Inspected a house yesterday built in 1945. As you can see by the pictures, there was white mold in various places in the crawl space. What is perplexing is that it is only on the plywood not the joists. It is a dry mold. The crawl space was extremely dry to the point that the soil was like powder. There was not a vapor barrier and it had good ventilation but it appeared that the mold was forming near the ventilation vents. I am thinking that this mold is dry because of the winter climate and reactivates itself once it gets hot and the humidity levels rise.

I need help in identifing the problem as well as why it is not on the joists.


Thanks,

Jim

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Hi Jim. I am no mold specialist, nor do I play one on TV. So with that being said, unless my Air Quality Specialist, (Industrial Hygienist) identifies it as such, I would refer to this as a "fungus or "mold-like" substance.

I have seen a lot of "possibly mold" covered surfaces in my day, this is a different surface effect than normal, no visible spore-like formations, fur, growths, etc. It seems to be worse at the butt end joints? Where water may have seeped in and dried? It has that efflourescence look to it. May be time to call in a specialist to determine if this is indeed a harmful mold. Unless you are a qualified, certified mold inspector that is. If you are, I defer.

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Keep L@@kin

I am not sure its mould either, and in this case you would have to collect a sample and send it in for analyzes.

It could also be paint/white wash from salvaged plywood.

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It is definately mold of some type. If you look at the nails protruding through, they are rusty from moisture.

Jim, I see rusty nails every day in basements, crawl spaces, attics with no accompanying mold-like substances. Is there humidity and water vapor condensating? You betcha. Just because nearby metal has some surface rust, it is a bit of a leap to call out "mold". Even though you may be right, be prepared to answer questions if it isn't.

I refrain from trying to label hazardous materials such as asbestos, mold, lead paint etc. in my reports. I will look for these things and I am damn good at finding them, but I don't have a mobile lab at hand to accurately identify them without a doubt.

So, I provide a detailed photo, and point out that due to the genre, location, appearance, it may be one of these above named substances.
And I provide links to the EPA website which applies. They can take it from there.

Now if you happen to be one of the many inspectors who are licensed, schooled, and insured enough to make these calls with complete confidence, have at it.

I am of the ilk that it is best to do one thing very well, and not a lot of things not as well. We gave up septic inspections for that reason.

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Keep L@@kin

I see this kind on mass in Calif. all the time. I put this statement in my reports. and move on.
Finding The inspector noted condition of an unknown fungi/mold located on section of the sub-structure framing. The owner/buyer should read the statement below for more information.
"This property was not inspected for the presence or absence of health related molds or fungi. by California law we are neither qualified, authorized or licensed to inspect for health related molds or fungi. If interested parties desire any information about the presence or absence of health related molds or fungi you should contact an industrial hygienist for further inspection."
****** Further Inspections Recommended ******

best

Jim, what Joe is saying I think is that we as home inspectors should not say the "mold" word. Unless of course you are an industrial hygentist. And then say it is "definetly mold " is ever worse.

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Paul Kondzich
www.altitudehomeinspection.com

I disagree that we as home inspectors should stay clear of using words like fungus or mold.

Most everyone knows what mold looks like. I would find it very hard to believe that anyone over the age of 10 has not seen at one time or another, some food that was left in the refrigerator way too long and started growing that fuzzy stuff on top. We all now what it is. We may not know what kind of mold it is, or if it is harmful - but we do know it is mold.

The dictionary uses mold and fungus to define each other.

I see nothing wrong with calling out something that looks like mold/fungus in my report. I'm not telling them WHAT kind it is, or if it is harmful - just that it's there.

I once got a call from a pissed off seller. He said I had called out fungus in his basement (I even took a photo). He said "Did you test it?"- "no".- "How do you know it's mold?" - "Because I know what it looks like". After a couple minutes I asked him, "You ever see fuzzy stuff on chesse in your refrigerator?" - "Yes"

"What is it?" - "Mold" - "How do you know if you didn't test it?" He then hung up the phone.

Just my opinion
JF

I wonder how much Voltage is running through the open Electrical Box.

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It Might have Choked Artie But it ain't gone'a choke Stymie!
Billy J. Stephens HI Service
Memphis TN.

Hi

It looks like the start of some brown rot fungi. No need to start freaking out about some fungi in the crawlspace; there's no way the owners will get exposed to it unless the interior of the home is open to the crawl someplace so spore can spread up into the house.

Write it up and recommend they get the underside of the floors treated with some BoraCare. BoraCare is a glycerin-borate mix. You cut it 1/1 with water and apply it with a pump sprayer. It's toxic to all forms of fungi but non-toxic to humans, and it will soak into the wood making it immune to future fungal growth.

Powder-like or not, that soil is giving off moisture - about 11 gallons every 24 hours for every 1,000 square feet. Get the soil covered with a cap sheet after the underside of the floor is treated.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

Strange the white substance is not on the joists if its mould. Is the plywood prone to mould because of the glues?

Cheers,

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Jim,

As Mike says, cover the crawlspace with a moisture barrier.

As far as cleaning it, I would probably lean toward using a bleach/water mix, with proper precautions when applying it with a pump up sprayer.

Regardless what is used to 'clean it', doing so will be done in a confined space without adequate ventilation - so care much be taken.

I would not recommend in writing what to 'clean it with', only that it should be 'cleaned'. Most types of fungi will attack wood (they dine on the cellulose in the wood), some damaging the wood faster than others.

Probably not a 'big deal' regarding mold, however, over time, it could become a 'big deal' regarding the plywood and its replacement (which would be a 'VERY BIG DEAL').

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Jerry Peck, Construction / Litigation Consultant
Construction Litigation Consultants, LLC ( www.ConstructionLitigationConsultants.com )
EastWestData (www.EastWestData.com )

Good morning, Jim

I looked through your photos, and although the photos don’t really provide sufficient information to conclusively rule in or rule out whether the material is mould, they do provide a wealth of information, and my take on it is a little different.

1) The white material was on the boards when the boards were installed during construction.

2) If the material is mould, no growth has occurred after construction.

3) Cleaning of ANY kind would not be recommended.

4) I would definitely not recommend the application of bleach.

5) Obviously the area of “contamination” has not changed since the time of construction, and therefore the situation is stable.

Cheers!
Caoimhín P. Connell
Forensic Industrial Hygienist
Forensic Industrial Hygiene

(The opinions expressed here are exclusively my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect my professional opinion, opinion of my employer, agency, peers, or professional affiliates. The above post is for information only and does not reflect professional advice and is not intended to supercede the professional advice of others.)

AMDG

While I'm not a building inspector, I have worked occasionally with FEMA and other government agencies and would like to mention some good resources regarding mold. The following URLs can be helpful:

FEMA: Removing Mold from Your Home

A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home | Mold | Indoor Air Quality | Air | US EPA

CDC Natural Disasters | Mold After a Disaster

CDC Mold | Protect Yourself from Mold

I've also uploaded a couple of documents, although I was not able to upload all that I wished. One, the EPA guide entitled "Mold Web Course" or moldcourse.pdf, is too large for this forum (5.45 Megs). Another is one I complied from online (html) pages and is in MS Word (doc) format and is not compatible with the upload-acceptable formats here (jpg, PDF, gif, etc.). Perhaps MS Word files could be added to those formats which can be uploaded. In the meantime, the info is available online from the sources cited above. Also, don't forget to wear an N-95 respirator or equivalent if you are trying to remediate mold or even inspecting a large amount of it close up.

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