Understanding Mold Damage In Nashville Homes

11/7/2017 (Permalink)

Understanding Mold Damage

There is a misconception about mold held by many Nashville residents. They think that seeing it means their home is somehow dirty. Worse, is that their neighbors might think the same thing if they see a truck from a restoration company outside the house and they have not had a fire. The truth is that every home has some level of mold.

Actual mold damage in a Nashville home only happens when normally inert spores, smaller than the eye can see, somehow come in contact with enough moisture to expand. Even then, mold only grows after it finds a food source. Stopping mold means knowing how it grows and finding the best point to interfere in the process. At SERVPRO, we train our people extensively to do just that.

Mold spores usually cluster together. Each spore is so small that hundreds of them might be on the screen, you are reading now. Most spores are inert and remain that way unless they absorb water from some plumbing leak or even just a few drops of rainwater that found its way under the roof and formed a tiny smear in the attic. These drops can cause mold to expand and extend hyphae, which look like an almost microscopic root system.

Hyphae spread over surfaces, but do not get far unless they find a ready food source. Unfortunately, drywall and most other building materials make excellent meals. The hyphae then extend into the surfaces and begin to reproduce. New spore clusters start to form and eventually break away to expand the infestation.

Temperature is also a factor. Most types of mold grow in a range of 68 to 86 degrees, so nearly every home may be hosting a mold growth as you read this.

At SERVPRO, we learned years ago that eliminating the source of moisture returns even large spore colonies to their inert state. That is why our first action is to trace the origin of the mold and eliminate every water source as we follow the growth back. Inert mold is easier to clean and safer to remove if it has grown into ceiling tiles or other building material.

SERVPRO of Madison / Goodlettsville has helped our neighbors deal with mold and other disasters for almost thirty years. If you need us, call today at (615) 868-5324 to schedule an appointment.

Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville,_Tennessee for more about the city of Nashville, Tennessee.