WITH COLD WEATHER COMES AIR QUALITY ISSUES

The real cold weather snap we are having in the Midwest has increased our mold inspections. We are getting an upsurge in calls for air quality issues. We can help by doing an inspection & air sampling to see if you are having any mold issues in your home or business. Just give us a call, We service a 50+ mile radius. Any Questions just give us a call  AT 262-717-9989

 

Moldyguy

 

S

A day in the eyes of a MOLD Inspector:

I just did a consult with a concern that mold was growing on certain toys in a basement. When I got there, the home had a mild musty smell as I walked into the home. I proceeded to the basement which was partially finished.  There was this sticky film on a few items, toys, drain lines, pool table, ETC.. But it wasn't on other contents. There was colonies growing on these surfaces & products. It was a weird case.  I have only seen a few other times.. I seen this in a homes with WOK or deep fryers ..

The client hasn't ran a dehumidifier in the basement rooms for a few years & I recognized the substance on the products. IT WAS  COOKING OIL!!  Yes there was mold growing  on but it was growing on surfaces that had natural static electricity.. PLASTIC !!

The discussion with the client:

Well how in the hell did it get there the Client stated.. I said from cooking.. Well we don't cook down here.. I said true. are you sure? they say now that you think of it, I did have someone living down here but they used a microwave.. I asked, did they ever use a electric frying pan?  Im not sure they answered. Well if they didn't, oil can get spread around the house thru the hvac system.. Well we don't cook with oil...Wait a second...come to think of it, Well we do have a little deep fryer we use once in a while.. I stated it doesn't take long to develop. I seen a couple wreck all the walls in there apt from oil smoke the first month they were there. They use cooking oil & a Wok to cook everything

Explanation:
Yes the plastic drew the cooking oil smoke towards it.. It, along with dust settled on the surfaces. the mold spores settled on the surfaces also. With the humidity in the basement, it allowed the mold to develop.
Normally mold will not develop on inorganic surfaces unless it has a food source, This was a perfect scenario!

Additional Inspection:

Well this was there concern.. Not Mine.. Additional inspection did discover that there was a wall built to cover up a cubby to the garage staircase that was eliminated when the addition was built, there was mold inside the area & damaged paneling with mold on the structure. There was also one area of the basement corner that was finished & was showing water penetration & damaged vinyl tile & paneling with warping, I found this area just after the client said that they never had water on this side of the basement, they just didn't remember!!
Also I found from doing a thorough investigation on the outside inspection that they would have mold in the attic because there was not many air vents cut into the soffits. a total of 7 vents in the entire 2,300 sq ft home. Well we will be offering a bunch of Mitigation to this project because of the extensive mold inside the attic.. mold remediation will be needed also after the mitigation of the attic area.

Just think!! It all started with a call  for some slimy substance on a few kids toys!!!Sorry Didn't need Piper this time but I do have a story about the dog inspection..

It Pays to Hire someone that has 14 yrs experience in mold, We are very knowledgeable & do investigations the right way!!

So if you have any concerns about mold in your home, office or business, Please call COBAK ENVIRONMENTAL    262-717-9989

Moldy GUY  
S.

Hello Friends,
As the weather changes, the colors are great on the trees, the pollen counts start to lower, well except for the golden rod.... & the mold counts start to lower outside.. The PPL with allergies will appreciate this once the growing season stops with the first few frosts..
This is the start of our busy season  "believe it or not" !!  Our complaints start when you start to turn on your heat & close your windows.. The air quality in your home starts to be contaminated if you have any issues with mold in your home. Mold will dry out & start to be released easily in less humid air. Kind of like a dandelion loosing its seeds. This mold can be on boxes, wood structure, paneling, drywall, even the block or concrete walls or floors of your basement. It also can be inside the walls that you will never see.. That's where PIPER the Mold dog will help!!

If you are having continuing allergies or have musty smells since you closed your windows & turned on you heat, you have mold somewhere..  give COBAK ENVIRONMENTAL a call 262-717-9989
Me & PIPER my Mold Locating K9 will come out & do A MOLD INSPECTION & or Air Sampling

S.

Hey Everyone,

Well I have just got back from TAMPA, FL & you wouldn't believe how incompetent the contractors & mold assessors are down there. The Home owners association by my Fathers Villa in Tampa hired a company BAY AREA DKI to do a mold remediation & restoration.
In the lower part of the picture, it shows a white Kilz sealer has been applied to wood structure at 2 ft. I told the employees that the mold went further up inside the wall & they need to remove the drywall to 4ft minimum.
 One of the employees stated to me that he guarantees that there isn't any more mold in the wall.. So I figured that the Mold Assessor hired to clear the job would of looked up the wall cavity & see the mold or be able to smell the musty smell of mold in the wall & require them to remove more until they don't see it...
Well She didn't say anything & just took air samples to clear the job. I was not there when they cane to inspect the contractors work so I could not Preach my case.
So I was furious because I couldn't get any response from anyone about what the assessor came up with. Well I decided to grab the saws all & started cutting up the wall.. O to my surprise, look at all the mold damage. As you can see in this picture I had to remove additional drywall to prove to the contractor & Mold assessor/Hygienist that there was additional mold inside the wall.

So as soon as I sent a picture to the Project Mgr of  Bay Area DKI, They said they would be out tomorrow. Now this has been over 8 days.. They came out & removed all the drywall to the ceiling & exposed all the damaged timbers from roof damage & new structure that was replaced when they fixed the outside siding 10 yrs ago. Then the assessor came back out 2 days later & I introduced myself & let her do her job. When she was finished I asked her why she took samples & didn't bother doing a visual before taking samples.. She had NO comment.

I had to seal the attic air out, I had to caulk the joints between the bottom plate boards & the concrete, seal all the spaces between rotten timbers & exterior siding & then her stupid air samples would pass. This is called Manipulating the air samples.. I told her there is additional mold damage in the other master bedroom area & along the staggered fire wall & she should be just using visual because they cant seal off the room from contamination from the common fire wall. It wouldn't have passed the air samples unless I did these procedures
 

Now step forwards a week later & the contractor has not been back to put the insulation or drywall back. The contractor refuses to respond to repeated calls. The contractor doesn't have there own skilled trades to do restoration so who know when they will get to this
This been going on for 22 days.. Its a 3.5 day job from start of the remediation to putting back the carpeting.. I hear this from everyone down there, the contractors are just horrible!!!

I had this same problem with 2 other mold inspectors  & 4 contractors up here in the Milwaukee area.. They passed mold remediation projects that still had mold present. I told my clients to have them fired off the projects

COBAK doesn't do this to our clients. We get Mold remediations done in one to two days guaranteed!!! & have never failed a clearance when required.. I have failed everyone I have worked with at least once because they miss the obvious.. Its because they have low payed employees that just don't know there jobs

Stay tuned for the LAWSUIT Results

MOLDYGUY

The Drought Is Over....



Hey folks , I just wanted to let you know that the national weather service has Taken Milwaukee & SE wisconsin off the drought map. (Like We Havent Noticed)
With all of this rain, Milwaukee area is experiencing basement flooding. Waukesha has the fox river over flowing the banks & sump pumps constantly running.
In Jefferson, the rock & conecting rivers are overflowing & in Cedarburg & Theinsville, they are sand bagging local areas.
Just remember, the water cleanup isnt all you have to do to prevent mold growth. If your experiencing flooding or musty smells, you will have mold growth.
Call Cobak at 262-717-9989 & the Moldyguy will be right out to consult your mold issues

--------MOLDYGUY---------

Hey I forgot about this pick of PIPER.... Cobak Environmentals Mold sniffing K9



-------MOLDYGUY--------------

Welcome!!

Hello,
 We at Cobak Environmental have developed this blog to educate & also Entertain  our current & potential customers. We will talk about so many different issues from A to Z in the mold business & health related issues that we run across with our travels.  we also will talk about govt regulations even how to get your cousult or remediation as a tax deductible expense!!

Any Questions that you may have, we can also answer them privately or on the blog if you feel necessary to blab it..LOL

Ok heres our first Story!!

MEET PIPER, Our Mold locating DOG  (K9 mold detection)
This boy is amazing!!  Yes thats him enjoying a drink at a local establishment after a busy day of being a working mold detection dog.. He will do everything from taking the cans to the  recycling Bin, picking up sticks & taking them to the burning pit.. We cant leaving out drinking the toilet dry.( now thats an art)  LOL
 He really likes locating mice & chipmunk penetrations. But what he specializes in is finding hidden mold inside walls. I trained him how to locate by smell,but hes taught me so much about how to locate hidden mold that most of the time he sits in the truck waiting to go to work..I get my nose down to the areas I suspect mold to be..
The nose is the best locating tool you have.. Is u see mold or smell musty odors in your home,office or business, Call Us  COBAK ENVIRONMENTAL  at  262-717-9989 & PIPER & I will come out & consult your situation..

Folks this gona be fun!! Stay tuned!!

-------------MOLDYGUY-----------------