We’ve all had to deal with an overflowing toilet before and depending on what the contents of it is at that time, it might be just a little more unpleasant to. Overflowing toilets can be a real source of water damage over time if they are let to overflow like this on a regular basis, so you need to do your best to not put anything in the toilet that does not belong there. If you have toddlers that like to play around in the bathroom, one of the things that you can invest in to keep them from putting objects in the toilet is a lid lock. These are pretty inexpensive and can save you a lot of time cleaning up after a toilet’s overflowing that was caused by a toy car or even a small stuffed animal. They are designed so that an adult can easily open them, but a child cannot.
Your first instinct when a toilet overflows after you try to flush it is to simply try and flush it again. The water should return to its normal level before you try to flush it again and you should make sure that the rest of your household knows this, as well.
As soon as the toilet starts to overflow, turn the stop tap underneath the tank off. If this does not work, you can lift the lid of the tank and pull the cup or the float ball up. The main stop tap should be turned off next and this should be underneath the kitchen sink or wherever the water service pipe goes into the home.
Finding what is causing the block is the next thing to do. If you can manage to retrieve the object from the toilet with your hand, that’s good. If not, you might need to get a plunger or a plumbing snake to try and unclog it.
If you need to use a plunger or a plumbing snake, bale out as much water from the toilet as you can first. The clog should be removed after one of these two methods and when you think it is gone, take a bucket full of water and pour it into the toilet before attempting to flush. If the blockage has gone, the water should go down normally.
If none of this worked, then you should call in an expert. There are a number of emergency plumbers that can be called in, depending on where you live. If a blocked sewer is the problem, then calling the water company is about the only thing that you can do. If it is a private sewer on your own property, then you need to find a drainage engineer to help you.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold inspections and other states and cities such as
north carolina mold inspections companies across the united states.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Mold Identification Mistakes
With all the news going around about toxic molds and how much they cause harm to us, our homes, and our pets, it is not a big surprise that a lot of people are mistaking other kinds of damage to their homes as being mold damage.
Efflorescence is a whitish powdery deposit on damp brick or other kind of masonry walls. This is usually seen on different instances of brick, concrete blocks, foundations, or concrete. Efflorescence is a mineral salt that ends up being left behind as the moisture seeps through the masonry and simply evaporates. This should not be mistaken for mold.
Wood sap on rafters is also commonly mistaken for mold and it forms in hot attics. This is sap that collects in shiny, hard brownish spheres.
Sprayed icynene foam insulation also gets mistaken for mold because of its organic-looking nature.
Sometimes when we lay our heads up against the wall in bed or when a particular item rubs up against the wall, it will leave marks. These are sometimes mistaken for mold growth, when it is actually just the dye from a pillow, dirt, or oil from our skin rubbing off onto the surface.
Areas of the walls and ceilings that have become discolored due to smoking or a fire place can also be mistaken for mold. This is smoke damage and usually has to be painted over to get rid of its appearance. Leaving a candle burning near a wall for a short amount of time can also cause this kind of damage to the wall. It is not mold.
Cosmetic molds also exist, but they are very often mistaken for molds that can cause us and our buildings harm. Molds such as Ceratocystis are not harmful to us or the wood building materials that they are found on, although some people have undertaken mold remediation projects for thousands of dollars without knowing this. This mold is sometimes present in the wood before the home is built.
What mold does tend to look like inside buildings is a splotchy buildup that can be all different colors, even though some species such as those in Aspergillus or Penicillium can be very lightly colored and difficult to see. Many molds appear as black, green, brown, red, or even blue.
If you are unsure whether the problem that you are facing is mold or not, you should perform some mold tests in your home to be entirely sure before you call in a specialist. Not all mold remediation companies are honest and will try to get you to take on a remediation project that you do not need.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Chicago Water and Sewage Extraction and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Efflorescence is a whitish powdery deposit on damp brick or other kind of masonry walls. This is usually seen on different instances of brick, concrete blocks, foundations, or concrete. Efflorescence is a mineral salt that ends up being left behind as the moisture seeps through the masonry and simply evaporates. This should not be mistaken for mold.
Wood sap on rafters is also commonly mistaken for mold and it forms in hot attics. This is sap that collects in shiny, hard brownish spheres.
Sprayed icynene foam insulation also gets mistaken for mold because of its organic-looking nature.
Sometimes when we lay our heads up against the wall in bed or when a particular item rubs up against the wall, it will leave marks. These are sometimes mistaken for mold growth, when it is actually just the dye from a pillow, dirt, or oil from our skin rubbing off onto the surface.
Areas of the walls and ceilings that have become discolored due to smoking or a fire place can also be mistaken for mold. This is smoke damage and usually has to be painted over to get rid of its appearance. Leaving a candle burning near a wall for a short amount of time can also cause this kind of damage to the wall. It is not mold.
Cosmetic molds also exist, but they are very often mistaken for molds that can cause us and our buildings harm. Molds such as Ceratocystis are not harmful to us or the wood building materials that they are found on, although some people have undertaken mold remediation projects for thousands of dollars without knowing this. This mold is sometimes present in the wood before the home is built.
What mold does tend to look like inside buildings is a splotchy buildup that can be all different colors, even though some species such as those in Aspergillus or Penicillium can be very lightly colored and difficult to see. Many molds appear as black, green, brown, red, or even blue.
If you are unsure whether the problem that you are facing is mold or not, you should perform some mold tests in your home to be entirely sure before you call in a specialist. Not all mold remediation companies are honest and will try to get you to take on a remediation project that you do not need.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Chicago Water and Sewage Extraction and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Mistakes Made When Sampling For Mold
There are a few different mistakes that you can make when you are looking for mold in your house. While some of us know that you can use a piece of tape to do a “lift” sample, this is not the only way to detect mold in your home.
No matter what you might see on the news, “toxic black mold” is not the only color of mold there is out there that can harm you or your family. Mold exists in most of the colors of the rainbow and are sometimes so lightly colored that you cannot see them unless you know how exactly to look for them.
Lightly colored molds are best looked for with a bright flashlight. These are most often difficult to see on wood paneling or other smooth surfaces and you can detect them not by shining the light directly at the surface, but by standing next to it and shining the light along it instead. This angle of illumination allows you to see the imperfections of the surface you are shining the light on, since shining the light at a 90 degree angle to the surface usually illuminates it so much that you only see the light bounce back.
Choosing a bad surface to test such as concrete when there are other organic surfaces such as wood paneling or drywall are there is another mistake that people make. Mold does not like to grow on concrete in most cases, except at times where there is an excess amount of saw dust or simple dust there for it to feed on. This surface also usually needs to be at least somewhat moist. If at all possible, sample an organic surface when looking for mold.
There are other things that people often mistake for mold that get sampled. Wood sap in the attic can be mistaken for mold and so can foam insulation. Thermal tracking on walls where a heat source has been left too close or in a house where there has been smoke damage is also mistaken for mold sometimes.
You should not inspect only the areas in the house that are the easiest to test. Ignoring crawl spaces, basements, and other hard to reach areas is a mistake when you are looking for mold in your house.
Sampling insulation is also necessary, but tape sampling is not very useful for porous materials like this. A professional should be used to test fiberglass insulation for mold.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Sewage Damage Clean-up and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
No matter what you might see on the news, “toxic black mold” is not the only color of mold there is out there that can harm you or your family. Mold exists in most of the colors of the rainbow and are sometimes so lightly colored that you cannot see them unless you know how exactly to look for them.
Lightly colored molds are best looked for with a bright flashlight. These are most often difficult to see on wood paneling or other smooth surfaces and you can detect them not by shining the light directly at the surface, but by standing next to it and shining the light along it instead. This angle of illumination allows you to see the imperfections of the surface you are shining the light on, since shining the light at a 90 degree angle to the surface usually illuminates it so much that you only see the light bounce back.
Choosing a bad surface to test such as concrete when there are other organic surfaces such as wood paneling or drywall are there is another mistake that people make. Mold does not like to grow on concrete in most cases, except at times where there is an excess amount of saw dust or simple dust there for it to feed on. This surface also usually needs to be at least somewhat moist. If at all possible, sample an organic surface when looking for mold.
There are other things that people often mistake for mold that get sampled. Wood sap in the attic can be mistaken for mold and so can foam insulation. Thermal tracking on walls where a heat source has been left too close or in a house where there has been smoke damage is also mistaken for mold sometimes.
You should not inspect only the areas in the house that are the easiest to test. Ignoring crawl spaces, basements, and other hard to reach areas is a mistake when you are looking for mold in your house.
Sampling insulation is also necessary, but tape sampling is not very useful for porous materials like this. A professional should be used to test fiberglass insulation for mold.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Sewage Damage Clean-up and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
House Eating Mold
Meruliporia incrassate is a severe wood rot fungus that is usually very difficult to get rid of since it may keep being able to find a water source to feed off of even after the leaks and humidity problems in the building have been taken care of. It has been known to extend itself through wood and other building materials in order to find the moisture source that it needs to survive.
In the news it is generally called the “house eating fungus” and is a serious problem for homeowners. Timber decay is usually a problem in buildings that are fairly old and it generally appears in some of the wettest areas of your home. It tends to show itself as looking somewhat like a yellowish dust on the affected wood. Preventing mold growth in general in these areas after you remove the affected materials should help keep it from coming back. This will include keeping any water leaks repaired promptly and water leaks cleaned up as soon as possible after they occur.
One bit of advice to help completely get rid of this mold is to remove at least two feet or more of the material beyond the visible mold. If you do not get rid of at least this much more material, you will not be completely getting rid of all material that is infected and the mold will re-grow fairly fast. The mold retains water by extending rhizomorphal strands out to reduce the exposed surface area of the mold’s hyphae and keeps the water from evaporating for longer. This means that the mold does not actually move moisture from one part of the wood to another, only that the water is kept from evaporating for a longer period of time. The only way to completely get rid of this mold is to remove all of the materials that are affected by it, because it is not a cosmetic problem at all. This mold is malicious and will eat your house from the inside to the out.
Regrowth of this mold will typically not occur if the wood remains dry for a long period of time. Unfortunately, most wood does not stay dry for very long except for climates that are not very humid and in these areas, this mold will not be that big of a problem, anyway. Using a dehumidifier to help reduce the humidity in your home could possibly help with this and installing exhaust vents in moist areas to channel moisture outside could also be of benefit.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
In the news it is generally called the “house eating fungus” and is a serious problem for homeowners. Timber decay is usually a problem in buildings that are fairly old and it generally appears in some of the wettest areas of your home. It tends to show itself as looking somewhat like a yellowish dust on the affected wood. Preventing mold growth in general in these areas after you remove the affected materials should help keep it from coming back. This will include keeping any water leaks repaired promptly and water leaks cleaned up as soon as possible after they occur.
One bit of advice to help completely get rid of this mold is to remove at least two feet or more of the material beyond the visible mold. If you do not get rid of at least this much more material, you will not be completely getting rid of all material that is infected and the mold will re-grow fairly fast. The mold retains water by extending rhizomorphal strands out to reduce the exposed surface area of the mold’s hyphae and keeps the water from evaporating for longer. This means that the mold does not actually move moisture from one part of the wood to another, only that the water is kept from evaporating for a longer period of time. The only way to completely get rid of this mold is to remove all of the materials that are affected by it, because it is not a cosmetic problem at all. This mold is malicious and will eat your house from the inside to the out.
Regrowth of this mold will typically not occur if the wood remains dry for a long period of time. Unfortunately, most wood does not stay dry for very long except for climates that are not very humid and in these areas, this mold will not be that big of a problem, anyway. Using a dehumidifier to help reduce the humidity in your home could possibly help with this and installing exhaust vents in moist areas to channel moisture outside could also be of benefit.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Renovating a Home With Mold
The house flipping craze is not all that old and people often jump right into it without doing much research about anything, whether it is the cost of the materials necessary to renovate a property, the building codes for the area that need to be followed, or what it takes to repair certain kinds of damage to a home. If you do your research before deciding to get into the housing market, you should do just fine, but if you do not, you are liable to get burned pretty easily.
One thing that many first time flippers do not think about is the issue of mold growing in the property they are trying to renovate and flip. If you run into mold when trying to renovate a property of any kind, you need to know just what it will take to get rid of that infestation, because no one is going to want to buy it with it as-is. You cannot just cover up the contamination, because you will be liable for it later unless your contract with the buyer specifies that the sale is an “as-is” one.
Mold can be cleaned from these properties often, but sometimes the infestation can be more widespread than you might think that it is, so mold testing is necessary before you decide to put the house on the market. Sometimes entire slabs of drywall or building lumber need to be removed in order to completely get rid of it. Using bleach to rid the property of the contamination can work on hard surfaces like tile, but when it comes to getting it off of drywall, this will not be a great option. If it is embedded into the wall, the whole slab will need to be removed.
Also be aware that you should not touch mold growth with your bare skin. Use latex gloves and respirators when you have to remove drywall and suspect that there is mold behind it.
If you do have to do a lot of new wall construction in the home you are renovating, it is probably a good idea to invest in some paperless drywall. Mold loves to eat the paper on both sides of the drywall that you hang in your home, but if you remove the paper, the chances for mold growth are significantly reduced because they do not have as much material to eat.
Also, invest in some mold and mildew resistant paints when you start re-painting the home. This will help keep the infection either from returning or starting anew.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.moldrestorationny.info
http://www.moldrestorationnj.info
One thing that many first time flippers do not think about is the issue of mold growing in the property they are trying to renovate and flip. If you run into mold when trying to renovate a property of any kind, you need to know just what it will take to get rid of that infestation, because no one is going to want to buy it with it as-is. You cannot just cover up the contamination, because you will be liable for it later unless your contract with the buyer specifies that the sale is an “as-is” one.
Mold can be cleaned from these properties often, but sometimes the infestation can be more widespread than you might think that it is, so mold testing is necessary before you decide to put the house on the market. Sometimes entire slabs of drywall or building lumber need to be removed in order to completely get rid of it. Using bleach to rid the property of the contamination can work on hard surfaces like tile, but when it comes to getting it off of drywall, this will not be a great option. If it is embedded into the wall, the whole slab will need to be removed.
Also be aware that you should not touch mold growth with your bare skin. Use latex gloves and respirators when you have to remove drywall and suspect that there is mold behind it.
If you do have to do a lot of new wall construction in the home you are renovating, it is probably a good idea to invest in some paperless drywall. Mold loves to eat the paper on both sides of the drywall that you hang in your home, but if you remove the paper, the chances for mold growth are significantly reduced because they do not have as much material to eat.
Also, invest in some mold and mildew resistant paints when you start re-painting the home. This will help keep the infection either from returning or starting anew.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.moldrestorationny.info
http://www.moldrestorationnj.info
Renovating a Home with Mold and Water Damage
House flipping is still pretty popular, but as more and more people discover that the whole flipping enterprise is not as easy as the television shows make it out to be, less are getting brave enough to venture into it. Anyone that does their research and makes informed decisions before trying to flip a property should do just fine in this business, but as some shows will let you know, not everyone falls into this category. If you are seriously thinking about getting into flipping homes for some quick cash, you have got a lot of homework ahead of you.
Take some real estate classes at your local community college if they are available. If they are not, no one says that you have to have a degree in real estate to flip a house. Get online and do your research there, but make sure the sources are credible.
Researching the rules of real estate for your local area is not the only thing you need to do; you will also want to do quite a bit of research into the more handy aspects of the project. Outsourcing all the work that needs to be done to the home will eat up your profit a lot faster than you think it would, so consider trying to do a lot of the simpler things yourself. You may not be able to do the electrical and plumbing work on your own, but painting the interior is something that most people have the physical and mental ability to do.
Some of the more hidden troubles you may run into are mold and water damage, which tend to go hand in hand. Where there is water damage that has been left untended to, there is often mold growth and this will shine a definite negative light on your property when you put it on the market if it is not taken care of. Your property should be virtually unblemished at the time you put it up for sale. Make sure that the property is mold free if you want the highest return on your efforts and be ready to prove it with a certificate from a mold inspector. Most home buyers will not even consider a home contaminated with mold.
If there is water damage to the home, figure out if it was caused by something natural such as a flood or an accident or if it was something to do with the plumbing. If the home is very old, consider updating the plumbing system with a more efficient one to prevent future problems.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
New York mold remediation companies across the united states.
Take some real estate classes at your local community college if they are available. If they are not, no one says that you have to have a degree in real estate to flip a house. Get online and do your research there, but make sure the sources are credible.
Researching the rules of real estate for your local area is not the only thing you need to do; you will also want to do quite a bit of research into the more handy aspects of the project. Outsourcing all the work that needs to be done to the home will eat up your profit a lot faster than you think it would, so consider trying to do a lot of the simpler things yourself. You may not be able to do the electrical and plumbing work on your own, but painting the interior is something that most people have the physical and mental ability to do.
Some of the more hidden troubles you may run into are mold and water damage, which tend to go hand in hand. Where there is water damage that has been left untended to, there is often mold growth and this will shine a definite negative light on your property when you put it on the market if it is not taken care of. Your property should be virtually unblemished at the time you put it up for sale. Make sure that the property is mold free if you want the highest return on your efforts and be ready to prove it with a certificate from a mold inspector. Most home buyers will not even consider a home contaminated with mold.
If there is water damage to the home, figure out if it was caused by something natural such as a flood or an accident or if it was something to do with the plumbing. If the home is very old, consider updating the plumbing system with a more efficient one to prevent future problems.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
New York mold remediation companies across the united states.
Remove Mold, Do Not Just Kill It
Unfortunately, when most people think about mold and mildew in their homes, they immediately want to know how they can kill it. While killing the mold can solve part of the problem and stop it from continuing to spread throughout the rest of the house, it will not stop it from affecting your health. About 29% of the population is allergic to mold or mildew (which are the same thing, in general) and even though the mold has been killed by whatever cleaner you decided to use for the job, the body still recognizes mold and its spores as something foreign that it should defend itself against.
So, if killing the mold is not the problem, then what is? Removing it completely from the property is often the only solution to be found. This can mean simply scrubbing it off a surface or removing everything in the home found to be contaminated with it. Mold that has embedded itself into a slab of drywall is extremely difficult to remove and you are often much better off simply replacing that portion of the drywall instead of trying to get rid of the mold. The mold is likely still alive in the center of the piece, so the contamination will only return to the surface, anyway.
Moldy clothes can sometimes be saved if they are not stained too badly, but items like leather that become molded are often unsalvageable due to their organic nature. The role of mold in the outdoor environment is to decompose dead organic matter and without it, dead tree stumps and carcasses from many, many years ago would still litter the forest floor, so it is a necessary part of the natural world. This does not mean that we have to allow it to thrive in our homes, though.
Where there is water damage, mold usually follows. Molds require moisture of some sort to survive and grow and any water that is spilled in your home needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. Mold will start to grow on moist items within about 48 hours, so getting it cleaned within this timeframe is recommended. Try to prevent plumbing leaks and wet floors and walls as much as you can and keep the humidity in your home down to help prevent mold growth.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingnc.info
http://www.floodnj.info
So, if killing the mold is not the problem, then what is? Removing it completely from the property is often the only solution to be found. This can mean simply scrubbing it off a surface or removing everything in the home found to be contaminated with it. Mold that has embedded itself into a slab of drywall is extremely difficult to remove and you are often much better off simply replacing that portion of the drywall instead of trying to get rid of the mold. The mold is likely still alive in the center of the piece, so the contamination will only return to the surface, anyway.
Moldy clothes can sometimes be saved if they are not stained too badly, but items like leather that become molded are often unsalvageable due to their organic nature. The role of mold in the outdoor environment is to decompose dead organic matter and without it, dead tree stumps and carcasses from many, many years ago would still litter the forest floor, so it is a necessary part of the natural world. This does not mean that we have to allow it to thrive in our homes, though.
Where there is water damage, mold usually follows. Molds require moisture of some sort to survive and grow and any water that is spilled in your home needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. Mold will start to grow on moist items within about 48 hours, so getting it cleaned within this timeframe is recommended. Try to prevent plumbing leaks and wet floors and walls as much as you can and keep the humidity in your home down to help prevent mold growth.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingnc.info
http://www.floodnj.info
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