Another mold thread...

House Repair Talk

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OmaJohn

Tear It Outter
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Hi, guys.

I've got a little ranch house I'm cleaning up from 'disaster' status to 'decent rental property' status (or better). The issue I'm looking for a little help on is dealing with some mold/asbestos issues.

The guy working on the house before me pulled the plumbing under the kitchen sink apart without checking it carefully and left it for a month. When the house was next visited, it had dripped a large amount of water through the bottom of the cabinet, the basement asbestos tile ceiling, the ceiling tiles installed below that, and onto the painted floor of a storage room below -- which then ran along the floor to an area with brand new carpet about 15 feet away and saturated the area.

I went in, cleaned up all the water, and told the home owner that we need to tear out the ceiling in the basement, replace the kitchen cabinets, and once I can see better, likely do some serious cleanup in the whole area for any mold.

As of yet, we've been unable to reach the guy working on it previously. I am skeptical as to the likelihood of his insurance covering the cost of repair, and expect I'll be the one to do it.

My question is this: I have done a lot of working on houses, and I have allergies and asthma. Often I have no trouble, or nothing but a stuffy nose. This house causes my sinuses to shut down completely if I'm in it for any period of time longer than maybe half an hour. I suspect because of the mold. Do you guys have links/clear suggestions on some paper masks, goggles, etc that I can wear while tearing this nightmare apart to keep myself reasonably well protected? All of the stuff at the hardware store says things like, "Only for light dust, not for serious work." (Yeah, I rephrased that).

Any help would be sincerely appreciated.
 
If your timing is right, the problem is unlikely to be mold caused by the leak, not enough time for it to form and as mold doesn't form below 40f unlikely at this time of year especially as the house was empty.
 
Make sure to get a hazmat suit as well. The mold spores can seep in through your skin, so any direct contact could cause a reaction.
 
If your timing is right, the problem is unlikely to be mold caused by the leak, not enough time for it to form and as mold doesn't form below 40f unlikely at this time of year especially as the house was empty.

The house was definitely well above 40 degrees, however. I will try to remember to take some pictures once I get ceiling tiles pulled down -- maybe it wont be as bad as I'm imagining.

Fingers crossed.
 
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