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Del Mar MOLD
TESTING & MOLD INSPECTIONS |
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AMI provides two services;
Mold
Inspections and
Mold
Testing in Del Mar, California.
Most often, the questions that are raised in a mold inspection are answered by
mold testing, and visa-versa.
Therefore, the best way to accurately assess an indoor mold situation
is by combining a visual mold inspection
with mold samples of any suspect areas.
This section of our web site will explain the differences, purposes and costs of
each service. If your questions are not answered here, please feel free to call
us at 1-800-369-8532 |
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WHAT
IS A MOLD
INSPECTION?
A mold inspection is a visual inspection of a
property (inside and out) for mold and conditions that cause mold. A
mold inspection includes moisture readings of construction
materials, including exterior walls, interior walls, floors,
cabinets, shower enclosures and concrete slabs. AMI uses
state-of-the-art, industry specific electronic equipment to detect
excessive moisture in construction materials, which is the primary
cause indoor mold problems.
WHAT
IS THE PURPOSE OF A MOLD
INSPECTION?
The purpose of a mold inspection is to locate mold infestations, determine the cause and
provide useful information to help facilitate an effective remediation
(removal) plan.
WHAT
ELSE WILL A MOLD INSPECTION DO?
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A Mold Inspection can reveal hidden mold conditions.
Sometimes mold is obvious and other times it's not. The absence
of visible mold is not necessarily confirmation that there is no a
mold problem. A mold inspection can assist in identifying hidden
mold problems that may go unnoticed by an untrained eye.
[For an example of how a mold
inspection can reveal hidden mold click here.]
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A Mold Inspection can catch
small mold problems before they become big mold
problems.
There are usually many warning signs of a mold problem
"in-the-making". If you know about them soon enough you can
often prevent a minor problem from becoming a major problem.
[For more information on
catching mold problems early click here.]
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A Mold Inspection can assist in finding out
what caused your mold problem.
Equally as important as identifying mold problems is discovering
how they started. Unless you correct the cause,
remediation efforts are futile because the mold will come back
within six months to a year.
HOW MUCH DOES
A MOLD INSPECTION COST?
Please call for current rates.
WHAT IS MOLD TESTING?
Mold testing is the actual collecting of samples for laboratory
analysis. There two types of samples; surface samples and air
samples.
WHAT IS
THE PURPOSE OF MOLD TESTING?
The purpose
of testing is to identify what types of molds are present
on surfaces and in the air. Identification and quantification is
useful data in determining proper remediation procedures as well as
the seriousness of potential health risks.
WHAT IS A SURFACE SAMPLE?
Just like it sounds, a surface sample is a
sample taken directly from a surface (approximately one square inch). Surface samples can be taken by tape lift imprints,
cotton swabs receptacles, or bulk sampling (an actual
piece of a surface). The preferred method of analysis
at most laboratories today is direct microscopic examination (direct
microscopy). Direct microscopy is generally more proficient than culturing mold samples for three reasons:
- Culturing
mold samples is the process of growing mold in a Petri dish in a
wide variety of different liquid agar solutions. The problem is that
some agar solutions are conducive to some mold types but not others,
which means multiple samples of the same area with different agars
are required to accurately represent all molds present, making the
cost of sampling prohibitive in many cases.
- Many molds
do not compete well with others in the culturing process and are
often choked out by stronger, more aggressive molds. Molds that
thrive in a particular agar solution will stifle the growth of molds
that don't grow well in that same solution. The result is an
inaccurate representation.
- Culturing
can take 7 to 10 days for results. So forget about quick turn-around
times.
WHAT IS AN AIR SAMPLE?
An air sample is a representation of mold spores in the air based on
the actual number of spores captured in a canister known as a spore
trap.
Biological air sampling is the best way to accurately determine if
an elevated mold spore condition exists because it reveals not only what types of mold are in the air
but how much of each type as well.
Please Note:
An air test requires a minimum of two samples.
The reason is because, at the time of this writing, there are no
official State or Federal standards for how much mold is "normal".
In the absence of standards, laboratories require an ambient sample
of outdoor air to be submitted with your indoor air sample. The
outdoor sample establishes a comparison baseline for your indoor air
sample. A single outdoor mold sample is sufficient for multiple
indoor samples.
Ideally, indoor spore counts should be the same or less that outdoor
spore counts. When indoor spore counts exceed outdoor spore counts,
or when certain types of mold are found indoors but not outdoors,
something indoors is the cause. The grater the difference, the
higher the potential health risk.
HOW MUCH
DOES MOLD TESTING COST?
Please call for current rates.
REAL ESTATE CLOSINGS:
AMI does
mold inspections for real estate transactions. Please call for details .
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT INSPECTIONS & TESTING:
Q: Do I have
to have both the inspection and the testing or can I do one
without the other?
A: Mold inspections and mold testing services can be purchased
separately, however, one typically raises questions that can only be
answered by the other.
For example; if an air test
indicates an elevated mold condition exists, something in the inspection
will explain why.
On the other hand, if mold is discovered in
the inspection, sampling will determining the type(s) and severity.
Q: How long does it take?
A: Scheduling an appointment usually requires a day or two notice.
The length of the investigation varies upon the size of the
property. Lab results usually take 2 to 3 business days (24 hour
service is available).
Q: Does AMI bill Escrow?
A: No. Services must be paid for at the time of the appointment or
pre-paid with a credit card on our web site.
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