Mold in the house - need help!

[Barkleymut]

Me and the family went away for a week and came back to find the dishwasher did not drain correctly and leaked a decent amount. The water went towards the front of the house and seems to have collected primarily in a small closet near our front door. This means it went through a wall to get there. My wife commented the second we walked in the house that it smelled funny, I do not smell anything.

The carpet in the closet and a couple of feet in front of it are very wet, there is no standing water.

I set the thermostat at 78 when we left and the temps here in Central Virginia have been in the low 80s while we were gone. So I am sure the HVAC has at least moved the air around a decent amount while we were gone.

My questions are:

1. Is there a kit I can purchase to detect (tonight or tomorrow morning) if there is any bad mold? (IE. mold that can affect our health).

2. Does homeowners insurance cover a mold expert coming out? I have read that insurance companies drop people that make a claim. I have been with the same insurance company for 16 years and never had a claim. Been in this house for 12 years.

3. Should I peel back the carpet now? Or wait for a "mold expert"?

4. Any advice on dealing with this #$%^?

 

[BrandonVA]

get some 20 mule team borax at walmart. kills mold like nothing else. you can just sprinkle it into the carpet and scrub it in. let it soak/dry for a while then vaccuum up

 

[DuckRyder]

1) You can definitely buy mold detection kits at Lowe's and Home depot.

2) You will have to read your policy, it may exclude mold or it may have a special limit. It also may have special launguage about back of sewer and drain.

3) Assuming it is a covered loss, I would report the claim immediately and get the wet carpet out, I'd keep the wet carpet and pictures of the water both before and after removing it. You probably have a duty to mitigate the damage under the policy so just leaving wet carpet to create mold and mildew would not be a good option in my opinion.

 

[Eddie]

A 50/50% bleach & water mix is good for neutralizing mold. I would remove the carpet and toss it out. Use the bleach mixture and a sponge on the effected area. Wear rubber glove when handling the bleach. Can't comment on insurance but, give them a call and ask the questions. Ed

 

[Barkleymut]

thanks for both replies.

Robert- I should have been clearer in my question. Are there any test kits that will give me immediate results? looking online they all need to be sent away to a lab for analysis.

 

[Rand]

I'm not sure

but there is specific exclusions about sewer and drain backup usually..

but in this case its more like a leak.. so I'd imagine it would be covered the same as if you had a leaky sink or roof.

 

[DuckRyder]

I used a test some years ago that gave a positive or negative result in a few days and you could send off for more specific results (unfortunately I don't remember the name or where I got it). I'm unaware of one that gives an immediate result or gives the type without a lab analysis,but I'm certainly not an expert.

 

[Bandito440]

I dealt with this on a much larger scale from a flood in 2006. Any carpeting, padding, drywall, etc. that has been wet must be removed and replaced after the substrate dries. Drywall especially - mold will grow on the paper backing.

Your insurance will likely cover this, but the sooner you take care of it, the better. Even if you do a test for mold and it comes back negative, it will continue to grow and spread if there is moisture in the walls or under the carpet.

Be safe and remove anything that's wet.

 

[SrDriver]

Call your insurance company ASAP and get them involved.

 

[JHZR2]

I've seen mold kits at HD. Our homeowners has a mold rider for like $14/yr, we got just in case something like this would happen. Definitely throw away everything wet, and I'd preemptively cut out the drywall around the wet area, especially if in a place like a closet. AC and dehumidifier are key.

 

[eljefino]

I'd leave your insurance out of this; they'll get any money they pay out, back.

I'd knock out the drywall just to ventilate the cavity behind it. If it's moldy back there, you'll know.

 

[Barkleymut]

eljefino - I agree with you....but the wife would kill me if any mold showed up a month or two later. I pulled up the wettest part of the carpet and put a fan on the area.

I just called the insurance company and they are sending out an adjuster in the morning. I suspect guys in freaking hazmat suits will be walking through the front door sometime tomorrow. I can already hear the Servpro guy....there is mold present you must evacuate and let us tear down the house to the 2x4's....oh well at least we had a great vacation

 

[Eddie]

Don't go ballistic now as it is only a small speed bump in life.

 

[Dan55]

Here's a link that gives more info http://blacktoxicmolds.com/ Under the bleach link there is info on Oxygen bleach, a better alternative to chlorine bleach

 

[Wolf359]

Usually when there's water leaks, you should get the fans going and run a dehumidifier to get as much of the water out as soon as possible. Mold will stop growing once it's no longer wet. And bleach does kill mold. While it can be a serious problem, it's somewhat overblown these days. Mold is actually all around you in the environment. Once you step outside, there are mold spores everywhere. Not all of it is dangerous.

 

[Clevy]

Remove everything wet NOW. The longer you leave it moist the more mould will grow.
Now demolish everything that got wet in the basement and remove it.
Rent large air moving units from a construction rental store.
Once everything is removed and dry spray all possibly wet parts of the framing with a fungicide. Forget the home brew stuff,buy something strong that needs a single application.
I am a journeyman carpenter with 20+ years in the field. When it comes to mould it is a potential killer. Stew on that while you consider the minimal costs savings home brew mould killers save you and while you sit there waiting on what to do next.
And seriously. You are in the house with wet subfloors and joist cavities wondering if you should wait to remove it.
Come on man.

 

[SteveSRT8]

This happens all the time here. When things get wet it is SERIOUS, and folks are wowed by the costs and the amount of work.

But neglect it and things get MUCH worse.

Water damage is a genuine emergency, treat it like one.

 

[Barkleymut]

The servpro guy came out this morning as well as an "independent" insurance adjuster. The servpro guy had a neat little handheld tester that had 2 prongs that could test the amount of moisture under the carpet and another tester that could measure the moisture under the vinyl in the kitchen. There was significant moisture in both areas and it will require large fans in both areas (they are separated by a wall) as well as a dehumidifier. After that they are going to rip up the carpet padding and replace the padding. Then they will spray a microbial spray on all affected areas and re lay the same carpet. On the vinyl, they are going to rip it all up and replace.

Looks like the only cost to me will be a $500 deductible and a service visit from a plumber who will remedy the cause.

I am happy with the response by the adjuster and the recommendations. Any suggestions?