SERVPRO Understands the Mold Life Cycle and Can Remediate Problems

10/9/2018 (Permalink)

Mold spores are everywhere. The only exceptions are hospital surgical rooms and maybe so-called ‘clean rooms’ needed for assembling some types of electronics. As inert spores, they are no more dangerous to homes or people than common house dust.

For homes in the West Chester area, mold damage is only a concern when three factors achieve the right levels of moisture, food, and temperature. To halt mold growth and deal with the damage, SERVPRO technicians know to interrupt one or more of these factors.

The temperature range most mold thrive in is 68 to 86 degrees. That encompasses the comfort range for nearly every home in Pennsylvania. Raising the temperature is fairly simple, all we have to do is turn off the air conditioning for about an hour. Since homeowners cannot live like that and it is too expensive to keep a home under 68 degrees, we can only alter the temperature in a commercial building like a warehouse.

Spores feed and grow on common building materials like ceiling tiles, drywall, and wood. Even the insulation in walls and attics can serve as food. As the mold colony grows, spores extend growths called hyphae to dig into the materials and feed. If they penetrate deeply, the only way to remove the mold is to remove the infested drywall or other material. Since it is impossible to remove all building materials from the home to prevent mold growth, SERVPRO technicians concentrate on interrupting the moisture.

The source for most moisture in a home is a leak or drip from a poorly connected or damaged pipe. The simplest way to find the source is to trace the mold growth and follow it to its origin. We do this with visual inspections and an air content meter which measures the number of spores in the air. Once we find it, technicians tighten the connection, repair the pipe or another leak source, or simply replace the damaged section. For complicated repairs, we recommend for the homeowner to hire a plumber.