I am considering getting certified in mold inspection and sampling. Any suggestions as to which organization is most beneficial to belong to (if any), and what are the better sources of training and certification?

Before getting into the mold business at all, I would just suggest reading the mold articles at Forensic Industrial Hygiene by Caoimhín P. Connell, who has posted on this forum off and on for a while.

A few years ago when I started in this, I went through and got "certified" through ESA (Environmental Solutions Association). Do a google search.

I am now a 'certified mold inspector' whoopee yea right.

Actually it is OK if you want to learn more for the sake of knowledge to talk to your clients about but the more I learned the more I didn't want anything to do with it.

I do not push mold inspections and I will not do testing unless the client is about to break my arm.

Most applications (not all) are just a waste of the clients money. If there is mold there, inside the house, then it does not belong and has to be removed and the source of the water intrusion identified, regardless of the strain/kind/genus/species/male/female/toad/frog/ whatever the He** it is, get rid of it. Plain and simple.

Yes I know that there are some that will argue "but if the allergist wants to know the kind of strain it is in the home..." yes then I will do some air samples and send them off to be analyzed.

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Tim Moreira
Suncoast Home Inspections
Suncoasthomeinspections@yahoo.com

Stepping up on my soap box!

As a home inspector, you would be a fool to get into Mold testing. The average home inspector would make more money if they concentrated doing home inspections and not anciallry mold testing. Most of the mold testing folks are newer home inspectors who are trying to be everything to everyone. They are trying to make as much money as possible without doing the hard work of building a home inspection business.

I don't blame the inspectors, I blame the labs that promote it as the magic cure for a home inspection business that is suffering from the lack of business. Our friends at Pro-Lab lead the way along with NACHI. They are the largest promoters of mold testing for home inspectors.

Home inspectors need to be finding the source of moisture in the home that is supporting the fungal growth. Knowing what type of mold does not do a whole lot of good, if you don't know what is sustaining it. Mold in a home is not good, it really does not matter what type it is. Yes, some impact the health of some individuals more than others.

I treat mold this way: If you see mold you have mold; If you smell mold you have mold; you then need to locate the source of moisture that is supporting it; then you need to report on the problem and that it needs ___ repairs. Then I tell my clients that the mold needs to be properly cleaned. They need to visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the proper guidelines or hire a professional abatement contractor if it is more than they can handle.

I'm not scared of reporting that I found mold a X location in a house and that it is being caused by the leaking ____ or whatever. Repair the ___ clean up the mold and go on with life.

I have been doing it this way since the mid 1990's and have never had a problem.

Stepping off of my soap box.

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Scott Patterson
Spring Hill, TN
http://www.traceinspections.com

Ditto with Scott and Tim.
We have enough snake oil sales men out there.
Now there are cases that are extreme and is warranted. But the most is easily remedy.

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Mike Schulz License 393
Affordable Home Inspections
www.houseinspections.com

Thanks for the input. It mirrors a lot of my original feelings. I have only been doing inspections for 3 years, and see a lot of moisture issues, but have avoided mold testing due to the incredible liability. Generally I treat the moisture as the problem that needs to be fixed (I also see the damaged foundations and subfloors), and report the mold in case they want to pursue further.

However, I also see the work of the two main mold testing & abatement companies in the area, and have not been overly impressed, especially for what they charge (but I can also see how liability issues can shove them into a corner). I think a customer should have the option of an independent mold testing professional, otherise its like going to a car dealer to ask if you need a new car ('of course you do').

My area is mostly rural and very spread out, so though I understands Scott's point of view about focusing on the core business, I DO need ancillary services to make a profit. I also test wells for potable water. I refer out to trusted pros for well productivitiy testing, and septic.

However, I feel there might be a place for an independent mold tester, and not have them rely on the same company to do both testing and migitation.

Terry,

You can make money with out doing mold inspections. I am in the Pacific NW and see lots of issues many due to the amount of rainfall we get. Most of the time when I get mold testing requests I convert them to a water intrusions test. Why? Mold cannot actively grow without a supply of water. I can test for water intrusion and using basic test instruments can usually determine where the water is coming from. Most mold testers do not look for the source of water which means that it will always come back. And who cares what type of mold it is? If I find a truly unhealthy situation I have several environmental mitigation companies I can recommend. For small cleanups I give out the EPA guidelines for it.

//Rick