Water damage restoration contractors come across this scenario often, especially during the spring & summer seasons as temperatures heat up. The way to accomplish turning a $5K water job into a $20K mold job is as follows…
First, at a minimum, you will need a substantial onetime water condition like a flooded basement from a burst pipe or a defective boiler in a typical residential home or commercial structure. Multiple water leak events or continual slow leak conditions make your chances much more likely to achieve this award. The second most critical aspect is to do an improper water mitigation & de-humidification. That is all you need, wasn’t that easy???
All kidding aside, the above is accurate and not exactly funny if you are the owner of the dwelling or space. Whenever we restoration contractors hear stories about a previous leak or leaks, our ears perk up. We immediately look for the tell-tale signs of mold growth, like black mold behind the base moldings or door casings. Seeing some visible mold growth in these spots are like seeing the tip of an iceberg. There is likely a large area of mold growth on the back side of the sheetrock, out of view, which is the real concern and often very difficult to determine how bad & far reaching the growth is.
In NYS there are strict mold testing & remediation guidelines. Only a NYS licensed mold testing companies can legally test for the presence of dangerous levels of mold. They are also the only company type that can confirm with post testing that a successful mold remediation was done. NYS guidelines also state that only a licensed mold remediation contractor can perform the necessary mold removal & mold cleaning protocols as outlined by the testing company. Further stated in the NYS guidelines, the remediation company cannot do the testing & the testing company cannot perform the remediation on the same project.
The mold remediation process is detailed, time consuming & very costly. Take some advice from a pro, DO NOT attempt to cleanup & dehumidify a large water condition on your own, without the proper equipment & know how. Most homeowners think they can turn on a few small fans & tiny dehumidifiers to solve the problem. The reality is they likely only evaporated the visible standing water into the air which created an elevated moisture environment throughout the entire space. This simple act creates a perfect condition for unseen mold growth. You see how easy it is to make a simple water cleanup job into a very large & costly mold remediation project?
If you have a known, repeating water leak or continuous high moisture condition, as is common for many homes with basements on Long Island, you should act swiftly on neutralizing this condition ASAP.
If you or a friend has an emergency condition involving water or mold, the first call should be to a restoration contractor for a site visit for a complete, professional no cost evaluation & consultation. Please consider the information presented in this blog before making the decision to tackle a job like this on your own. For more information on other water, smoke, fire & mold restoration please visit our blog https://truerestorations.com/blog/
For more on mold, including the Do’s & Don’t s, please visit our site https://truerestorations.com/mold-damage-restoration/
Regards,
The True Restorations Team
