Blue substance on Insulation batts in Crawl

M. Waller · 03-04-2008, 06:42 PM

I have been trying to help a friend out with her house. She had an issue with some mold/mildew in her crawlspace and out came the termite crew to take care of it. However they did not remove the batts before they sprayed in the crawlspace. I have always heard this was not good and would actually lessen the r value of the insulation as well as could create an enviroment that would help mold to grow

However I have been looking all over the web and can not find anything to support what I have always been told. Am I right or did the termite people not have to remove the insulation before they sprayed? Can anyone provide me with information on this and if I am right where to point her to so she can read more about it?

Thanks..

M

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**Scott Patterson** · 03-04-2008, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by M. Waller

I have been trying to help a friend out with her house. She had an issue with some mold/mildew in her crawlspace and out came the termite crew to take care of it. However they did not remove the batts before they sprayed in the crawlspace. I have always heard this was not good and would actually lessen the r value of the insulation as well as could create an enviroment that would help mold to grow

However I have been looking all over the web and can not find anything to support what I have always been told. Am I right or did the termite people not have to remove the insulation before they sprayed? Can anyone provide me with information on this and if I am right where to point her to so she can read more about it?

Thanks..

M

I'm assuming that the PC contractor sprayed the crawlspace with a fungicide to take care of the mold without a written abatement plan.

Is the insulation wet?

If the batt insulation was not removed how did they spray the subfloor and the sides of the joist?

Sounds like a hack mold abatement job!

M. Waller · 03-04-2008, 06:57 PM

No it was not wet but it was dont several months ago. I agree there was no way to get the sub floor if they did not remove it.

It was a really sloppy job and they even came back and layed down a moisture barrier ON TOP of some of the insulation that had fallen.

Know where I can provide her on how to properly spray fungicide so that she can read up on it?

**Rick Hurst** · 03-04-2008, 07:21 PM

20+ years I've done termite work and not once have I been contacted to treat for any fungus or mold as you mention.

Its not our expertise and I would assume most termites companies as myself would not get involved in such.

I would ask for these persons credentials in doing such a job.

If you can find the name of the product they used which should be on the work invoice, you could google the name of the chemical and find the MSDA sheet and application procedure.

Best of Luck.

M. Waller · 03-04-2008, 09:40 PM

Yeah this is in Georgia, I took some pics while I was in there and will post them if you are interested.

We have Servpro in the area and they do mold mitigation, but that is not who she used. I have heard many termite companies here do mold work but it just involves a quick spray, while I believe Servpro will sand each joist.

**Scott Patterson** · 03-05-2008, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by M. Waller

No it was not wet but it was dont several months ago. I agree there was no way to get the sub floor if they did not remove it.

It was a really sloppy job and they even came back and layed down a moisture barrier ON TOP of some of the insulation that had fallen.

Know where I can provide her on how to properly spray fungicide so that she can read up on it?

What Rick said.

Also, you will really not find any printed generic mold abatement plans. Most if not all are written for a specific job. I would bet that if you went in and pulled down the insulation that you will still find mold and or spores just hanging around. The most important thing is that the cause of the mold has been taken care of and this would be the moisture that caused the problem in the first place.

Aaron Miller · 03-05-2008, 12:30 PM

If they applied a borate solution or other mold treatment they will likely have added to the otherwise clear solutions a marker or dye like Locate Blue by Oldham Chemicals, et al.

Aaron

**Jack Feldmann** · 03-05-2008, 02:07 PM

For what it's worth....
Most of the time when I see fungus growth on the joists, and move the insulation....the part of the joists that were not visible due to the insulation, do not have any fungus on them. Obviously, that's not the case on all houses, but for a bunch of them it is.

So spraying just the visible parts might just be a correct treatment plan. Keep in mind that I am NOT a termite inspector, nor a mold inspector, nor do I have any experience with the application of the crap they spray on these houses.
JF

M. Waller · 03-05-2008, 02:07 PM

I spoke with the company today to see find out what they spray, it was
Bora-Care. He even told me that depending on how much insulation I had in my crawlspace would matter if they took it out or not before removing but he assured me "we can work something out". The water in her crawlspace was from her gutters and I explained to her how to fix the problem, so no that was never addressed.

While I was in there I took a few pics to show her and yes there were still spores on the joist.