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+-- Thread: Interesting mold issue at my son's house (/showthread.php?tid=7378804)
Interesting mold issue at my son's house - doobes - 07-08-2025
So,
My son sends me these images:
[attachment=55123]
[attachment=55122]
Evidently, the previous owner had installed a paper towel holder in the garage. In doing so, they drilled a hole into a waste water drain.
I advised him to keep looking to see the end result.
And this is what he sent back.
This wall backs onto the kitchen cabinets. I told him to cut out all the affected drywall.
[attachment=55121]
[attachment=55120]
It's a raised foundation, so he's going to look under the house to see what it looks like.
Obviously, we would prefer not to rip out the kitchen cabinets if we can avoid it.
What's a reasonable course of action?
My last experience with mold was Hurricane Katrina, and we ripped out all the affected drywall and treated the exposed framing with bleach. Not certain that experience applies here.
Thanks
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - Cabinet Monkey - 07-08-2025
(07-08-2025, 08:46 AM)doobes Wrote: So,
My son sends me these images
Evidently, the previous owner had installed a paper towel holder in the garage. In doing so, they drilled a hole into a waste water drain.
And this is what he sent back.This wall backs onto the kitchen cabinets. I told him to cut out all the affected drywall.
It's a raised foundation, so he's going to look under the house to see what it looks like.
Obviously, we would prefer not to rip out the kitchen cabinets if we can avoid it.
What's a reasonable course of action ?
Thanks
Don’t use bleach !
Use this instead:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Concrobium-1-gal-Mold-Control-Jug-025001/100654369
I’d replace all of the nail guards just for kicks.
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - doobes - 07-09-2025
Thank you!
Stupid 17 character restriction
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - EightFingers - 07-09-2025
“I’d replace all of the nail guards just for kicks.“
Add some more for the pex line, two electrical lines and the other pvc
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - Cabinet Monkey - 07-10-2025
(07-09-2025, 12:58 PM)EightFingers Wrote: “I’d replace all of the nail guards just for kicks.“
Add some more for the pex line, two electrical lines and the other pvc
Wouldn’t hurt, but strictly speaking they should be on the other side of the wall.
Cheap insurance for sure though.
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - MKepke - 07-14-2025
Big things, I think, are to eliminate the mold, remove & replace any compromised materials and dry everything out - not necessarily in that order.
Look for damage (rot) in the sole plate, subfloor, rim- and floor joists. The pictures make it look like some repairs are probably needed.
Seems like you (he) should be able to do most repairs w/o removing the cabinets. Won’t be as pretty, but if its fit for purpose and all hidden, who cares.
-Mark
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - Cabinet Monkey - 07-15-2025
(07-14-2025, 01:03 PM)MKepke Wrote: Big things, I think, are to eliminate the mold, remove & replace any compromised materials and dry everything out - not necessarily in that order.
Look for damage (rot) in the sole plate, subfloor, rim- and floor joists. The pictures make it look like some repairs are probably needed.
Seems like you (he) should be able to do most repairs w/o removing the cabinets. Won’t be as pretty, but if its fit for purpose and all hidden, who cares.
-Mark
Nothing in the pic suggest to me that replacing any wood is called for so long as the mold can be killed.
Now that the leak is fixed , it should dry in no time.
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - MKepke - 07-15-2025
The OPs son needs to stick a screwdriver into the bad looking parts and report back!
Hopefully you’re right CM
-Mark
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - sleepy hollow - 07-16-2025
If you have not already done so, clearly the hole must be repaired which should be straightforward. Drywall is cheap and easy to patch so definitely remove any drywall that got wet or has mold on it.
Then I would put a fan or two on that area for a few days to help keep air moving and dry everything out. If the crawlspace inspection shows mold/moisture down below, then a fan down there as well. If any wood has softened it should be "shaved" out until you hit solid wood.
I am guessing there is minimal actual rot damage to the 2X plate and the band board below it. Once it's all dry you can treat the wood to kill the rot-causing fungus. Use borate or another suitable fungicide. It's the fungi that rots the wood as I understand it, not the mold. The mold is just an added attraction for you to have to deal with. Vinegar is recommended to treat the mold. There are other chemicals as well. They say not to use bleach but I do not completely understand that. But that's another conversation.
As for the fungus I used a product with borate on my deck beams when I rebuilt it after the PT decking failed and rotted completely. [The lumber company actually wrote me a check to replace the failed boards. PT process was flawed. Since the labor was mine originally, I just added another unit of sweat equity. No compensation for that part anyway.]
Everything has been fine now for about 4 years. The areas I treated were sort of similar to what I see in your photos. The rotted deck boards were bleeding down to the joists and then onto the beams in a couple spots. Not worth replacing the beams. They had lasted over 10 years with rotting wood joists above them, and were not sourced from the same supplier as the deck boards. So, I treated the localized minimal fungus (very superficial and no real rot to speak of) and added some adhesive-backed rubber flashing on top to keep moisture away going forward.
RE: Interesting mold issue at my son's house - Snipe Hunter - 07-18-2025
The thing about mold... it needs food and you have plenty of it there. But it also needs water and you found the source. Without the water it goes dormant and can't release spores or spread. Basically clean it up the best you can (bleach is a myth). There's some good sprays like RMR-141. Same chemical the commercial mold abatement guys use. Let the area dry out... it can literally take several weeks or more to really dry. Then fix the drywall.