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.
Corrosion issues after mold remidiation
- Thread starter BECo
- Start date
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
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
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
Last edited:
marmathsen
Senior Member
- Location
- Seattle, Washington ...ish
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
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
Rob G - Seattle