Why You Should Address Mold Problems: Mold Can Impact the Structural Integrity of Your Home

Why You Should Address Mold Problems:  Mold Can Impact the Structural Integrity of Your Home is the second in a 3-part series on the importance of addressing mold at the first sign. This second article addresses the effects that mold can have on the structural integrity of your home.

As we talked about in our previous blog, mold can significantly impact our health.  Depending upon how sensitive those living in the house are to mold, symptoms can vary from a runny nose and itchy eyes to fever, triggers to one’s asthma and even a mold infection in the lungs.  

But perhaps you are aware of mold in a part of your home and nobody in the home seems to be having a reaction to it. You consider leaving it alone.  Let’s explore why that can be a bad decision.

Over the last 30 years building techniques have trended to that of an “airtight” structure.  The focus has been on energy efficiency.  However, without proper ventilation and an exchange of fresh air, moisture can build up causing conditions conducive to mold growth.  Regardless of when your home was built, if you have mold growth in an area of your home then you have a moisture and humidity problem that needs to be corrected. 

Besides just mold and mildew growth, moisture problems that are not addressed will lead to structural issues within the home.  Damp wood will rot, causing structural issues and will also attract wood destroying pests like termites and carpenter ants.  The National Pest Management Association estimates that termites cause $5 billion in property damage each year.  Wood destroying insects are a serious problem that can impact the structural integrity of your house and cost you thousands of dollars in repairs. 

Even if you do not see mold growing other signs of a humidity problem in your home include:  buckling floors, nail pops, stale smells, condensation on the inside of your windows and rotting wood.  Learning to control the moisture and humidity levels within your home will help you to avoid many problems both health wise as well as structural.  Consider these tips to avoiding moisture problems which lead to mold and mildew growth:

• Install vents in bathrooms
• Maintain a relative humidity (RH) level between 30-60% through the use of a high-end dehumidifier
• Immediately clean-up water spills, leaky pipes, floods, etc.
• Do not install wall-to-wall carpeting in areas prone to flooding
• Use air conditioners in the warm months
• Inspect the conditions of the crawlspace.  If you have a dirt floor or particularly damp space consider closing or encapsulating them. 

When moisture and humidity levels become so high in a home that mold and mildew are growing then the problem must be addressed. For more information on mold and ways in which you can correct it visit us online.