Mold grows on materials in homes when impacted by moisture vapor. Mold is generally an allergen causing irritant to occupants. Everyone has differing susceptibility to mold and therefore it is important to seek practical advice regarding the removal and control of Mold in buildings.
What is Mold and what does it have to do with The Built Environment? Mold is a type of fungus. It is classified as its own biological kingdom. Fungi produce spores. They are classified as Phyla, Classes, Orders, Families, Genera, and lastly Species. But that’s not important in the built environment. (More on that later) […]
Dehumidifiers are critical for the health of your home, particularly if you have a basement that is sub grade. Humidity is what contributes to mold growth! It only takes 60% relative humidity to grow a very common mold called Penicillium/Aspergillus. Combined with dusts, humidity can wreak havoc on building materials like floor joists, subfloor plywood, […]
Mold in Flex Ducting and HVAC Airhandlers More often we are finding ducting materials known as “Flex Ducting” to indicate for mold growth colonizing on the inner walls of this modern duct material. Flex ducts are constructed of a plastic or mylar tube reinforced with a wire (much like a slinky toy) and are insulated with a fiberglass […]
Duct cleaning (aka HVAC cleaning or HVAC remediation) can help you improve and maintain healthy air quality in your home or at your business. Many companies advertise low cost introductory offers for duct cleaning services. But how effective is their service? Does it provide the level of cleanliness and quality of service that you need? […]
The Inspection we perform is meant to be objective. It should be thorough and has no sales pitch, just facts. This means we are straight forward in advising you to the mold conditions you really have. Many times people have minor issues which require no special handling, so in many cases simple cleaning, treatments, and maintenance actions […]
RTS Environmental Services wants to help by providing you with the facts about moisture in the home so you can take the steps necessary to prevent a small problem from becoming a major crisis. Keeping Humidity in Check Whether you use your basement for storage or as a living area, the lower level of your […]
“A Mold /Moisture inspection is also an education in Moisture Prevention.” A great mold inspection begins with honesty, integrity, and an education. At RTS, we endeavor to help you understand those elements of your home which are significant to preventing mold growth, as well as outlining possible areas of improvement for overall indoor air quality […]
We get that question a lot, as well as… “Is that the toxic black mold?” or “is that the dangerous mold”. Here is a common sense response to this often asked question. After much research and literally thousands of mold inspections, ultimately the answer depends on your own personal susceptibility: Generally when mold of any […]
If I made a list of building features or scenarios where mold growth is almost always an issue, Crawl Spaces or Void Spaces (areas you can’t actually crawl in to access) would be at the top of the list. Here’s why: • Often the floor of a crawl space is below grade and water will […]
Check out some pictures of what we’ve seen in homes across the D.C. Metro area. These are the worst case scenario and are often rare. Mold behind a baseboard in a basement. Mold behind a baseboard. Mold in a crawlspace, with saturated joists. Mold on a floorboard joist.