“The truth hurts”. Ever heard that? I had an interesting exchange yesterday with an elderly person who was convinced he had a roof leak. His conviction was so strong that the company that installed his new roof ‘ACME Roofing’, had been back no less than four times to check and see if there was a leak. The reports and inspections always came back ‘negative’. NO LEAK! He had lived there for 30 years and never had water dripping from his ceiling, drywall ceiling swelling at the joints and the nails rust showing through the ceiling paint. He had a roof leak and wanted me to test or mold so that he could go after the roofing company. As I pulled up, he told me, “I don’t like people, but Joe Smith has been a customer of mine for years and speaks highly of you, so I thought I’d give you a try.” He worked out of his home, so per usual, I did a walk around the perimeter to look for anything unusual. I immediately noticed that the home was built in a hole. The landscaping around the home was higher than the foundation that the home sat on. Unless he had a sump pump, I knew all the rain from the street and surrounding homes, as well as the roof, was going directly under his home. I also noticed that he had paid upwards of thirty dollars per foot for ‘Gutter-Guards”. I worked for them for a short time and know that they are great in a sprinkle, but when it rains heavy, the water over-shoots and misses the gutters altogether. This water is then in a place where it does not belong and quickly finds the path of least resistance. Water goes down-hill. After looking under the home, I may as well have been looking into a “Petri Dish”. I saw standing water and plant growth similar to that of a bog or a swamp.

I then began to take moisture readings and found that the highest moisture readings were in the lower levels. “Look at my tile floor,” he said, “that roof has caused my floor tile to pop-up and deteriorate!” I immediately stuck my moisture meter in the floor and it revealed 28% moisture in the floor, however, in the attic, the moisture was 0%, and increased as I went closer to the moisture source; “The wet crawl space beneath the home” The moisture on the walls and ceilings were condensation created when hot air meets cold. “What you have here is a circulation problem. Your portable air-conditioner is kicking out the cold air in your workshop and your attic is approximately one hundred and forty degrees. Hot meets cold=SWEAT or condensation. He was livid even after I reduced my normal fee by less that one half. As I walked out the door, he said to his buddy; “He works for ACME roofing”!.

In closing, sometimes the truth hurts, but when you do the same thing over and over and over, you become informed, or in my case; ‘An Expert’.Call Arrayofsolutions.com today and talk to the owner, expert in Mold and moisture. Tomorrow, I will discuss and divulge my workload this week and how many illnesses can be directly related to exposure to Black Mold or Stachybotrys. Penicillium Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Smuts and more.
Douglas R. Whitehead
Arrayofsolutions.com

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