Leaky Pipe in Basement Causes Extensive Mold in West Orange, NJ

Recently, homeowners from West Orange, NJ, found themselves with a serious mold problem in their basement. Any time there is mold, there is some underlying water intrusion event that’s responsible for the problem. Here, the culprit was a slow pipe leak coming from the first-floor bathroom. Water had dripped onto the basement ceiling, and as often happens with slow pipe leaks hidden in wall voids, the leak went unnoticed for quite a while. The homeowners realized that they had a problem when part of the basement ceiling became so water-saturated that it collapsed from its own weight. Once the water problem came to light, the homeowners observed that portions of the basement sheetrock near the ceiling had developed mold growth. Mold will often form as the byproduct of some underlying water or high indoor humidity/moisture issue. 

The homeowners immediately had the pipe leak fixed, but they were left with a mold problem that needed to be treated. They contacted Mold Solutions by Cowleys and we were sent out to treat the mold.  We treated the mold-affected areas of the basement with two separate treatments. We first applied an EPA-registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold on a cellular level and kills it instantly. We then scrubbed away the mold and applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders the mold non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.

With this basement mold successfully treated, all that was left for the homeowners was to have the removed sections of the sheetrock replaced, and their basement will be as good as new. It’s important for homeowners to periodically inspect all of the nonliving areas of the home like basements, crawl spaces, and attics to check for water stains and other signs of potential water or humidity problems that can trigger dangerous mold growth. Although sometimes it’s unavoidable, please don’t wait until part of your ceiling collapses!