Update on mold in house

L

lwillis22

New member
So not sure how many were following the thread on this but my landlord did come over and check it out. He has called someone to make some recommendations or suggestions as to what the problem is. I am going to hire my own person to come in and give there recommendations as I don't trust "his people". Have tested the humidity in the house and it is ranging most of the time from 82-91 depending on the area of the house. The living room is the lowest usually which is where the tanks are. The highest areas are further away from the tanks. We had a strong rain storm yesterday and I decided I wanted to check out the basement afterwards and sure enough there was water all over the floor in the basement. Not sure if it was mentioned in previous posts but prior to moving in to the house there was a rain storm with a "flood" (landlords words) in the basement. He informed me of it and wanted me to let him know if there were any more problems with it. Well, the first rain we got after that I checked and nothing but then never thought about it again as I never go into the basement. Could this be the problem or part of it?

Also, he states that my tank is leaking as there is evidence of water on the stand. I looked and there is what appears to be a water stain going up the stand from the floor on one side about 6 in and inside the stand on the other end appears "damp". There is not standing water and the floors are not wet around the tank. I looked over the tank well and see no evidence of a leak. Is it possible this "dampness" on the stand is from this high humidity? Anybody with any experience with this?

I did get a humidifier today and will be getting it set up tonight when I get home.
 
I hope you bought a DEhumidifier. A humidifier is the last thing you need! ;)

Your stand-leak may be because a bubbler or spray-head is sending water up, or because water from your high humidity is condensing on a surface and dripping off, say, the light kit. Put some ordinary paper towel where you think a problem might exist: it will uptake moisture and tell you where a problem may be.
 
lwillis22 said:
Also, he states that my tank is leaking as there is evidence of water on the stand. I looked and there is what appears to be a water stain going up the stand from the floor on one side about 6 in and inside the stand on the other end appears "damp". There is not standing water and the floors are not wet around the tank. I looked over the tank well and see no evidence of a leak. Is it possible this "dampness" on the stand is from this high humidity? Anybody with any experience with this?
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Without an in-person inspection, no one can offer you definitive answers. Is it possible? Sure. Is it probable? No one can say. But based on the information you've offered, I find it interesting that condensation would only occur on your tank stand where the humidity is consistently lower than other parts of the house, per your story, and there is no mention that the wood surface or the air around your tank is significantly cooler than the rest of the house that might explain selective condensation on your tank stand.

Regardless, your landlord has pointed out a potential contributor to the humidity in the house. You can hire your own inspector and dispute the opinions and recommendations. Just remember how much you stand to lose if you fall into a dispute with your landlord over keeping the 365 gallons of liability.

If it were me, I would definitely not fight with the landlord over aquaria, no matter the etiology of the mildew/mold. But this is just the opinion of an average joe trying to think through the problem with some common sense.
 
I do not plan on fighting with the landlord over this. So far he is being decent. I just don't want him to think that I caused this problem and make me pay for everything. I did get a dehumidifier, not humidifier, sorry typo.

I am not sure about this "damp" looking area on the stand. It is lower in humidity in the living room but still not low and I would say the temp is definitely lower in the living room as apposed to the rest of the house. I am trying to blow dry the "damp" areas and see if it gets damp again. I will try the paper towel thing too, thanks.
 
I was following your last thread and I must agree with Myofibroblast. As much as I enjoy the hobby I would certainly not open myself up to this amount of liability. I wish you good luck and a speedy resolution.
 
FWIW - I lived in a house with high humidity a couple years ago. Make sure air can circulate in the closets - I had condensation on a wall or a leak in the roof that created standing water in one of my little used utility closets. It grew mold on everything in the closet.
 
How did you end up finding the leak in the roof? I am wondering if it isn't a leak in the roof somewhere.

As much as I love my tanks the liability is not worth it to me either. Just trying to protect myself from here on out with what has happened.
 
I'm no mold expert. But, I do have experience in buildings. I'm currently working on 3 office buildings with mold issues. There has to be a leak somewhere. Moisture is a key element in their life. Mold in the basement would not spread to the rest of the house, without moisture or heat/cold. The reason I mention cold is for us northerns, we have snow mold (outside). I know money might be an issue for my recommendation. But, an air sampling is recommended, along with probing the walls for moisture. Check all window sills, roof vents, gutters. Make sure the runoff from rain is graded away from the foundation. Also, check dryer vents. Is there a humidifier on your furnace? Check the condensate pan on evaporator coils. Good luck.
 
I agree with the above. I had a leakprone house I fixed over a 10 year residency---it had: leak in under-sink plumbing. leak from upstairs hot water heater allowed to drain right out onto the office ceiling. Leak from window sill being continuous outside to inside, no break. Leak from sill-less door frame. Leak from upstairs shower. Leak from crack in wall tiles, downstairs shower, behind the showerhead, inside the wall. Leak from bad pitch of roof, which managed to find a beam in the attic and manifest 30 feet from where it originated...downhill, of course. I fixed a LOT that was wrong with that fixer-upper. But these are places to look for problems. Good luck. It can be fixed, if you can find the likely source.
 
Sk8r, geez. I thought, I had a money pit. Lol. Ice dams, a couple years ago. Leaks from every light fixture and down the walls. Insurance company wanted to drop us. But (good side) cut my honey do list in half. (BAD SIDE) Lost my tank, due to careless painters. Not to derail the thread, but the source can be anywhere.
 
I agree it should be him paying but I don't trust him and want to have my own person come in and give there thoughts.
 
Exactly my thoughts Iwillis22. Never hurts to have some independent information aside from your landlords. Even if they say you may have contributed to the problem, you'll have a reasonable estimate of the cost to correct the problem.
 
If you're in Washington state, you might call a roofer if you suspect that: in this state they have to be licensed and they're generally quite good.
A home inspector is not a bad notion: couple of hundred dollar fee.
A plumber, maybe, IF it's plumbing.
Do you note anything in heavy rains?
Try using only one sink in the house, per week, and see if that cures it. If you have access to the basement, look at the pipes.

Any sort of bad fitting or pipe with a hole in it anywhere can be a problem, but if you can find the bathroom access panel, usually a rectangle on the wall behind the knobs, you might see something leaking. I woke up in a rented house one morning thinking I'd gone blind ---everything was white fog. Then I realized it was steam. And we were in danger of having the hot water tank go off like a rocket if there was a valve problem. In point of fact, opening the access panel showed pipes with 20-30 patches on them...

The landlord later tried to sell me this house. Nay. No sale to this person.
 
Yes, in heavy rains the basement ends up with water in it. Not sure how or where but it does. I have looked in the basement and can't find anywhere that it is coming in but obviously not good enough because it has to be coming from somewhere.
 
lwillis22 said:
Yes, in heavy rains the basement ends up with water in it. Not sure how or where but it does. I have looked in the basement and can't find anywhere that it is coming in but obviously not good enough because it has to be coming from somewhere.
Click to expand...


Liability and potential structural issues aside, have you eliminated non-essential sources of humidity?
 
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