TOP 7 CAUSES OF MOLD IN HOUSES

A professional building inspection reports any visual and hidden mold problems and causes of mold in the house. In nature, mold is essential to decompose organic material and does not cause any problem for humans. But inside the house, not only mold look ugly and smell bad but it poses a serious health risk for your family. Mold spores are everywhere floating in the air and start growing when land on the wet or moist surface.

The problem with mold is that it happens in dark and inaccessible places which are hard to detect. A qualified building inspector has the knowledge and tools to detect hidden mold problems in your potential house. As a property buyer, it is helpful to understand the causes of the mold. Building Inspection Council has compiled the list of causes of mold.

Leaking Pipes

Leaking pipes are the most common cause of water damage and mold in the household. The leaking pipes in showers, kitchens, cupboards, ceilings are perfect environments for mold formation. The water pipes in closed areas such as roofs, ceilings, walls are hard to detect for water leaks. What makes water leaks more disastrous is that these can go undetected for a long time and keep damage the property or helping the mold growth.

Faulty Air-Conditioner

A faulty air conditioner can cause mold growth. The blocked condensation tubes or dry filters can lead to water leaks and hence the mold. The drainage line of the conditioner is often full of dust, bacterial and dried salt which present perfect growth conditions for the mold. Building Inspection Council advises monitoring the air-conditioner system, especially drainage pipes to keep the chances of mold growth low.

Flooding

Cloud bursts, overflowing rivers, pipe bursts, sewer breakdowns, and other natural disasters or accidents can cause the flooding of the property. The severity of mold and damage depends on the water flooding in your building. The clean water from water pipes poses a low threat as long as it is dealt with within 48 hours. Greywater causes a medium-level threat whereas the threat for black water is the most serious. Blackwater contains urine, chemical, excreta, bacteria, and viruses. This kind of water poses an immediate threat to human health and property.

Poor Ventilation

Proper ventilation prevents mold and poor ventilation helps the mold growth. Poor ventilation means very little flow of the air through the building. This helps the mold spore to settle on the surface and develop into colonies. Poor airflow lowers the evaporation of water from the wet surfaces. A stagnant air gets saturated easily and drying of the water stops. The surface is damp which helps the mold grow.

Roof Leaks

Roof leaks are another common cause of mold. Roof leaks happen due to many reasons such as damaged tile, blocked gutters, broken gutter, damaged flashes, etc. These roof leaks can go on for a long time as water may keep getting accumulated in the attic and help the mold growth. Another problem due to water leaks is the rotting of timber in the roof cavity. Most of the homeowners do not detect roof leaks in time and pay hefty amounts in damage repairs.

Wet Laundry or Clothes

Clothes especially wet ones are another source of mold growth. Clothes have variable humidity conditions and inherit poor ventilation which presents perfect conditions for mold growth. Mold needs organic substances drywall, wood, or cloth to thrive.

Wet clothes drip water and evaporating water increases the humidity of the surrounding area providing means for mold growth.

Poor Maintenance

Houses and buildings do suffer wear and tear with age and weather. Clogged gutter, broken pipes, poor drainage, and cracking sealant can lead to water leaks and hence mold growth. An ignored mold growth can result in structural defects in the building. Failing to maintain your house not only reduce the age of your house but lead to nasty health risk such mold. Building Inspection Council recommends getting your house inspected at regular intervals to keep the risk of mold minimum.

When you are buying a house, it is essential to not only identify mold but also the cause of mold. You can assess if the source of mold can be rectified or not. Molds are expensive to clean and keep occurring again and again if the cause is not fixed. In the long run, mold can lower the value of your property considerably. A building inspection can provide you all this information for just a small cost.

Building Inspection Council is a not-for-profit council that helps property buyers with building inspection in Australia. We provide free quotes from the local building inspector which are pre-verified and identifies the causes of mold. The best thing about being a not-for-profit organization is that we do not have to compromise on anything for profit. You get genuine and honest free quotes from local building inspectors. FOR FREE QUOTES, PLEASE CLICK HERE