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How to Use Indoor Wall or Ceiling Stains to Diagnose Indoor Air Quality Problems
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
This article describes How to Use Indoor Wall or Ceiling Thermal Tracking & Other Indoor Stains to Diagnose Indoor Air Quality Problems and discusses
other interior wall and ceiling stains,
building air leaks, and building insulation defects. Often these stains are mistaken for toxic indoor mold. The black stains in the photo at page top are not mold, they are candle soot.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
How to Use Indoor Stains Like Thermal Tracking to Diagnose Building Air Leaks, Insulation Defects, and Indoor Air Quality Problems
Readers should see HEAT LOSS in BUILDINGS. Also see AIR SEALING STRATEGIES and AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS as well as AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION. For photos of snow melt on rooftops that also show points of building heat transfer and loss, see STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS.
Significance of Other Indoor Stains and Marks for Building Framing Location or Defects in Heating & Cooling System Operation
 The short explanation: thermal tracking and soot stains are not mold. But indoor stains may still indicate indoor health or air quality problems.
Many building stains, thermal tracking, thermal bridging, ghosting, stains at heating or air conditioning registers, and even mineral salts left behind by evaporating water at a foundation wall are all very easily recognized as "not mold". Review the stain patterns shown in these articles before ordering a costly building mold test or investigation.
While mold growth in buildings indeed follows the location of leaks or moisture, mold growth does not usually occur on building surfaces in the same regular pattern described by thermal tracking.
When investigating a building for a mold problem, you can save mold test costs by learning
how to recognize Stuff that is Not Mold or is only Harmless Mold but may be mistaken for more serious contamination. In addition to a study of the stain patterns of Thermal Tracking (this series of articles) readers should also see both WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE and STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD.
Mold, Safety, & Health Warning:
Your building might have a separate mold problem:
However, because indoor moisture is an important factor in the cause of thermal tracking or soot ghosting, the same building that has lots of thermal tracking stains might also have a serious mold problem due to leaks, water entry, or high indoor moisture. But where we find this to be the case, the location of the most serious building mold is often not at all the same as the location of the thermal tracking stains. See MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE for help in deciding when it is appropriate to hire a mold inspector.
Your building might have unsafe heating equipment:
both oil and gas fired equipment can produce soot when they are not working properly. Soot from a gas fired appliance is a very dangerous sign, often indicating that dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) gas is being produced - which can be fatal. Be sure your home has working smoke detectors and CO detectors. See CARBON MONOXIDE WARNING.
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 This black stuff is not mold. Since thermal tracking, or soot marking, or "thermal bridging" always tell us about missing or openings in building insulation or about air leaks,
we can learn other facts about a building such as those listed in this article on thermal tracking, soot stains, and other indoor building stains.
But don't assume that any stain on a building wall is due to poor insulation, moisture, mold, or thermal tracking. In the page top photograph we see
candle soot - sometimes a source of indoor air quality complaints or even lead poisoning if a poor quality or perfumed candle is used to excess.
In the photo at left we see thermal tracking soot or house dust or cigarette smoke stains on a ceiling - but high building moisture that was a factor in this staining could also have been a factor in development of a mold problem somewhere in the home.
Indoor stains can also tell us of other conditions that should not be confused with mold or indoor air quality complaints: |
How "Read" Indoor Stains to Identify Indoor Air Quality Concerns
A careful examination of the location of indoor stains permits the observer to use thermal tracking or soot marks on building walls or ceilings as an indicator of possible excessive (seasonal) interior moisture or other potential indoor air quality concerns.
Dark stains on building interior walls may appear in other patterns and could be from other causes - we provide photographs, description, diagnosis, and advice for many of these
indoor stains in this article.
- Location & spacing of building framing members. Indoor stains can help find the location and spacing of wall studs or ceiling joists: use thermal tracking marks on building interior surfaces to spot the location of wall studs or ceiling joists when we need to find those members (for placing a picture nail, for example). Observing the spacing between these stains can tell us how a building has been framed.
- Location of areas of missing building insulation or areas where more air is moving across a surface
- Building areas where high moisture is present - which could be the cause or contributor to a mold or other indoor air quality issue
- Watch out: Potentially dangerous problems with heating equipment may be indicated by stains around HVAC air supply registers. See Stains HVAC Supply Registers for details. So indoor stains may identify unsafe heating equipment or poorly-functioning fireplaces: use thermal tracking marks on interior building walls and ceilings, particularly where they vary from room to room, to diagnose poorly-vented chimneys such as fireplaces that do not work well (also look for soot stains at the hearth face). Such marks may also indicate poor and even unsafe operation of central heating systems since a poorly maintained oil burner will often leak soot into a building interior, and a dangerously un-vented gas appliance may also produce both soot and potentially fatal carbon monoxide gas.
- Some floor stains may indicate contamination by animal urine, feces, or mold on carpet or floors. See CARPET MOLD CONTAMINATION.
- Identify sources of irritating or harmful indoor particles and soot, such as excessive use of scented candles.
Usually soot marks, thermal bridging, or thermal tracking stains appear, if at all, in the building interior locations discussed
in the other sections of this article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Questions & answers or comments about how to use indoor stain patterns, locations, & contents to track down and correct indoor air quality issues.
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Thanks to Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for technical critique and content suggestions regarding thermal tracking.
- We welcome more thermal tracking, soot tracking, air bypass leaks, and similar photos of indoor stains as well as text suggestions to expand this detail and would be glad to credit contributors.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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- ASHRAE resource on dew point and wall condensation - see the ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook, available in many libraries. The following three ASHRAE Handbooks are also available at the InspectAPedia bookstore in the third page of our Insulate-Ventilate section:
- 2005 ASHRAE Handbook : Fundamentals : Inch-Pound Edition (2005 ASHRAE HANDBOOK : Fundamentals : I-P Edition) (Hardcover), Thomas H. Kuehn (Contributor), R. J. Couvillion (Contributor), John W. Coleman (Contributor), Narasipur Suryanarayana (Contributor), Zahid Ayub (Contributor), Robert Parsons (Author), ISBN-10: 1931862702 or ISBN-13: 978-1931862707
- 2004 ASHRAE Handbook : Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning: Systems and Equipment : Inch-Pound Edition (2004 ASHRAE Handbook : HVAC Systems and Equipment : I-P Edition) (Hardcover)
by American Society of Heating, ISBN-10: 1931862478 or ISBN-13: 978-1931862479
"2004 ASHRAE Handbook - HVAC Systems and Equipment The 2004 ASHRAE HandbookHVAC Systems and Equipment discusses various common systems and the equipment (components or assemblies) that comprise them, and describes features and differences. This information helps system designers and operators in selecting and using equipment. Major sections include Air-Conditioning and Heating Systems (chapters on system analysis and selection, air distribution, in-room terminal systems, centralized and decentralized systems, heat pumps, panel heating and cooling, cogeneration and engine-driven systems, heat recovery, steam and hydronic systems, district systems, small forced-air systems, infrared radiant heating, and water heating); Air-Handling Equipment (chapters on duct construction, air distribution, fans, coils, evaporative air-coolers, humidifiers, mechanical and desiccant dehumidification, air cleaners, industrial gas cleaning and air pollution control); Heating Equipment (chapters on automatic fuel-burning equipment, boilers, furnaces, in-space heaters, chimneys and flue vent systems, unit heaters, makeup air units, radiators, and solar equipment); General Components (chapters on compressors, condensers, cooling towers, liquid coolers, liquid-chilling systems, centrifugal pumps, motors and drives, pipes and fittings, valves, heat exchangers, and energy recovery equipment); and Unitary Equipment (chapters on air conditioners and heat pumps, room air conditioners and packaged terminal equipment, and a new chapter on mechanical dehumidifiers and heat pipes)."
- 1996 Ashrae Handbook Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Systems and Equipment: Inch-Pound Edition (Hardcover), ISBN-10: 1883413346 or ISBN-13: 978-1883413347 ,
"The 1996 HVAC Systems and Equipment Handbook is the result of ASHRAE's continuing effort to update, expand and reorganize the Handbook Series. Over a third of the book has been revised and augmented with new chapters on hydronic heating and cooling systems design; fans; unit ventilator; unit heaters; and makeup air units. Extensive changes have been added to chapters on panel heating and cooling; cogeneration systems and engine and turbine drives; applied heat pump and heat recovery systems; humidifiers; desiccant dehumidification and pressure drying equipment, air-heating coils; chimney, gas vent, fireplace systems; cooling towers; centrifugal pumps; and air-to-air energy recovery. Separate I-P and SI editions."
- Principles of Heating, Ventilating, And Air Conditioning: A textbook with Design Data Based on 2005 AShrae Handbook - Fundamentals (Hardcover), Harry J., Jr. Sauer (Author), Ronald H. Howell, ISBN-10: 1931862923 or ISBN-13: 978-1931862929
- 1993 ASHRAE Handbook Fundamentals (Hardcover), ISBN-10: 0910110964 or ISBN-13: 978-091011096
- Dust from the World Trade Center collapse following the 9/11/01 attack: the lower floors of this building contained spray-on fire-proofing asbestos materials.
- Energy Savers: Whole House Systems Approach to Energy Efficient Home Design [copy on file as /interiors/Whole_House_Energy_Efficiency_DOE.pdf ] - U.S. Department of Energy
- "Energy Savers: Whole-House Supply Ventilation Systems [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Whole-House_Supply_Vent.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11880?print
- "Energy Savers: Whole-House Exhaust Ventilation Systems [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Whole-House_Exhaust.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11870
- "Energy Savers: Ventilation [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Ventilation.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
- "Energy Savers: Natural Ventilation [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Natural_Ventilation.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
- "Energy Savers: Energy Recovery Ventilation Systems [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Energy_Recovery_Venting.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11900
- "Energy Savers: Detecting Air Leaks [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Detect_Air_Leaks.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
- "Energy Savers: Air Sealing [copy on file as /interiors/Energy_Savers_Air_Sealing_1.pdf ] - ", U.S. Department of Energy
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