Do you know how to avoid mold amplification when it comes to water intrusion or dampness? If you do not, we are here to tell you how to locate and remove it. Read below to get started.

Water leaks often originate from roofing and window system failures. You do not notice it until a heavy rain comes through or a pipe becomes busted. Large buildings such as schools often experience repeated issues with leaks that go undetected for long periods of time. Some common leaks in large buildings are as followed:

Ø      HVAC water pipe leakage.

Ø      Sweating Valves.

Ø      Pipes of potable water distribution piping through overflows and leaks.

If the air in a building is dry, the water intrusion or dampness will dry quickly and it becomes difficult to detect signs of mold growth.

 The Forms of Dampness

Dampness can come in multiple forms. It can be in the form of condensation in non-insulated crawlspaces or basements. Dampness can be discovered in a poorly functioning HVAC system or site drainage.

 What is the Difference Between Water Intrusion and Dampness

The difference between water intrusion and dampness is the source of leakage and how that leakage absorbs and condenses itself. Water intrusion leaks water through openings and falls to the lowest point. Dampness includes liquid water and vapor that gets transported through solid concrete. This allows it to harbor itself in flooring. When air holds high quantities of moisture vapor loses heat. When that happens, it turns to liquid form.

To learn ways to resolve water damage and prevent mold growth, read Moisture Control In Schools: Water Intrusion or Dampness? Avoiding Mold Amplification. This article can be found on page 19-20 of Indoor Environment Connections.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Do you know what Stachybotrys is? If you do not, we are here to tell you and how Stachybotrys can get in your blood stream. You can get Stachybotrys from your house. Read below to get informed and learn how to prevent yourself from danger in your own home.

What is Stachybotrys?

Stachybotrys spores and hyphae have never been reported being in blood. Stachybotrys does not grow in the body. The spores that are discovered in the body come from ingestion or inhalation. Your body naturally ejects the spores. Luckily every body has fungal antibodies in their blood. Antibodies are formed during the natural exposure to fungi that has been happening since your birth.

The Danger of Mold in Your Home

When growth of Stachybotrys happens in your home, formation of antibodies may occur. No matter of the amount of antibodies your body can produce, it does not mean you can not be harmed by living in a dangerously moldy home. Your quality of air will be affected in your home. Your health will be affected badly by a mold infested home. Take action to improve your living conditions by reading this article from IeConnections.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

The Christmas holiday season is here. This is a time for joy and also a time to take safety precautions. Having a Christmas tree is a fire hazard. Learn about the potential hazards and how you can enhance tree fire prevention. Read below.

 Water Your Tree

 Make sure you keep your tree watered. Christmas trees make on average create 250 fires yearly. Out of these 250 fires, 14 deaths, 26 injuries and $13.8 million property damage occur. The main causes of tree fires are shorts in electrical lights and open flames catching to trees.  When you water your trees well, you decrease your chances of having a tree fire.

Within three seconds, a dry pine tree can be fully ablaze. In just five seconds, your tree will start to give off black smoke and gases across your ceiling. It gets worse. Fresh air near floor helps feed the tree fire. Once this happens, any furniture and carpet will catch on fire. In 40 seconds an entire room can erupt into flames.

How to keep your tree wet.

 Make sure to water your pine tree on a daily basis. It only takes one match to ignite a Christmas tree. A tree that stays wet is less likely to catch on fire as easily as a dry tree. If anything, a wet tree will ignite briefly rather than engulf an entire room.

To learn more about Christmas tree fire hazards and prevention, read this article from Usfa.Fema.gov. The article includes a video on the different between a dry tree and a wet tree catching on fire.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Do you know how better ventilation can lead to substantial savings for you? If you do not know how, we are here to inform you! Read below to become knowledgeable!

A recent study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reveals that doubling the amount of ventilation in office buildings can lead to billions of dollars in economic savings. The United States of America (U.S) standards require 8 liters of outdoor air ventilation to flow to each person in an office. If that ventilation is increased by double, sick building syndrome symptoms (SBS) would be reduce along with work absences. It gets better. Better ventilation has potential to improve work performance of employees and save billions of dollars (including health care costs).

 The Second Study

 A second study published in Indoor Air, estimated the benefits of improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Four improvements were studied:

-Increasing ventilation rates when ventilation is below 10 or 15 liters a second, per person.

-Adding Outdoor air economizers and controls absent.

-Avoiding Office Overheating while eliminating winter indoor temperatures greater than 73 degree Fahrenheit.

-Reducing dampness and mold problems by better maintenance to prevent and fix water leaks a, design changes, construction practices, and humidity control systems.

For more information on these two studies and their results, read this article Ieconnections.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Do you know about the dangers fungal growth can have on your home’s engineered   wood? If you do not know, we are here to inform you! Read below!

Fungi are the largest contributors to decomposition. This is a good and bad thing. It is a good thing because they are nutrient recycling for our environment. They help decompose matter in nature, which is a welcoming process. The downside is that fungi can decompose our homes.

Fungi eat wood and our homes are mainly made of wood and wood products. In fact some fungi can produce enzymes that become secreted into the wood of our homes and break down our wood to energize them and their growth. The lignin component of wood is harder for fungi to digest than the other components of the wood.

There are big differences in how water damage and fungal growth progresses in engineered wood when compared to conventional wood.

Conventional wood is solid dimensional wood that has been finished (planed) and cut into standardized widths and depths. Engineered wood includes plywood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), particle board, OSB (OSB) and I-joists.

To learn how these wood products can impact your air quality and be damaged by fungi, if not protected, read this article from Ieconnections.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Do you know what to look for in a Mold Contractor? If you are not sure, we are here to help! Read below for great tips!

To find a great mold contractor, start by making sure the contractor is qualified and up to date on the latest protocols. Your contractor should be IICRC certified in applied microbial remediation. If license is required, the contractor should have a general liability and pollution insurance. Remember, regular liability insurance does not cover mold. This means your contractor should give you a warranty for their work for three to five years, at the least.

A great source for information is the Better Business Bureau; it can help you filter out misinformation and bad contractors.

The next thing you should know is that a mold remediation business third party air quality specialist, also known as the industrial hygienist, should always be hired to guide the process of mold remediation. The industrial hygienist verifies through scientific studies whether mold levels have been reduced after treatment to see if mold was properly removed.

The Process

Before you start your mold remediation process, you need to develop a remediation plan. Your hygienist can assist with this plan. The workspace of your project should be isolated. You can accomplish this by setting up poly barriers, sealing off critical barriers such as ductwork, cracks, windows and holes where pipes enter.

To learn what to do next, read this article from EzineArticles.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation, contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Have you been affected by a recent home disaster? No matter your answer, you need to learn how to take necessary preventative steps and identify serious problems relating to mold, water and air ducts. Read below to get educated!

Water and Mold

Water leakage, dampness and humidity are all sources that can lead to mold and mildew growth. They can also lead to musty smells and poor air quality. When these occurrences happen, you create health risks for yourself such as allergies and asthma. You could lose tenants. You can find yourself fighting a lawsuit. For example, excessive mold growth can damage your building structure. If mold becomes massive in your commercial building, disaster restoration mold removal will be a mandatory task to accomplish.

If you are not sure how to go about water and mold damage, get a disaster restoration specialist to visit your building and diagnose the source of wetness. The specialist should take the necessary steps to restore the space.

Air Duct Cleaning

Air ducts are crucial components of a home or office because they transfer heated and cooled air throughout the home or office from the HVAC system and air vents. You have to make sure your air ducts are not clogged or dirty. If the air ducts are clogged or dirty, your home or office’s indoor air quality and safety will be tremendously compromised. Some examples of clogging and dirt build up are mold, bacteria, dust mites, and fiberglass particles. When your air ducts are clean and free flowing, your home or office is safe and it lowers your energy bills because the HVAC system does not have to work as hard, if heated and cooled air can flow freely.

To learn about more disaster restoration tips, such as dryer vent cleaning and emergency water removal, read this article from EzineArticles.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

 There are new details on 2012 version of LEED, a green building program. LEED 2012, updated by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), will include updates to the Materials & Resources (MR) credit category.

The updates have write-in comments and include changes to the existing LEED credit categories as well as two new credit categories. The two credit categories are Integrated Process (IP) and Performance (PF).

 The update of Materials & Resources (MR) credit category addresses waste reduction and aims to improve the environmental impact of materials selection and waste disposal. MR has been revised to include an increased focus on an application called the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA assesses environmental impacts of every stage of a product’s life: Extraction. Manufacture. Use. Reuse. Disposal.

 The LCA in LEED is meant to encourage project teams to use analytical tools that are based on information about resource flows through environmental and economic systems. USGBC hopes project teams will make more informed decisions as a result of LCA being used.

 For more information on the 2012 version of LEED read this article called New Details on 2012 Version of LEED at Ieconnections.com

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Do you think Mold Remediation Standards are outdated? If yes, you are not alone. Many people believe it is time to toss out mold remediation guidance and standards.

The Indoor Air series of conferences, presented by the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) every three years and every nine years in the United States, believe if research procedures are moved to the field, they need to know what they are measuring.

Often workers have been denied compensation claims, plaintiffs have been harmed, and property managers and insurance adjustors use the argument that “ If I can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist,” to discount claims by office workers and occupants of homes.

Now there is a new tune spreading in the Industry: “ If we can’t measure it, we aren’t measuring correctly.” This new tune spreading in the mold remediation field may mean the fundamental assumption that reduction of spores, below the original count is no longer sufficient to conclude that a Post Remediation Verification (PRV) was successful.

To read more on this developing story, review this article called Is It time To Toss Mold Remediation Standards? by Carl Grimes, President of Healthy Habitats in Denver Colorado at Ieconnections.com.

For professional help and questions on remediation contact Advance Mold Remediation by calling 1-877-411-MOLD or click here today!

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!