Napes Cape Coral Mold Inspection

Our Florida mold inspections are designed to provide a thorough assessment of the home or business for the presence of mold, conditions conducive to mold growth and for determining the indoor air quality. We accomplish this by providing a thorough visual inspection of the indoor environment and the collection of air and or surface samples. Samples are collected following Indoor Environmental Standards Orginization (IESO) protocols and shipped overnight to a third party, AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association) EMLAP (Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program ) accredited laboratory for environmental microbiology analyses.

Indoors mold can only grow if two conditions are present: first is an organic food source and the second is sufficient moisture. Food sources for mold indoors are abundant. They include building materials like drywall, pressboard materials, cabinetry and settled out airborne particulate like dust. Because these food sources are inherent in most every building, controlling the food sources is not realsitic. The other necessity for mold, sufficient moisture, is the controlable factor. The truth is, if you control moisture indoors, you will never have a mold problem.

Utilizing infrared thermal imaging cameras on every inspection helps us identify areas that are wet and actively evaporating moisture. A roof leak, for instance, that is impacting the living room ceiling may not be obvious to the naked eye, however when that area is viewed with the infrared camera, the wet (cooler) area of the ceiling will show clear as day. In addition, we also use an instrument called a protimeter. This device is placed directly on a given surface like a wall or the interior of a sink base cabinet which then provides a readout of the relative moisture content of that material. For instance an area of drywall under a window that is getting wet as a result of water migrating in through cracks in the exterior stucco and or under the exterior window frame, will show a much higher moisture content than the the dry, or normal moisture content, of the drywall to the left or right of the window.

John prefers this camera for Mold Assessments

FLIR Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera

All of our Mold Assessors use Infrared Cameras

This "tool" is always confirmed with moisture meter

Infrared cameras allow us to scan large areas

Mold needs Moisture to Grow

Another moisture source that negatively impacts many of the homes, from a mold perspective in Florida, is the indoor humidity levels. This moisture source is less understood in respect to its impact on the indoor environment. Too often as well, it is poorly understood the critical role the HVAC system (Heating, Ventillation and Air Conditioning) has on the indoor relative humidity and indoor air quality as a whole. When a properly maintained and operating residential A/C is running, it obviously is providing cooler air to the indoor space. However, and far less understood is, it is also removing moisture from the air. Residential HVAC design cools/heats the same indoor air over and over. For air conditioning, the HVAC system pulls the air in the home into the system at the main return(s), cools it down and then supplies it back to all rooms in the home designed to be under air. In the process of cooling the air down, it drops the air temperature to below the dew point temperature. When this happens, water vapor in that air is condensed into liquid water. Those white PVC pipes we often see sticking out of the exterior base of a home that are dripping water, that's the water that was just in your home's air in the form of water vapor, commonly known as humidity. When the HVAC system is not operating properly, oversized, turned off completely or has the thermostat set too high, it loses the ability to remove that water vapor from the indoor air. As a result, indoor humidity levels increase. Generally speaking, humidity levels consistently above 55% indoors provides sufficient moisture for many molds to grow. This fact leads to the importance of the visual inspection part of our asseement. All too often, a home can look just fine as you walk around, upon closer inspection however, humidity driven mold growth can be growing on numerous surfaces throughout. Interior sides of closet doors, the undersides of shelving, cabinets, tables and chairs are typical locations. In this all too common scenario, the mold is utilizing the available moisture in the air (elevated indoor relative humidity) and settled out organic airborne particulate and/or organic building materials for food.

Particle counters are also handy tools

Tracking down the source of mold is often difficult

Particle Counters help your mold assessor by measuring the particles (mold spores) in the air in a given location. In many cases, the closer to the source, the higher the count. Particle counters are expensive but very useful tools for the professional mold inspector. Mold remediators often hire us to check their air scrubbers for leaks; a leak allows mold spores to by pass the filters designed to remove air borne particles. The goal during mold remediation is to remove mold spores from the air with air scubbers. This sometimes happens when a new filter is not installed properly or is sized wrong.

As Board Certified Indoor Environmentalists (CIE) by the American Council for Accredited Certification (http://acac.org/ )and having performed well over 8,000 mold inspections in Florida since 2002, our hands-on field experience and technologically advanced tools, helps each of our clients receive a professional, comprehensive and well documented assessment of mold and moisture inside their home or business. It is also critically important to realize that we, as a company, do not provide any remedial services. Put simply, we don't fix anything. As a result, we do not have any vested interest in the outcome of our assessment. No financial gain interests or concerns, no financial losses interest or concerns. Our # 1 job when in your home or business is to document our findings and provide you a comprehensive report.

Licensed Mold Assessors are not allowed to do the remediation work on jobs they inspect within 12 months.

Florida Statutes

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0400-0499/0468/Sections/0468.8419.html

468.8419 Prohibitions; penalties.—

(d) Perform or offer to perform any mold remediation to a structure on which the mold assessor or the mold assessor’s company provided a mold assessment within the last 12 months.

(d) Perform or offer to perform any mold assessment to a structure on which the mold remediator or the mold remediator’s company provided a mold remediation within the last 12 months.

July 2011 News letter

Florida Law requires a License July 1, 2011

Mold Assessors

Home Inspectors

Mold Remediators

Don't recommend unlicensed individuals

Several Local Inspectors have not qualified for a license yet

Verify a License here:

https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp?mode=0&SID=

Mold Assessor

July, 1,2011

Your Mold Assessor (Inspector/Tester)

Must be Licensed by the State of Florida.

Unlicensed activity:

1^st offense / A misdemeanor of the second degree

2^nd offense / A misdemeanor of the first degree

3^rd or more / A felony of the third degree

Hire ACAC certified State of Florida Licensed Mold Assessors.

About 12 local Licensed Mold Assessors have passed an ACAC exam, now (after March 1, 2011) required by Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

List of Local Certified Indoor Environmentalists (CIE) & CIEC & CMC that are also Florida Licensed Mold Assessors.

http://radonmoldhelp.com/id69.html or by zip code here: www.acac.org

Hundreds of people received a mold assessor license with the "Grandfathering" exemption and did not qualify by passing one of the three ACAC exams used today by the DBPR.

Florida "grandfathering" allowed individuals to qualify for a mold license in less than a week with no experience and they didn't have to pass the ACAC exams between July 2010 and March 1, 2011.

ACAC certifications require 2 years of experience and passing their exam.

Florida Mold Assessor exam requirement now: http://www.acac.org/certify/FL.aspx

Mold Assessor License Requirements TODAY

Mold Assessor License requires 4 years experience (1 yr with specific college degrees)
Pass ACAC exam for CIE or CIEC or CMC
Maintain $1,000,000 liability insurance with E&O for both preliminary and post remediation activities.

Home Inspector License Requirements TODAY

Home Inspector applicants must have 120 hours of training and pass a proctored test.
$300,000 Liability insurance required
Home Inspector License has NO experience requirement

Hire Experienced Licensed Home Inspectors

Hundreds of people received a State of Florida Home Inspector License with as little as 14 hours of training between July, 2010 and March 1, 2011.

List of experienced Licensed Home Inspectors:

http://radonmoldhelp.com/id12.html

Your Home Inspector MUST have a license like this:

Your Mold Inspector MUST have a license like this:

Radon & Mold Professionals

3 State of Florida Licensed Mold Assessors (#2, #5 & #763)
Florida DOH Certified Radon Measurement Business RB1938 (WallRadon Testing, Inc.)
5 Florida Dept of Health Certified Radon Measurement Tech's
3 ACAC Board Certified Indoor Environmentalists (CIE)

Naples: (239) 498-4619

Ft Myers: (239) 948-9717

Toll free: (800) 881-3837

Email: radonmold@yahoo.com

Radon Testing -

Mold Inspections - Mold Testing

Allergen Screening- Volatile Organic Compounds Testing

Defective/Chinese Drywall Assessment

Serving Florida since 1999

www.radonmoldhelp.com

July 4th Parade

In Bonita Springs 9am

Home Inspectors Can not Inspect then Repair

Can Not inspect then repair.

Gov. Rick Scott approved HB 849 this afternoon, the following provisions are effective on July 1, 2012, related to the home inspector licensing statute:

Strikes the provision in statute that allowed a dual licensed General Contractor/Home Inspector to perform an inspection and then do the repair work.

http://flnachi.org/hilegislation.html

Prior to contracting for or commencing a home inspection, a home inspector shall provide to the consumer a copy of his or her license to practice home inspection services in this state and a written disclosure that contains the scope and any exclusions of the home inspection.

Highlights of Mold Law

Florida Mold Statutes: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0468/0468PartXVIContentsIndex.html&StatuteYear=2010&Title=-%3E2010-%3EChapter%20468-%3EPart%20XVI

Prohibitions; penalties.-

(1) A person may not:

(a) Effective July 1, 2011, perform or offer to perform any mold assessment unless the mold assessor has documented training in water, mold, and respiratory protection under s. 468.8414(2).

(b) Effective July 1, 2011, perform or offer to perform any mold assessment unless the person has complied with the provisions of this part.

(c) Use the name or title "certified mold assessor," "registered mold assessor," "licensed mold assessor," "mold assessor," "professional mold assessor," or any combination thereof unless the person has complied with the provisions of this part.

Consumers should know

468.8421 Insurance.- A mold assessor shall maintain general liability and errors and omissions for both preliminary and post remediation mold assessment insurance coverage of at least $1 million.

¹468.8422 Contracts.-A contract to perform mold assessment or mold remediation shall be in a document or electronic record, signed or otherwise authenticated by the parties. A mold assessment contract is not required to provide estimates related to the cost of repair of an assessed property. A mold assessment contract is not required to provide estimates.

Section 468.8419(2)(d), F.S., provides that a remediator may not "perform or offer to perform any assessment to a structure on which the mold remediator or the remediator's company provided a mold remediation within the last 12 months."

Section 468.8419(1)(d), F.S., provides that an assessor may not "perform or offer to perform any remediation to a structure on which the mold assessor or the assessor's company provided a mold assessment within the last 12 months."

In no event shall WallRadon Testing, Inc. dba Radon & Mold Professionals be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of any kind including profits, in any action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from this email or newsletter. All advertisers or links in this website or email are for general information purposes only. It is the sole responsibility of any person viewing these pages to verify by outside means the accuracy of the information prior to taking any action based on the content of this email and any site connected to it via a hyperlink and you should consult your personal realtor, attorney, accountant or respective professional before acting upon information contained herein.

If .

Radon & Mold Professionals
Naples: (239) 498-4619
Ft. Myers: (239) 948-9717
Toll free: (800) 881-3837
Fax: (239) 949-5948
email: radonmold@yahoo.com

Certified Indoor Environmentalists licensed as Mold Assessors by the state of Florida are the first choice of professional home inspectors for their clients environmental concerns such as mold. CIE’s have to prove experience and pass one of the exams now adopted by Florida for a mold license. Most mold assessors were “grandfathered” in the mold license and did not pass an ACAC exam. http://acac.org/certify/FL.aspx

Consumers should understand that a mold assessor license only allows the individual to perform the work, the license is not indicator their qualifications. Almost anyone could get a license under "grandfathering" in 2010. Certified Indoor Environmentalists have to prove experience.