Mold Throughout the Crawl Space and Garage in North Brunswick, NJ

Tuesday, October 6th, 2015 by Steve Hergenrother

Challenge

This customer in North Brunswick, NJ was selling his home and, as often happens, during the home inspection the inspector found what appeared to be mold in the basement and garage. So the homeowner called our office to come out, inspect, and treat.

Upon inspection, we determined that groundwater was leaking into the structure through a crack in the basement block and there was extensive mold growth on the basement’s wood ceiling. And once mold growth starts in one area of the home it often spreads elsewhere. Mold will consume any organic material, even processed wood. This fungus releases enzymes that dissolve the wood. When doing so, many mold strains release gases whose smell we associate with mold. Both the basement and crawl space had visual mold growth and the rooms had the unmistakable, pungent musky odor of mold.

This mold growth halted the purchase process and had to be resolved for the sale to move forward. The homeowner authorized Mold Solutions to treat the mold.

Solution

First, we equipped our personal protective equipment (PPE) and then treated the mold with an antimicrobial application called MAPS 1, which stands for Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions. MAPS 1 is an EPA registered product that attacks mold on a cellular level and immediately kills it. Next, we used our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the mold growth throughout the crawl space.

Next, we applied our patented sealant called MAPS 2. MAPS 2 is a moisture-sensitive application that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless, inert, and non-allergenic. One of the best features of MAPS 2 is that it will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent future mold growth. To address the high humidity levels in the crawl space, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial grade dehumidifier. These dehumidifiers cost less to run than other dehumidifiers, cover over 3000 square feet, are energy efficient, and will properly control the humidity levels in the crawl space.