Expert Dry · Mold assessment
The Building, the Belongings, and the Mold Between Them
A wet towel cannot tell you the history of every drop. A mold air sample has the same kind of limit.
For the sake of the story, imagine there is such a person as a water assessor.
I go outside for a walk. It is hot, the humidity is high, and before long I begin to perspire. My shirt becomes damp, and beads of sweat form on my forehead.
As I continue walking, I notice storm clouds building. I think I should probably turn around because it looks like rain.
I am right—but not quite quick enough.
A downpour begins, and I am caught in the rain. I start running toward home. By now, my clothes are wet from both perspiration and rainfall.
As I reach my front yard, I step into a muddy puddle. My shoes are covered with wet soil, so before taking them off, I use the garden hose to rinse away the mud.
I finally go inside, dry myself with a towel, and hand that towel to the water assessor.
I then ask:
“Using only the evidence on this towel, tell me exactly where all this water came from.”
- Was it perspiration?
- Was it moisture from the humid outdoor air?
- Was it rainfall?
- Was it water from the muddy puddle?
- Was it water from the garden hose?
The towel is wet. That fact is obvious.
Testing could confirm that the material on the towel is water. But the towel alone cannot reliably tell us the complete history of every drop or identify precisely how much came from each source.
What the towel has to do with mold
A laboratory report is not a map.
That is similar to the limitation of a mold air sample.
An air sample may show that mold spores are present, and it may indicate that certain spores are elevated compared with an outdoor control or expected indoor conditions. But the sample does not automatically identify every source from which those spores originated.
The spores may have come from
- Wet or previously wet building materials
- Dust accumulated on surfaces or furnishings
- Cardboard boxes, books, clothing, rugs, or upholstered furniture
- Damp contents stored in closets or cabinets
- HVAC components or ductwork
- Trash, food debris, plants, pets, or soil tracked indoors
- Outdoor air entering through doors, windows, or ventilation
- Several sources acting together
The analogy is not exact. Water is a relatively simple chemical substance—H2O—while mold includes an enormous and diverse group of fungi. Laboratory analysis can identify fungal groups or genera and sometimes provide useful clues about environmental conditions. Even so, identifying the type of spore does not necessarily identify the specific wall, box, carpet, piece of furniture, or outdoor pathway that released it.
A laboratory report is evidence.
It is not a map.
Elevated mold-spore levels deserve investigation, but they should not automatically be blamed entirely on the building structure. The structure must be evaluated, but so must the belongings, dust reservoirs, housekeeping conditions, HVAC system, moisture history, and outdoor environment.
There is the building.
There are the belongings.
And there is the mold between them.
About the consultant
Mike Conroy Consulting
Michael Conroy is a Council-Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC) and an IICRC Master Water Restorer. For more than 24 years he has focused on water damage, mold assessment, and mold prevention along the Gulf Coast of South Alabama and Northwest Florida, including vacation-rental condominiums, homes, schools, and businesses.
Mike Conroy Consulting handles mold assessment, indoor air quality evaluation, written remediation protocols, and post-remediation verification. Water-damage drying and remediation are done through the service branch, Expert Dry®.
850-777-6655
CIEC, IICRC Master Water Restorer, Applied Microbial Remediation Technician
Level II Thermographer
Florida Mold Assessor MRSA 2103
Florida Mold Remediator MRSR 1743
mikeconroyconsulting.com
Questions about the sample, and about the work
Can a mold air sample tell you where the mold came from?
Not by itself. An air sample may show that spores are present, and it may show that certain spores are elevated compared with an outdoor control or expected indoor conditions. It does not automatically identify the wall, box, carpet, piece of furniture, or outdoor pathway that released them.
Why compare an air sample to a wet towel?
The towel is wet, and a test can confirm the material is water. The towel still cannot tell how much of that water came from perspiration, humid air, rainfall, a muddy puddle, or a garden hose. Mold spores have the same kind of limit, and more possible sources.
Should elevated mold spores always be blamed on the building?
No. The structure has to be evaluated. So do the belongings, dust reservoirs, housekeeping, the HVAC system, the moisture history, and outdoor air. Several of those sources can be acting together. A laboratory report is evidence. It is not a map.
What does Mike Conroy Consulting do?
Mold assessment, indoor air quality evaluation for mold and other allergens, written mold-remediation protocols, and post-remediation verification. The practice concentrates on homes, businesses, and vacation-rental condominiums along the Northwest Florida and South Alabama coast, and also serves coastal Mississippi.
What is the difference between Mike Conroy Consulting and Expert Dry?
Mike Conroy Consulting is the assessment and consulting practice, including post-remediation verification for other contractors. Expert Dry® is the water-damage and mold-remediation firm. If the building needs to be dried, that work goes through Expert Dry: We Dry Wet Buildings®. Dry Out Without the Tear Out®.
How do I reach Mike?
Call 850-777-6655. Consulting and assessments: mikeconroyconsulting.com. Water-damage mitigation: expertdry.com.
