Mold/Mildew Problem?

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from IAQ group.

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Message: 4

Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 10:00:54 -0500

From: " L Pitts " <KPITTS@...>

Subject: mold & mildew

I work for a dual fuel utility located in Green Bay WI. Recently a

customer sent me a letter with the following problems which I would like

to run through this group. Please respond directly to:

<A HREF= " mailto:jvanpay@... " >jvanpay@...</A>.

Joe, has a house built from 7/99-11/99. It never rained on the

structure until after it was enclosed. It is a three bedroom ranch

(1680sq.ft.) with a walk out basement. It is located on a high parcel

of land with no surface water problems. It was constructed of 2*6 with

OSB, house wrapped, and bricked. It has batt insulation in the walls

and the attic has blown fiberglass. The house has casement windows. It

is heated with forced air. Both bathrooms have point of source

ventilation with fans having a CFM of 70 and 100. The fan termination

on both is less then 10 ft.

After the first six months moisture was observed running down the

exposed vapor barrier in the walk portion of the basement which was not

finished off yet. When the vapor barrier was removed and the framing

exposed there was mold on the 2*6's and OSB. As time went on the

customer and his wife would notice a mold smell in two bedrooms located

on the first level. The smell would come and go. They also observed

white chalky substance on the brick directly below the windows of both

rooms. This chalky substance covered the full width of the windows and

about three feet down from the sill.

This spring the odor got worse. They smell it every day with the

strength depending on the temperature, humidity, and wind direction.

They have not noticed any signs of mold on the interior walls. But,

they have noticed that the smell seems to be coming out of the

electrical outlets in the bedrooms. They also notice some smell from

the distribution system. The furnace is located under the bedrooms.

And, this is the only area in the basement that smells of mold.

Last week the temperature was in the 80's and the unfinished framed

walls in the basement were sweating so bad that wet spots were created

on the floor by the bottom framing plate. This week the temperature is

in the 60's (Green Bay's summer is really short) and there is no

moisture problem in this area. The customer has started to run the fan

on the hvac in a continuous mode. The result being that they don't

notice the smell as much.

The customer and his wife recently have had a baby. They are concerned

to the point of not letting the child sleep in the bedroom area. If you

could contact them with any possible solutions to their problem through

the above email address they would be grateful. Thank You!

L. Pitts

Outdoor Lighting Product Line Mgr.

Wisconsin Public Service Corp.

700 N. St.

Green Bay, WI 54307-9001

920-433-4964

920-433-2977 - fax

<A HREF= " mailto:kpitts@... " >kpitts@...</A>