Mold Testing Meter

As a licensed mold inspector I am sometimes asked the question, “Is there a mold testing meter for testing mold in the air.?” Yes, such a device does exist, but it is not well known. These mold test meters are not widely used in the mold industry. They have pros and cons when compared to more mainstream mold testing methods and machines.

I will discuss mold testing meters below. In addition, I also discuss more traditional mold sampling methods. However, there is no shortcut. The best way to find mold is by far not with a machine. The best way is with a trained mold inspector doing a detailed visual mold inspection.

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The Mold Testing Meter

The real mold testing meter is called the Mycometer. It uses a mold testing methodology that provides information on mold in the air, it gives on-site results in real time. As a result, the Mycometer system more resembles an actual mold testing meter. However, it is not a single hand held device like a particle counter. This system is more of a kit than a meter. The kit comes as a few separate components in a small suitcase. Mycometer sampling techniques have evolved over the years.

The Mycometer kit initially started out as a way of testing suspected mold on surfaces. I personally observed it being used for this purpose when it first came out a few decades ago. I was not impressed because an experienced mold inspector can typically tell if a substance is mold by looking at it. Newer kit configurations can also be used to test for bacteria. Bacteria testing is a more impressive and useful feature because it can test for what your eyes cannot see. Now with technological advances the company has created a way to allow it to be used for testing mold in the air. This advancement makes the Mycometer a much more useful and effective mold testing tool in my opinion. The reason air testing is more impressive than surface testing is because it can test in the air what your eyes cannot see.

Using The Mold Testing Meter

The mold meter method involves using a blower fan to stir up settled spores from surfaces in the home. Once all those settled spores are floating around in the air, it becomes easier to get a uniform air sample. Without such aggressive sampling some spores would be in the air, and some would be settled and not retrievable via air sampling. Now, once in the air, the spores can be sampled in a more uniform and reproduceable manner. A pump is turned on, the pump pulls air into a cylindrical filter cassette. All spores and other fungal fragments are trapped in something like a tiny coffee filter. These devices are expensive and not something that most homeowners would be in the market to purchase. Thus, it is not testing mold directly, it is testing enzymes produced by mold.

How is it Different Than Traditional Mold Tests?

One big difference with this method when compared to traditional mold test methods is that the sample is not sent to a lab. The sample is analyzed on the spot by the consultant with results in one hour. Test results will let the consultant know if there are elevated levels of mold specific enzymes in the particles that are in the air.

Another difference with this method is that the kit does not test for spores. This system tests for mold related chemicals that are in the spores and other mold fragments in your air. More specifically it tests for an enzyme produced by mold known as N-acetylhexosaminidase or (NAHA). Test results can be used to tell on the spot if one part of a building is more moldy than other parts of the building. This lets one know if that area is likely harboring mold. It is also an excellent tool for telling if mold particle levels are back to normal after a mold removal job has been completed.

MOLD TESTING METER ADVANTAGES

This is a true portable mold meter kit that can let you know while you are at a building if the air in that building is moldy or not. Results can be had in about one hour as opposed to having to mail samples to a lab hundreds of miles away. So, with this method, you are getting real time, on location results.
Also, with a Mycometer results are very reproducible as documented by the US EPA in 2011. Thus, this method gives consistent reliable results that do not vary greatly as is the case with more conventional methods. There is limited usefulness in measuring something if the results vary each time you measure. With this method you do not have to worry about such inconsistencies.
One great advantage is that the Mycometer takes into account all the tiny mold fragments that would not be noticed by lab personnel looking under a microscope. You see, with more traditional methods you only get a measurement of entire intact mold spores and entire intact hyphal fragments. Countless tiny mold spore fragments and mold fiber fragments at can cause health problems are not noticed or counted by lab personal.

DISADVANTAGES
Disadvantages to this method is that it cannot determine how many spores you have. The Mycometer can only tell you if the number of mold particles are elevated when compared to what is found in non-moldy buildings.
This method cannot tell you the types of mold spores you have in your air. With traditional mold sampling methodologies, you get a report showing the types of molds releasing spores into your air to the genus level. And with traditional mold testing methods you get the number of each type of spore. This can be beneficial because many clients want to know what type of mold they have.
No 3^rd party verification of your findings. With traditional methods you get a report showing that a 3^rd party lab identified the type and amounts of spore’s present. With the Mycometer the consultant provides the inspection and the lab results. In cases where the investigator may be biased towards one outcome or another, questions may arise as to if the results are valid. An investigator can tamper with 3^rd party lab result outcome. They can manipulate sample methods and sample time with a Mycometer. But this is true with any test method.
It is simple to lessen the likelihood of an inspector tampering with results by simply hiring one who does not own a mold removal company. A non-bias investigator has no reason to falsify results.
COST RELATED DISADVANTAGE
Mycometers are not cheap. They are cost prohibitive for homeowners and for most mold inspectors. The cost of these meters and the ongoing cost of sample analysis in my opinion is why these devices are not more widely used. The kit costs about $5000.00. On top of the initial investment, the filter cassettes are about $20.00 to 25.00 each, so each sample taken will cost the inspector $20.00 to $25.00.

Pump and spore trap commonly used for mold testing.

The Traditional Mold Testing Method

Nearly every mold inspector uses air sampling pumps and spore traps when testing air. A ten-minute run time at 15 liters per min resulting in a 150 liter air sample is very typical. Air pulled by the pump passes through a plastic or aluminum spore trap with a small piece of glass inside. The small piece of glass has sticky silicone grease on it. As the air is pulled through the spore trap the spores become stuck on the silicone grease. Next the plastic spore trap with the small piece of glass inside is sent to a microbiology lab. Spore types and numbers are recorded on a lab report by an actual lab analysist. Because the sample results are not provided on site, and in real time, it does not qualify as a mold testing meter. This is how almost all air samples are taken and analyzed during mold inspections.

ADVANTAGES

It will provide you with the actual number of spores per cubic meter of your air.
This mold test will tell you the types of spores you have in your air.
A non-bias 3^rd party lab provides the results thus making it appear more reliable.
The lab may charge around $25.00 per an analyzed sample, it is relatively affordable for the client.

DISADVANTAGES

It will take 24 hours to several days to get results back from the lab.
It is a well-known and studied fact that the results are incredibly variable. Take two samples from the same location, and you will get different results. Mold sample analysis results can sometimes vary greatly. For more info on this problem see our article on problems with mold sampling, or see our other article here.

CONCLUSIONS:

The above Mycometer mold test kits can provide some information like is a building moldy or not. It can give answers in one hour. The above traditional mold testing methods can provide some information like what types of spores are present, and how many spores are present.
But that is about it. A professional mold inspection can provide much more beneficial information. A mold inspector can do testing. Mold inspectors can also give some idea as to where the mold is, how far it spread, and why it is there. In addition, we help formulate a plan on how to get rid of it.

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