WHY MOLD GROWS UNDER FLOOR

As a Mold Inspector in West Palm Beach my job is to figue out the cause of, and solution to mold problems. I have dealt with the issue of mold growing under floors many times before.  In fact I have dealt with this very issue twice in the last few weeks.

So how does mold grow under floors? How does it get under there in the first place?

When floor coverings are installed microscopic particles of dust, dirt, bacteria, and mold spores, are always trapped under the floor covering.

It is common for there to be dozens or hundreds of mold spores per each cubic meter of air in a healthy building. Thousands of bacterial cells and dust particles are possible in that same cubic meter of air. Any dead bacterial cells, dust, and dirt trapped under the floor can served as a small volume, low-quality food source for the mold spores even under ceramic tile floors. Of course, if it is a carpet or wood floor, the floor covering itself is a perfect and abundant food source, no dust needed.

 

A LIMITING FACTOR

But there is a problem for the mold spores. There is not enough moisture for mold to grow under floors. Even when wet mortar is used the mortar dries before mold can grow. As a result, you will not have mold growing under most floors, just normal harmless dormant spores.

When a leak occurs, such as from a broken plumbing fixture, water can and often does end up under floor coverings. Water always finds a way. Another water source is moisture vapor from a floor slab with no vapor barrier.

When water gets under the floor, the dormant mold spores that may have been waiting for decades are awaken and start to grow. Feeding off the dust, dirt, and if present the wood or carpet, the mold growth does not stop until the food is exhausted or the water dries.

Using Moisture Meters to Test For Moisture in Floors

 

Moisture meters are excellent tools, they can detect moisture far better than the human hand. In fact human touch is pretty much useless for determining if a building material is wet enough to grow mold. Moisture levels in non wet wood in the home is typically between 5% and 14%.

 

A Problem With Using Moisture Meters on Floors

Non wet floors often read as if wet even when perfectly dry because moisture meters pick up signals from concrete under the floor. Concrete, tile, and other masonary materials will cause false high moisture readings even if they are dry. Even if the material is buried under 1/4 or even an 1 inch of wood the meter will pick up false readings from the masonry materials even when they are dry.

Professional Tip:
When using a moisture meter like the above one sold online here test several floors.  You must compare the suspected wet floor readings to moisture level readings from floors made of similar materials in other rooms. Make sure these floors in other rooms are not suspected of being wet. Compare readings from the suspected wet floor to readings from suspected dry floors. If moisture levels in the suspected wet floor area is significantly higher than other floors then you know that suspected wet floor is very likely wet according to the moisture meter.

IN CONCLUSION

So in conclusion, how does mold grow under floors? A food source and water supply meet and the already present dormant spores and the spores start to grow.

 

TWO CASE STUDIES FROM WEST PALM BEACH MOLD INSPECTIONS

Last week I did a mold inspection in West Palm Beach for a personal trainer of the rich and famous.

He had mold under his floors, but the water source was not your typical plumbing leak. My clients mold resulted from moisture on the interlocking rubber floor mats that were used in his gym. The mats were already wet when installed by people in charge before he came onto the scene.

He has already taken measures to have a company rectify the problem.

Less than a month ago I did another mold inspection in West Palm Beach and they had mold and moisture under their master bedroom wood floors. Sliding glass doors were leaking and the water went under the wood floors. Mold could be seen coming up through seams between floor boards in this nice home.

 

TEST YOURSELF

Question: You should now be able to figure out which properties floor had more mold, the gym floor with the rubber mats? or the home with wood floors?

Answer: the home with wood floor coverings had more, the reason is wooden boards will provide hundreds of pounds of molds natural and favorite food. Rubber mats with tiny amounts of bacterial, dust, and dirt, will provide only grams of poor-quality food if all rounded up and weighed.

 

 

Looking for a mold inspector in West Palm Beach? Contact A Accredited Mold Inspection Service to scedule an appointment.