Corrosion issues after mold remidiation

[BECo]

Called out to replace a pull chain fixture in an unfinished basement, which turned out to be a fixture that caught fire and burned up some wiring. After corrosion concerns and further troubleshooting, I was informed that mold remediation had been performed and everything had been severely coated with a corrosive spray. All steel and copper is severely corroded. Has anyone seen long term issues from remediation work? Worried about possible future issues due to severity of corrosion on bare copper and loose/ sloppy device terminations.

 

[hbiss]

This post particularly caught my attention because I am in the process of selling my home and a "home inspector" found mold on the basement floor joists. According to him, it didn't require professional remediation, but I had to take care of it before the sale. Indeed, someone will be by tomorrow to take pictures to show the bank that it has been removed. The house is 70 years old with a dry, clean basement and the mold, which is only on certain joists that you really have to look for, looks like sheet rock sanding dust. It comes off with a light brushing with a dust brush or a damp rag. There are two joists that it looks like the lumber was used prior to being used for joists that had plaster slop on them, and of course it is white. So, I had to wet them down and scraped it off because I don't want any arguments.

But I'm thinking, if this is mold, what danger does this "major infestation" cause to the occupants? I mean really, I have been living in this house for 70 years since it was built, and my wife and kids and I are still breathing. Ok, my parents are dead, but it wasn't from mold. So, I do a little research. EVERY house constructed like this HAS to have a similar situation that should be considered normal. I would be worried about black mold or a heavy infestation and rot on the framing that I'm sure we have all seen in some nasty crawl spaces, but this is not the case.

Google turns up a YouTube by this remediation guy who takes air samples, relative humidity and moisture readings from the basement walls and floor, a basement much like mine. Then he states that it's normal for there to be some moisture because it's underground and concrete.

Then there is another one about this guy who was advised to do a complete remediation. Air samples taken before he spent over $30K were no different than after. He sued and lost.

So, here we have a post by @BECo about some kind of mold remediation chemical that destroys the electrical system. Mold is gone, but at what cost? And was it really necessary?

I can understand that if someone is mold sensitive or has respiratory issues, they would want to minimize their exposure and take whatever means are necessary to protect their health. But some mold spores are normal in our environment and unless you have a problem, saying that anything more than zero is a health risk is a scam. This reminds me of the EM debacle that empties a lot of people's wallets.

-Hal

 

[marmathsen]

I suspect this is part of the reason Washington State requires whole house ventilation with daily air chance minimums. I wouldn't be surprised if they adopt some requirement to maintain a maximum humidity level in some future code cycle.

Rob G - Seattle

 

[BECo]

My main concern is about future liabily. The homeowner is looking for an electrical clean bill of health to document for the sale of the home. After looking inside the panel, furnace, water heater, fixtures and other devices, they all have the same issue. I opened some 1st floor devices and confirmed the issue is only related to the basement dampness/remediation work. I am nervous to attach my company name to this home when so many issues have come about with a home that is only a year old, especially with the amount of corrosion I'm seeing. I hate to walk away from a job, because I'm sure someone else will do it, but feel the future potential issues are not worth the headache as more issues arise, especially when the home owner does not want to make all recommended repairs.

 

[hbiss]

Home is only a year old? What is the story behind the remediation? Was he sold a bill of goods? Sounds like he needs to go after the remediation company!

And no, I wouldn't put my name on a clean bill of health. This sounds almost like flood damage and should be treated as such.

-Hal

 

[petersonra]

I would replace whatever you are paid to replace and move on.

Alternatively, you walk away telling the customer you don't have enough information or experience to deal with this problem.

 

[Fred B]

Some of the mold remediation products contain high levels of chlorine bleach and when aerosolized as in some of the treatment method such as fogging it can cause corrosion on exposed metals as it is not "rinsed off" after treatment.

 

[BECo]

Thanks for the replies. From the story i have received, it sounds like the home was built, but never occupied due to a large list of problems that the builder refused to fix. I was informed the basement had extensive mold and a chlorine/bleach spray was used everywhere, evident by the amount of corrosion on ductwork as well. This home appears to have had major water/humidity issues. The current owner is looking to quickly get repairs done so they can list for sale. This isn't a can of worms I feel like opening, so I've informed the owner I would not be interested in making any repairs. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[gene6]

We cleaned up a basement that had been chemical fogged by one of these companies, everything had to be turned off at the service and was wiped down with regular isopropyl alcohol 99% that you would use for cleaning electronics, It took two helpers 2 days to take apart everything and clean. I decided the panel had to be replaced as we could tell it affected the breakers, all light fixtures were fine. I would rather live in a house with a slight bit of mold than that of-gassing chemical spray.

 

[brycenesbitt]

Home is only a year old? What is the story behind the remediation? Was he sold a bill of goods?

Maybe. Or maybe the lumber was stored poorly at the distributor or job site, and came in "fresh".