Basement Mold - What to do ?

[buckeye95]

All,

Sorry for two posts in a row, but I have been noticing some mold / paint flaking in my basement over the last several months (see attached picture). It only appears on the rear wall of the house (and not on the whole wall), where I know the water tends to build up a little bit outside. The two questions I have are:

1.) Is this dangerous for my family ? I have a toddler and infant at home and am concerned about the potential effect of this on them (as well as on my wife and I). Not that they spend much time in the basement, but I am concerned about anything getting in the air and circulating through the nearby furnace.

2.) Can this be fixed by adding some dirt to the rear of the house along the foundation, and then putting up a couple coats of that hydraulic sealing paint, or does this look more serious than that ? When it comes to my family's health, I will do whatever is necessary, but did want to get any opinions of how serious this may be.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Pete

[gerti]

Here is what I learned from various shows etc:

At best mold is a strong irritant, at worst it can make some people really sick. Manage the water at that outside wall: Check the grade, water should be directed away from the house. Also mind splashing water when it rains. Adding dirt is only an option if it still is far away from any wooden parts, otherwise you will need to remove dirt and create a grade that way.

Once that is taken care of, address the already existing mold. AFAIK bleach can be used to kill off the mold. let it dry thoroughly, and make sure the wall stays dry after a rain. Then you could paint the inside with an anti-fungal primer (eg Kilz).

[DaveS]

One thing - make sure, sure, sure your insurance company doesn't find out you have any mold - they will drop you like a hot potato - it just happened to my brother.

Sometimes solving a basement water problem is as easy as just adding gutters. Sometimes it is a lot more - digging, grading, drainage. You might consider getting a quote from a contractor that specializes in basement water problems - it might be worth it.

[newbie2wood]

From the picture, it does not look like mold. However, mold can cause serious health problems. If it is a small area, use a bleach solution to scrub it off. I'm not a fan of painting or sealing the entire basement, especially with cider blocks, but you can try painting that small area with an anti-fungal primer as suggested. I'm not sure if molds are fungus but I guess it doesn't hurt to try.

Do check your gutters and grading to make sure water is draining properly. A french drain would be helpful.
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[vanguard]

Molds are fungus. As suggested I would do what I can to direct water away from the house and then I'd hit the existing mold with Clorox Gel Bleach. Followed by antifungal paint. A respirator for use during the inside work is probably in order as well.

[LJR]

A ten per cent solution of bleach mixed with water will kill mold. Let that dry and make sure it doesn't grow back before you paint over the affected area.

Mold needs water and organic matter to grow. Mold can be found about everywhere outside. Inside the house mold can be a problem because you're in a confined space. Yes, it does need to be taken care of for everyone living in the house.

[Hellrazor]

Mix a bleach solution, spray it on and scrub it off with a brush.

To help keep the moisture outside you need to survey for the exact problem. One big project would be painting the basement wall/walls with drylok.

Define "water builds up outside". If there is a low spot and you can fill it in, do it. If its related to where the water exits the gutters on your roof, extend the down spouts.

[crokett]

If water is coming through the block you need to regrade the outside or get the water away from the house some other way. A covering over the outside of the block will eventually fail, unless it is some sort of rubber membrane.

For the mold, bleach will kill it but Borax is better. You can get Borax at any grocery store. It kill the mold but will hang around and prevent new mold from growing. Bleach will not do this.

[dedaddy]

Get a dehumidifier or two in the basement. The humidity was over 95% in my basement and I had fungus problems. First I made sure the drainage was good all around the house. I installed two dehumidifiers. I killed all the fungus with a fungacide. I coated the inside walls (cinder block) with an acrylic sealer and then a good quality latex paint. I had to empty the dehumidifiers almost every day for two months. Once they caught up I only had to empty them once a week in the summer and once a month in the winter. It is much more pleasant in the basement at 50-60% RH. Stuff stored down there is not soggy anymore. And no fungus has been seen for over 5 years.

I highly recommend some dehumidifiers.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

You can not be non-renewed in the state of Ohio for existence of mold as mold is specifically excluded, as is the water seeping through the wall.
Health risk of mold, mildew, fungus and protist is hotly debated throughout the legal, mitigation and insurance industries with each having a position that benefits their pockets.
You have a tiny amount of fungal growth as shown in the photo, as mentioned by others, Bleach will easily take care of it. This was the recommended method by a Professor of Mycology at MIT that I worked with on some large mold problems.
As other have mentioned, get the water draining away from your home. Add a dehumidier in the basement (duct it into sump pump if you have one) which will seriously limit future growth. You can seal the wall with concrete block sealer as others have mentioned but you must get the majority of water away from the home to prevent static water pressure behind your wall causing collapse.
If you do have a sump pump, call your insurance agent and make sure you have at least $10,000 sump pump, water, sewer and drain coverage.

[lkazista]

Looks like a dryer vent in that photo. Is this the only spot in the basement with the issue? Perhaps your dryer vent is clogged up and dumping moisture into the air right there, hence some growth on your wall. Your dryer vent should be cleaned annually, so open that puppy up and take a look inside, it solved my humidity issue in my last home.

Lee

[buckeye95]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I had thought about building up the rear grade, but unfortunately with the terrain of my house that is not really possible without getting the dirt level up close to the siding (which opens up the possibility of other issues such as termites and ants). Am having a company come in Monday to give an estimate on what can be done to address the water issue. Will also keep in mind the bleach idea as well as ways to seal the interior once the water issue is corrected (I will have no problem doing this myself).

As for the comment about the dryer vent, good observation as a possible cause, but I do clean it out twice a year (for fire prevention purposes).

Thanks again !

Regards,

Pete

[jfinnan]

problems like that can also be caused by condensation on the inside walls. I had the same issues with my block wall basement, but it was entirely a condensation issue. In the winter, warm moist air and very cold cinder block walls don't mix well. In the summer, cool moist air and very warm cinder block result in the same problem. Seeing the dryer vent near that area would be a possible cause for your problems. It doesn't matter if the vent is cleaned well, warm moist air can still escape and be a cause for them problem you are seeing. Best bet would be to wrap the dryer vent with insulation. Actually, it's not a wrap, but rather can be slipped onto the pipe. It is basically batt insulation with a plastic vapor barrier around that.

And...DEHUMIDIFIER! An absolute must in any basement. Or better yet, an air exchanger which works even better for year round use.

[JimD]

Looks like minor issue and probably no real health consequences but still worth taking care of. I would agree with the "get the water away from the house" and "kill it then paint" recommendations but will add some for if that doesn't work.

Sump pumps are great things and easier to retrofit than some other bigger steps. You cut a hole in the basement floor in a convenient spot (under stairs?), then dig a hole 2 to 3 feet deep and put a special pump/float arrangement you can get at a home center in the hole. What it does is lower the water level in the soil to down below the basement floor. You may or may not be able to pump into the sanitary sewer. You might have to take it outside.

French drains are a piece of plastic pipe with holes in a gravel bed down against the footers on the outside of the basement wall. The pipe drains by gravity to daylight. The problem with retrofitting french drains is digging down to where they need to be.

Your problem could also be related to condensation but it is not obvious to me why it would then be in only one area. If it is condensation, then you need a dehumidifier.

Jim