Note:
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Author: Owner
To Those Who Look…
Moisture Readings in Crawlspaces
From Instagram, on-site during a home inspection:
Ductwork in Crawlspace
Keep looking, friendly inspectors:
Clean Thy Gutters
Basement Bedroom Egress
Here’s a little post we did about basement bedrooms:
Airborne Mold Sampling
Often we get questions about airborne testing results. Here’s a sample:
Here we see that the exterior sample (#3) serves as the “control” value for the home, while the laundry room (#1) and the master bathroom (#2) are the “experimental” values.
With this understood, interpreting the tables becomes easier. The outdoor air has considerably more total spores (420 to 110 and 44), but the master bathroom air has the “water indicator” spore chaetomium, which indicates a more serious moisture issue in the walls, floor, and/or ceiling.
Indoor Air Quality Inspector
We recently received the Certified Indoor Air Quality Inspector from InterNACHI. Find out more here.
IAC2 Certification
In addition to our many other certifications and honors, we recently received the Mold and general certifications from the International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants. Check out our mold inspection guidelines at IAC2.org .
Occupant-Introduced Dangers in the Home
We once inspected for an owner who didn’t know the source of a menthol smell. Upon investigation, we found that the previous owner had smoked in the same room – for thirty years. Indoor air quality is often affected not only by building components (roof, HVAC, foundation), but also by occupant use of the home.
Occupants can affect indoor air quality through:
- Smoking
- Woodworking
- Chemical Use (Legal or Illegal)
- Pets and Pests
- Spills
- Paints and VOC-producing materials
- Dust Buildup and Failure to Clean
Paying attention to occupant use can also help clean up your indoor air quality.
