Re: slab leak fixed. Musty cabinet question.

[Guest guest]

Hi,Folks,

the plumber replaced the pipes that caused the slab leak. New carpet will be

installed in the living room soon.

The kitchen cabinets keep smelling more and more musty. It's hard for me to

breathe when I leave the cabinet doors open.

What's the remediation protocol for water damage (and possibly mold) under the

kitchen cabinets on the concrete slab? The kick plates are attached so they have

not been removed. Small air holes have been drilled in all the kick plates, but

there is still a horrible musty smell that is not resolving.

Please feel free to share your experience or knowledge.

Thanks for being here,

Blessings,

Jocelyn

[Guest guest]

I do not care about how ugly it would look. Health comes first. If it was my

house, I'd remove any cabinet, dry-wall behind it, insulation, soft/discolored

wood..., flooring..., and use a good dehumidifier to dry it out. If that did

not keep the odors out, I'd keep gutting till it smelled right. I would not

live in a toxic environment any more than I'd have to, and cosmetics/appearances

just are not important enough to put my health/future/life at risk. Mold/musty

smells is a very serious issue, that I would not take lightly, especially if it

causes any headaches, eye-aches...

That's just what I would do. It might cost a lot of money to make it look

" presentable " again, but health comes first to me.

>

> Hi,Folks,

> the plumber replaced the pipes that caused the slab leak. New carpet will be

installed in the living room soon.

> The kitchen cabinets keep smelling more and more musty. It's hard for me to

breathe when I leave the cabinet doors open.

>

> What's the remediation protocol for water damage (and possibly mold) under the

kitchen cabinets on the concrete slab? The kick plates are attached so they have

not been removed. Small air holes have been drilled in all the kick plates, but

there is still a horrible musty smell that is not resolving.

>

> Please feel free to share your experience or knowledge.

> Thanks for being here,

> Blessings,

> Jocelyn

>

[Guest guest]

I'd guess that there was mold on the cabinets themselves. That would be the

first place I'd look.

I just had to remove kitchen cabinets and look behind them for mold so I don't

say this lightly-I know it's a ridiculous amount of work. But I was right about

the mold and glad in the end to have removed the cabinets.

Think about it.

>

> Hi,Folks,

> the plumber replaced the pipes that caused the slab leak. New carpet will be

installed in the living room soon.

> The kitchen cabinets keep smelling more and more musty. It's hard for me to

breathe when I leave the cabinet doors open.

>

> What's the remediation protocol for water damage (and possibly mold) under the

kitchen cabinets on the concrete slab? The kick plates are attached so they have

not been removed. Small air holes have been drilled in all the kick plates, but

there is still a horrible musty smell that is not resolving.

>

> Please feel free to share your experience or knowledge.

> Thanks for being here,

> Blessings,

> Jocelyn

>

[Guest guest]

Drilling a few holes will probably be insufficient to completely dry this area

before a major mold problem develops. The cabinets will probably have to be

taken out. If you are lucky, they might be able to be cleaned underneath and

disinfected. Dry thoroughly before reinstallation. Generally, cabinets are all

bolted together, and a large countertop installed over several together. The

countertop will have to be removed, after first removing any sink or range top.

The countertop is commonly held down by screws through horizontal plates just

behind the front top corners of the cabinets. Next, the screws or bolts holding

the cabinets together must be removed. Sometimes these are extra long screws

holding the hinges, or perhaps behind the hinges. Last, and screws or bolts

holding the cabinets to the wall need to come out, and the cabinets can finally

be taken out. If you are lucky, the drywall behind the cabinets will not have

gotten wet. If so, it needs to be removed to at least 2 feet above the water

mark, higher if there is mold on back.

>>>

Re: slab leak fixed. Musty cabinet question.

Posted by: " jebrown20042003 " jocbr8@... jebrown20042003

Date: Mon May 17, 2010 3:49 pm ((PDT))

Hi,Folks,

the plumber replaced the pipes that caused the slab leak. New carpet will be

installed in the living room soon.

The kitchen cabinets keep smelling more and more musty. It's hard for me to

breathe when I leave the cabinet doors open.

What's the remediation protocol for water damage (and possibly mold) under the

kitchen cabinets on the concrete slab? The kick plates are attached so they have

not been removed. Small air holes have been drilled in all the kick plates, but

there is still a horrible musty smell that is not resolving.

Please feel free to share your experience or knowledge.

Thanks for being here,

Blessings,

Jocelyn