Home Improvement, Remodeling, Toxic Black Mold & Mortgage Refinance Blog

by Jimmy McDonald - YOUR ” Local Hard Working RemodelingGuy”

Reap the Benefits of Knowing.

Benefits and Setbacks.

Test kits, like the ones we offer on this site, are to be used as a First Step in identifying mold and it’s type, that could be dangerous to your health and your home environment ONLY.

Home testing WILL NOT quantify exact amounts of mold or give you the detailed results of more expensive professional methods that may be necessary if you discover that you have a problem.

Home test kits work well for people who are unsure about the presence of dangerous molds in their homes or businesses, want to find out more, and need a cost effective means of receiving reliable laboratory analysis if it is needed.

While researching for the best do it yourself home test kit to offer our visitors, here are some of facts that we considered and our thoughts.

Home testing WILL NOT quantify exact amounts of mold or give you the detailed results of more expensive professional methods that may be necessary if you discover that you have a problem.

Home test kits work well for people who are unsure about the presence of dangerous molds in their homes or businesses, want to find out more, and need a cost effective means of receiving reliable laboratory analysis if it is needed.

While researching for the best do it yourself home test kit to offer our visitors, here are some of facts that we considered and our thoughts.

These kits include a medium - a solution which captures and promotes mold growth ( potato dextrose or malt extract agars are most common ). The medium is either on a stick or placed in a petri dish.

Benefits:

** Inexpensive.

** Rapid results.The whole process from ordering the kit to sending and receiving lab results can be done in about 10 - 14 days.

** Peace of mind. We want you to do anything you can to determine whether or not you are exposed to unhealthy molds. This is a great first step.

** These tests can be used in three ways.
1) Sample Visual Growth.

If you have visible mold in your home, office etc. and want to have it tested, this allows you take a swab specimen to determine the type of mold and whether or not it is dangerous to you.

2) HVAC Air Sampling.

This allows you to test the HVAC system in your home for possible mold contamination in as little as 48 hours. Can be very effective to determine how safe the air is that you are breathing.

3) Settling Plate Method.

Depends on gravity which in itself can be unreliable. But the information obtained can still be informative. You set the tests around your home, hoping to capture air-borne spores in the dish.

** The laboratories which manufacture these kits will also allow you to include a tape lift from affected areas ( simply lifting mold from a visual source), as well as samples of other mold infected materials for analysis.

Setbacks:

** Directions must be followed exactly or results will be useless.

** The agars will pick up all molds it is exposed to, which do not grow at the same rate. Stachybotrys, for example, does not grow as quickly as say, Aspergillus, which can choke out the Stachybotrys and possibly produce false results in air sampling methods.

** These tests WILL NOT quantify the exact amount of mold in your home. They will only identify them. Many molds, such as the much publicized Stachybotrys chartarum (atra), Penicillium, Aspergillus and others are known to cause serious health problems, even in minute amounts. If you find these molds in your home, we recommend that you contact a physician familiar with treating mold related illnesses immediately.

** These tests are not recommended for persons already in the process of remediation (clean up), or to verify professional results.

If you are sure that you have a dangerous mold in your home, DO NOT hesitate to contact a remediation professional or your insurance company immediately.

We also recommend that you get away from the source in any way you can. The longer you are exposed to these molds, the worse their effects can be.

REMEMBER. Do Not EVER go near or breathe suspected mold without proper protective gear. Do Not Touch it with your bare hands.

Check Out Our Basement Sealing Article.

Finished walls and floor covering trap moisture, which accumulates and
causes molds and mildew. The musty odor found in many basements is the
telltale sign of molds, which may be growing inside the carpeting or walls,
or in upholstered furniture.

As houses age, most basements start seeping water through the concrete or
cracks after a heavy rain or snowmelt. The walls, carpets and furniture get
wet and molds start growing in just several days. Moldy drywall, carpeting
and furnishings have to be discarded.

Why to risk your basement remodeling investment (typically $30,000) and more
importantly, the health of your family? Before finishing the basement, seal
it against moisture!

Basements as a Source of Moisture
Sooner or later, most basements develop water seepage. At first, it is just
intermittent after a heavy storm or snowmelt raises the groundwater level
but over time, the leaks become more and more frequent.

All houses settle and stress cracks may develop in the slabs or the walls.
The floor-to-wall joint opens up and expansion control joints in the floor
crack, as designed. Exterior waterproofing coating deteriorates and the
drainage system may silt up. Hydrostatic pressure then pushes water through
any cracks or right through the concrete.

However, most moisture infiltrates into basements in the form of water
vapor, which is invisible, unlike steam condensing above a pot with boiling
water. Low air pressure inside buildings draws in soil gas with water vapor
from the ground through all openings and pores in the concrete.

Basements are the largest source of moisture in homes and typically, let in
over 15 gallons of moisture each day! That is much more than cooking and
showering combined (3-5 gallons per day).

Concrete is Very Porous
Concrete cures by cement reacting with water (hydration). But concrete mixes
contain much more water than needed, in order to make them easily
³workable.² Almost half of the water is surplus and has to evaporate as
concrete cures. While water pushes through the concrete to the surface, it
leaves behind a network of tiny capillaries (pores), much smaller than a
human hair.

As a result, concrete is more porous than Swiss cheese ­ residential
concrete contains 12 to 20 percent air! Gases and vapor (water molecules)
flow easily through the pores. But liquid water has is tougher ­ the water
molecules are held back in a ³blob² by surface tension until the pore
surface gets wet. Then, liquid water starts seeping through the wet pores in
concrete (capillary seepage). Moreover, the pores draw in water like a
sponge by capillary action ­ water comes up through a concrete slab against
gravity.

Sealing the Sources of Moisture:
Eliminate internal sources of moisture:
* vent the clothes dryer to the outside
* insulate air-conditioning ducts against condensation

Keep Rainwater away from the Foundation:
* proper gutters and downspout extensions
* properly sloped grading around the foundation
* shallow swales or French drains to steer rainwater away

Seal All Openings:
* cover the sump pit airtight
* tape a plastic sheet to isolate the crawlspace
* cover airtight the gravel bathroom rough-in
* install check valves in floor drains to stop vapor
* seal open cores in block walls with expandable foam
* similarly, seal hollow lolly (support) columns

Caulk All Gaps:
* the floor-to-wall joint
* expansion control joints (straight cuts in the slab)
* caulk around all penetrations

Fixing Concrete Cracks:
1. Hydraulic cement is often used for cracks, but it has no ³give² and as
the concrete constantly moves, expands and shrinks, it gets loose and the
crack starts leaking again.
2. Caulk does not penetrate the full depth of the crack and as water
continues to deteriorate the concrete inside the crack, the caulk tends to
get loose.
3. You can hire a contractor to inject the crack with epoxy or polymer
foam.
4. Or purchase a do-it-yourself foundation crack repair kit to seal the
whole crack with low-pressure injection.

However, still does not seal perhaps the largest source of moisture ­ the
concrete itself.

Sealing Concrete against Water and Vapor:
Homeowners often paint walls with a store-bought waterproofing sealer, which
is merely a latex-based paint. Sooner or later, it will crack and peel under
the attack of lime from the concrete (saponification). And it cannot hold
back efflorescence (³whit powder²) or a high negative side water pressure.
More importantly, it is porous and cannot stop water vapor ­ or most of the
moisture seeping through the concrete.

Some cover the concrete with plastic sheets or use plastic covered
insulation ³pillows² on the walls. But this traps any moisture coming
through the concrete and is known for causing severe mold and mildew
problems. We strongly recommend against trapping moisture - all moisture
coming through the concrete should be allowed to evaporate.

Floor slabs are usually poured on a plastic sheet ­ a ³vapor barrier.² But
it gets usually punctured during construction and over the years, it slowly
disintegrates under the attack of lime in the concrete.

To stop water vapor, concrete slabs are sometimes painted with epoxy or
urethane paints, which are impermeable to vapor. They trap all the moisture
for a while, but after several years, the paint starts bubbling or cracking
and loses its purpose.

We strongly recommend sealing the concrete with a top-quality silicate-based
penetrating sealer. It penetrates deep into the pores in concrete, reacts
with lime and alkalis, expands and hardens, which bonds and seals the
concrete permanently!

Seal the Concrete before Finishing the Basement:
Concrete is not a rock! It is porous and it ages, becoming more and more
porous. Just like wood, it needs a sealer - protection against water and
deterioration.

Seal the concrete before finishing the basement, enclosing the walls or
covering the slab, or just painting concrete. It is a simple do-it-yourself
project and avoids putting your basement remodeling investment, as well as
your family’s health, at risk.

How To Tell if You Have Foundation Problems

It doesn’t always take a specialist to tell you that you have foundation problems. You can determine this for yourself if you examine your house carefully. Here is a checklist for you to follow:

Cracks in the interior walls. Look at all the corners of windows and doors, and at joints where walls meet walls, ceilings or doors for signs that they are pulling away from each other. Cracks in a brick fireplace wall.

Nails “popping” out of the gypsum board.

Raise and lower the windows in each room, open and close all doors. Do they fit squarely without binding?

Outside the house, check the bottom corners of windows and doors. Do cracks run diagonally, along mortar joints in the brick veneer? Are the caulked joints pulling apart?

Check the exposed concrete at the base of the house for cracks. If there are only small cracks, they may also be nonstructural, but they may also be the first indication of trouble to come. Call a professional registered engineer to make an inspection for you.

If possible, check the house after or during a rain. Does water stand in ponds near the house? Proper drainage is essential. Roof leaks when roof material is in good shape.

Are trees planted near the house? Remember the guideline. A tree should be as far away from the house as its mature height.

Check gutters and downspouts. Do they empty onto a splash block? And does the roof runoff drain away from the house?

Ask to see the soil report upon which the foundation was designed. It may not be available, but it would be helpful.

If your inspection of the house reveals any evidence of foundation problems, don’t buy the house. Or at the very least, require that the seller take the necessary steps to insure the useful life of the house, hire a consulting engineer, stabilize the soil, and make other necessary repairs. This can be done as a condition of the sale, with the closing of the sale to be delayed until all the required work is completed.

Problems like these should not be taken lightly. Cracks in the interior walls are unsightly and reduce the value of your house, cracks in the brick walls admit wind and rain that damage the sheathing insulation and interior walls. Poorly fitted window sills and doors let in outside air and result in high utility bills. Roof loads damagethe wooden beams, insulation, interior walls and ceiling, and electrical wiring. Shifting of the soil foundation may also cause gas and water lines to loosen or bend, creating unsafe conditions and fire hazards.

The purchase of a home is probably the largest single investment the average family will make in a lifetime. The home should be properly constructed and, with proper maintenance, not require major repairs.

Remember, however, that your house may be in potential danger from the action of the soil even though there are no present signs of it.

If the house is new, or recently constructed:

If it has not been through a very wet season followed by a long dry one:

If the trees planted near it are still small:

If there have been no heavy rains to wash out the soil from an area which allows too much drainage, or to saturate and swell that soil which does not have good drainage:

then the house may be in danger of future problems, even though you cannot see the damage now. You may have years of satisfactory performance from your house before these factor will begin to cause cracks and other evidence of damage. If you are fortunate enough not to have repairs that need to be made at this time, then you can benefit from the maintenance suggestions on this website. These suggestions will help you preserve your home for many years of trouble-free living.

Good Luck! Better to get this out of the way now before Winter sets in.

~ Jimmy

COMPARE 4 FREE REFINANCE QUOTES IN MINUTES

Super low interest rates aimed at getting consumers to buy mortgages, cars, computers
and skinny, big-screen TVs are encouraging a lot of people who really can’t afford those
slick TVs to whip out their credit cards.

“Low rates make you want to put more purchases on your card. It makes it seem like you have more money,” says Sister Veronica Catherine Ann George of Westin, Mo.
Yep. Even people you might not suspect of running around racking up debt have their moment of weakness. Or, in Sister Veronica’s case, many moments.

“The bottom line was I had too many credit cards. They were easy to get and came whether I ordered them or not. Before I knew it I had almost $18,000 in credit card debt.”

Sister Veronica cut up those cards a few years ago, but millions of other Americans, lured by low-interest-rate credit cards, are still saying, “Charge it!” Others are signing financing contracts for $3,000 TVs, home improvements and appliances.

The Federal Reserve reports some astounding consumer debt figures: the outstanding credit card debt at the end of 2004 was $796 billion, over three times higher than in 1993. Plus there are over 1.5 billion credit cards in circulation — that’s an average of a dozen credit cards per household.

Kay Worden, a certified financial counselor with Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a credit counseling network agency, says that kind of increase is a huge red flag.

“People use credit cards to enhance their lifestyle and increase their level of living. That’s not what credit cards are for; they’re not to keep up with the neighbors,” Worden says.

“Wise use of credit is fine. Does it fit my budget? What’s my goal for paying it off? Will I just pay the minimum? No. I’ll pay $100 per month and get it paid off in six months.”

Chris Viale, general manager of Cambridge Credit Counseling, the outfit that helped Sister Veronica shake her credit card habit, says his business has doubled since 2001. His company gets 40,000 calls a month for credit or budget counseling vs. 20,000 two years ago. But the growing trend is in the number of consumers having to file bankruptcy.

“Right now, we’re seeing double the number of consumers who are contacting us too late — they’re already at the point where they must file bankruptcy.”

What’s the cause of this growing trend?

“We’re seeing the results of promos that started a couple years ago and are ongoing. Many lenders have incredible offers on credit cards and financing contracts: zero-percent interest; six months, no payments due. People assume they can pay it when the time comes. People are completely overextending themselves with unsecured debt. It’s a lack of personal finance knowledge. They don’t have an understanding of how credit works.”

Squandering equity
Another area where something good can turn into something bad is home equity loans. Low interest rates have a record number of homeowners spending the hard-earned equity they’ve built up in their homes.

That’s fine, says Mark Blomquist, director of counseling at Auriton Solutions in Roseville, Minn., if the money is being used wisely instead of financing a Maui vacation and a new home entertainment center.

“A lot of people take equity out of the home, pay off the credit cards and that makes great sense. Take debt at 21 percent and drop it down to 6 percent. But too many people go out and acquire more debt. They max out their credit cards again. Now they have no options; they miss a paycheck and they’re in trouble.”

Worden understands the temptation to use a home equity loan to clear up credit card debt, but she says homeowners need to think hard before doing it.

“They’re putting their house on the line and they’re turning short-term debt into long-term debt. People need to learn to live within their means before they consider tapping home equity.”

If you’re in the market for a new car or truck, don’t let the purchase put you deeper into debt than is necessary. Car dealerships with ads that scream, “Super low interest! or “$2,000 cash back!”, can make folks salivating over the thought of a new vehicle forget about exploring other options that might be a better deal.

“Educate yourself on the fine print,” says Worden. “Why are they offering a super low interest rate or cash rebate? Where are they making their money? It can’t all be for the consumer. Maybe they don’t come down on the sticker price. Calculate the difference. What will it cost me with the cash rebate vs. paying a low interest rate and a lower sticker price? Also, what did you get for the car you traded? Did you lose money there?”

Teased to debt

Viale says credit card issuers need to take some of the blame for the credit problems so many people are having.

“The subprime market that was created a few years ago literally extends credit to just about anybody. When you get pre-approved for a credit card you feel good about yourself, it gives you a sense of self-confidence. But they have teaser rates, 5.9 percent for six months and then it goes up to 29 percent.”

Viale cautions consumers to research the details of anything they’re considering buying on credit. Make sure it’s not a promotion with flexible rates or payments that can rise. And don’t assume that in a year from now you’ll have more income and can pay for it.

Worden says leave plenty of room in your budget for the unexpected.

“Of the clients coming into CCCS for help, we’re seeing an average credit card debt between $8,000 and $11,000. Some counselors have seen credit card debt as high as $100,000. If he’s making the minimum payment, that’s about $200. He sees a big-screen TV and figures he can pay another $100 a month, so he buys it.

“Now he has a visit to the emergency room and a $500 deductible. He puts it on a card. Suppose he’s paying $200 a month for gas and the price of gas shoots up and he has to pay $300 a month. Now, he can’t breathe.”

Sister Veronica is breathing easier. She’s learned a hard lesson, but she’ll soon have her creditors paid off.

“I feel more in control now. I realize credit cards aren’t for me, and when I get through with this mess I’ll never get another one. If they don’t take cash, I don’t need it.

The more educated a consumer is about home construction or renovation, the better for everyone.

As I emphasize each week on my radio show and in public appearances, education is the key in making sure the homebuyer or homeowner gets what they want. The worst thing that can happen in the construction process is for the homeowner or homebuyer to say those dreaded words….‘But I thought.’ Make sure you know exactly how your project will be constructed!”

It’s your money – and the contractor should listen to YOU.

Homebuyers and homeowners are more educated than ever about construction practices and new innovations in the construction industry. With home improvement television and radio shows, magazines, and, of course, the Internet, consumers have a wealth of information available to them about new home construction as well as small renovation projects to make their homes more attractive or functional.

Armed with this knowledge, homeowners/homebuyers should become more proactive in every phase of the construction process. From interviewing builders and contractors about their experience, preferred products and techniques and choice of subcontractors, to learning the contractor’s philosophies of construction, to the final walk-through, homeowners/homebuyers need to be involved in every step of their project, however large or small.

Homeowners/homebuyers should know what products the contractor prefers and is comfortable in using. The homeowner/homebuyer should ask the contractor what they use and why, especially if the contractor’s choice is different than the homeowner’s/home-buyer’s preference. Contractors, like most of us, are creatures of habit. Home-owners/homebuyers should take the time to tell the contractor what the THEY prefer and the research THEY’VE done. Not only will this let the contractor know you are aware of the new products and techniques available, but also what you expect from the entire process,

Perhaps one of the best examples of an area a homeowner/homebuyer needs to be proactive in is in the area of exterior insulation finishing systems (EIFS). Knowing there are different synthetic stucco products available and, more importantly, different ways subcontractors apply this product, is vital to the homeowner/homebuyer.

The difference between barrier and water-managed systems is like night and day. Knowing that difference can save the homeowner/homebuyer from a water-intrusion problem and help guarantee a great looking, low-maintenance exterior.

The homeowner/homebuyer should tell the contractor what they want is a water-managed EIFS exterior utilized and then find out if the contractor has experience in installing this type of system. The contractor must not only be familiar with proper flashing and moisture barrier installation, such as Tyvek Stuccowrap, but believe that moisture will eventually find its way into the system. By dealing with this intrusion, and funneling it down and away from the exterior of the wall, the work will prevent any moisture damage.

Here are five don’ts to remember about not constructing with barrier EIFS:

q If you use a barrier system, usually when the warranty runs out is when the water inside of the walls doesn’t.

q Don’t forget wood windows probably wouldn’t be a great choice! Vinyl reacts better to water.

q Don’t forget mold and mildew has spores! Make sure no one in the house has a respiratory problem.

q Don’t use wood for outside wall framing. Of course, steel can rust as well.

q Don’t leave any pets inside of the house while you are off to work, they may not know to hide under sturdy furniture when the ceiling falls! - Remember it’s YOUR money!

The contractor should listen to YOU.

Grab your tools! You can do this stuff!

I get a LOT of folks asking if the mold in their refridgerator is the notorious “Toxic Black Mold”.

Well, it may be Black, but I would assume it’s a fungus like Aspergillus or Penecillium!

Opening your refrigerator and finding colonies of fuzzy colors covering your food is all too familiar to many of us. Many are familiar with shoving your leftovers to the back of the fridge, only to find out weeks later that what was once spaghetti has now become an undistinguishable mass of mushy noodles and discolored tomato sauce, covered with green and purple fuzz.
This fuzz of course, is more commonly known as mold. Though there are several types of food molds, typically bluish-green to green molds are usually Penicillium or Aspergillus; black to dark brown molds are usually Cladosporium herbarum, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sphaerospermum or Stachybotrys chartarum, which is highly toxic.

Lastly, the reddish or pink molds are usually Fusarium species. With a proper growing medium—in this case food—mold can grow anywhere as long as the conditions are livable.

The environment need only be sufficiently moist and warm to provide a home for these fungi.

Like mushrooms, molds reproduce by releasing spores into the air that can land on your food. Soon enough, if enough time passes, they will settle into their new home, creating thin roots called mycelium that spread throughout the food. Once the root is planted, the stalk portion of the mold fungus that appears on the surface of the food begins to produce spores and take its shape in the typical mold we see all too often.

Though there are some foods where mold growth is intentionally induced, such as cheese, most unintentional mold growth that is consumed in significant amounts can have dire consequences, ranging from sickness to diarrhea and even death. Even taking a whiff of a moldy piece of food can be dangerous if you are allergic to mold.

Undesirable molds produce mycotoxins, which are toxins produced by some fungi, though not all. Mycotoxins are produced around the mycelium of the mold, penetrating deeply into the food. Additionally, mycotoxins can survive for long periods of time in food and usually cannot be destroyed through cooking processes. Depending on the type of food, a different mycotoxin may be present.

So the next time you reach into your refrigerator for a piece of bread and find that it’s been overtaken by fuzzy green colonies, think twice about stuffing it into your mouth, even if it’s the last thing in your fridge.

Better safe than sorry folks!

~ Jimmy