm a gonna do a longer one, I do it in word processing and copy and paste it here. Lost to many of those long ones due to some freak of the internet.
Les Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 Les, my short responses get typed here but if'n I'm a gonna do a longer one, I do it in word processing and copy and paste it here. Lost to many of those long ones due to some freak of the internet. I used to think it was Mike O, then I realized only Kurt and Katen had that skill set!!
kurt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Report Posted September 12, 2011 I think we're in agreement on this thing. It's all idiotic. I just keep wondering if there's something someone's got that makes any sense of it.
randynavarro Posted September 12, 2011 Report Posted September 12, 2011 If you're really bored, try contacting the boys at Environix here in Seattle. They've presented a few times at some local ASHI stuff and they're gaining a bit of credibility in my book.
randynavarro Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 A good part of their presentation is providing case studies of recent projects in which they've been involved--mostly single and multi-family projects. Their solutions involve stuff we talk about here all the time dealing with solving building moisture problems, especially in attics. They're anti-testing unless it's required by some insurance company or the like. They are hell-bent on finding the cause of the problem, not treating the symptom. They don't up-sell services or products. Their principle (James) presents very well and seems very well-versed in the current state of mold stuff--more so than me. Their #1 field guy, (I forget his name) always present with James--he's the hands-on dude in the field. He's also very intelligent and speaks the jargon that makes sense. The two times I've attended their stuff, I was skeptical and ready to busy my mind with other more important things; however, they kept me in there and taught me a few things. They're not scheisters. . . at least I don't get that feeling.
John Dirks Jr Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 Mold is a people problem. It's the individual with the problem, not the mold. People problems can comprise just about anything. I don't want to evaluate that.
randynavarro Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 Mold is a people problem. It's the individual with the problem, not the mold. Not if your attic or crawl space is covered with it.
kurt Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Posted September 13, 2011 OK, remediation companies that clean stuff up are just trying to make a buck....if folks want to pay for it, fine. What I was talking about are the reports. They're nuts. Completely, totally, stupidly nuts. And folks think it all means something. I was just asking if there was anyone that has ever found any way to interpret the blather in any intelligent way.
randynavarro Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 OK, remediation companies that clean stuff up are just trying to make a buck....if folks want to pay for it, fine. What I was talking about are the reports. They're nuts. Completely, totally, stupidly nuts. And folks think it all means something. I was just asking if there was anyone that has ever found any way to interpret the blather in any intelligent way. I understand. . .that's what I was getting at the first time. If anyone has seen those reports, I would think it'd be the guys at Environix. Not pitching them. . .just an idea. They're smart.
Jim Katen Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 OK, remediation companies that clean stuff up are just trying to make a buck....if folks want to pay for it, fine. What I was talking about are the reports. They're nuts. Completely, totally, stupidly nuts. And folks think it all means something. I was just asking if there was anyone that has ever found any way to interpret the blather in any intelligent way. I understand. . .that's what I was getting at the first time. If anyone has seen those reports, I would think it'd be the guys at Environix. Not pitching them. . .just an idea. They're smart. I suspect that the Environix guys would have the same reaction as Kurt does. They went through the learning curve of doing hundreds of mold tests and came to the conclusion that they were useless. I was at the same WW ASHI Seminar that Randy attended last weekend and I really liked the Environix guys too. You've gotta like guys who show up to an event like that wearing jeans, tee shirts, & baseball caps. (Oh yeah, & the guy with dreadlocks . . . ) Then they blow everyone out of the water with complete command of the subject matter. These guys really know mold and they approach it with common sense. They're the first people I've met in that business that I didn't think were shysters.
kurt Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Posted September 13, 2011 Outside of looking at it as a building science issue, what else is there to know about mold? Do the Environix fellows have something going on other than being competent contractors?
randynavarro Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 Outside of looking at it as a building science issue, That's all I know how to do. . . . what else is there to know about mold? Nothing. At least for me. Do the Environix fellows have something going on other than being competent contractors?; Sure. Credibility and knowledge. I guess those things are what makes someone "competent." One could also add honesty and experience. Sounds like you're on a hunt to find something more heady. Take Camhoin (sp?) to lunch.
kurt Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Posted September 13, 2011 No, nothing heady......please. I've just had a rash of mold reports being presented to me on a number of jobs I've managing with an expectation that I'm able to decipher what no one, including the morons doing the testing, are able to decipher. I go through the usual "it's useless" spiel. Folks stare blankly. I'm just checking to make sure what I tell folks is accurate. What's amazing is, every last one of these reports has exterior counts higher than interior counts, yet people are blaming IAQ for a range of perceived health issues.
Tom Raymond Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 What's amazing is, every last one of these reports has exterior counts higher than interior counts, yet people are blaming IAQ for a range of perceived health issues. In light of that deficiency you should be recommending a nice English Stilton. Maybe then they'll get it.
Mark P Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 Kurt - would you be able to post a copy of one or two of those reports. I can't say I've ever seen one. Or would you mind e-mailing me one to look at? p.s I met Manoj and his family this morning - thanks.
allseason Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 What's amazing is, every last one of these reports has exterior counts higher than interior counts, yet people are blaming IAQ for a range of perceived health issues. I have also heard the same. Really does not make sense.
kurt Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Posted September 13, 2011 Kurt - would you be able to post a copy of one or two of those reports. I can't say I've ever seen one. Or would you mind e-mailing me one to look at? p.s I met Manoj and his family this morning - thanks. Cool.....they're really nice folks. Great customers. Bukiqe...... I don't have any of them in the office; I refuse to handle them more than I have to. They're several pages of tables showing counts for several dozen mold types. Some of them have an addendum talking about specific molds being associated with specific health effects. It's pages of information indicating nothing that I can surmise, other than there's more mold outside than inside every one of the joints we're rebuilding.
allseason Posted September 13, 2011 Report Posted September 13, 2011 Should we close the windows then? Perhaps that will solve the problem. I'm laughing.
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