When the insulation that was tucked between wall studs was pulled back in a crawl space, it became readily apparent that there was something, shall we say, "fungal" going on here. The moisture meter is showing well over 20% moisture content and wood can start rotting at 20% and above. As the Washington State Department of Agriculture says -- "Microbial organisms present the result of excess moisture and/or insufficient ventilation."
Okay, the initial reaction when something like this is seen is to refer to that microbial substance as "mold." But is there any valid reason to have somebody, who claims to be a "mold-tester", come in and test for mold? Based on common sense, and the guidelines that have been provided by state and local authorities who deal with mold, I would say "no." With a bit of thinking, we can get a good idea of what is going on here. The photo below is the other side of this sheathing -- the exterior wall -- right behind the moisture meter.
That rot probe is in decayed or rotted siding. This wood, opposite to the white fungus inside, is wet and rotted, the result of grading problems, wood to earth contact, inadequate flashings, etc.
So what am I saying here? I am saying that there is a strong possibility that the white fungus on the inside is plain old wood rot fungi (a microbial organism). You might say: "Oh no, rot is brown". Not always. Below is a photo I took years ago. I asked WSDA experts to take a look at it. Their answer, plain and simple, was "brown rot fungi". By the way, there has never been a case of dry rot in this state but some of us are still looking for it.
Am I suggesting that, since I do not know whether white fungus in that wall above is rot or mold, that the homeowner should hire somebody, who claims to be a mold tester, to come in and test for mold. Absolutely not. That is an unnecessary step. We know there is a problem. It is not important to know exactly what the moisture-loving substance is, we just want to get rid of it and make sure it does not come back again.
The homeowner needs a legitimate contractor to resolve the problems: Remove all of the insulation that is trapping moisture against the sheeting. From there, deal with the issues. Remove/replace rotted materials, clean-up any sound material that has microbial matter growing on it. Then, the big one, fix the conducive conditions that led to this problem. Correct all of the grading, moisture intrusion and ventilation/humidity problems on premises. The solution does not include paying somebody to test for mold when we know that fungal issues are present and ongoing.
Fact is, regardless of what this specific microbial organism might be, it is a problem that MUST BE CORRECTED now. The homeowner is better off spending his or her financial resources on direct repairs, not testing the obvious to find out something that we already know -- we got fungus!
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