| InspectAPedia® |
InspectAPedia
| |
Free Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair | Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia |
Mobile ViewBUILDING INTERIORS ACOUSTICAL SEALANT CHOICES AIR BYPASS LEAKS AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS Find Heat Loss & Air Leaks Heat Loss Investigation Sequence Blower Door Test Data Results Smoke Gun for Air Leaks Smoke Pencil / Smoke Gun Suppliers Attic Energy Losses - InfraRed Basement Energy Losses- IR & Visual Duct System Air Movement Living Space Heat Loss Targets & Hidden Leak Points Thermography IR Infra Red & Thermal Scanners Convective Loops & Thermal Bypass Leaks HOUSE DOCTOR, how-to be Insulation Air & Heat Leaks The Bottom Line on Energy Retrofits AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION AIR LEAK SEALING PROCEDURE AIR SEALING STRATEGIES ANIMAL ALLERGENS ANIMAL ENTRY POINTS in buildings ANIMAL ODORS IN buildings APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING COMPONENT ID ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION ASBESTOS-FREE INSULATION MATERIALS ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings ASBESTOS LIST of PRODUCTS ASBESTOS PHOTO GUIDE to Materials ASBESTOS REMOVAL, Wetting Guidelines ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & MOLD ATTIC VENTILATION BASEMENT CEILING VAPOR BARRIER BASEMENT HEAT LOSS BASEMENT LEAKS, INSPECT FOR BASEMENT WATERPROOFING BATH & KITCHEN DESIGN GUIDE BATHROOM VENTILATION BEST CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES GUIDE Best Interior Finish Practices BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION BLOWER FAN CONTINUOUS OPERATION BLOWER FAN OPERATION & TESTING BOOKSTORE - INTERIORS BRICK LINED WALLS BRICK VENEER WALL INSULATION BRICK VENEER WALL Loose, Bulged BRICK WALL DRAINAGE WEEP HOLES BUCKLED FOUNDATIONS due to INSULATION? BUILDING NOISE DIAGNOSIS & CURE BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE BUILDING SETTLEMENT CABINETS & COUNTERTOPS CACTUS FUNGI / MOLD CAR MOLD CONTAMINATION CARPET DUST IDENTIFICATION CARPET MOLD CONTAMINATION CARPET PADDING ASBESTOS, MOLD, ODORS CARPET STAIN DIAGNOSIS CARPET & other STAIN TESTS CARPET TEST PROCEDURE CARPETING & INDOOR AIR QUALITY CARPETING, SELECTION & INSTALLATION CASEWORK, CABINETS, SHELVING INSTALLATION CATHEDRAL CEILING INSULATION CATHEDRAL CEILING VENTILATION CEILING FINISHES INTERIOR CEILINGS, DROP or SUSPENDED PANEL CEILINGS, PLASTER TYPES CEILINGS, PLASTER, LOOSE HAZARDS CEILING TILES - Asbestos-Containing CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR CHINESE DRYWALL HAZARDS COMBUSTION AIR for TIGHT buildings CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS CONDENSATION on WINDOWS & SKYLIGHTS CORROSION in ELECTRICAL PANELS CORROSION & MOISTURE SOURCES in PANELS COOLING LOAD REDUCTION by ROOF VENTS CRAWL SPACES CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS CONDENSATION on WINDOWS & SKYLIGHTS DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION DEW POINT CALCULATION for WALLS DEW POINT TABLE - CONDENSATION POINT GUIDE DIRECTORY of MOLD / ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS DIRT FLOOR MOLD CONTAMINATION Disinfectants Disinfecting Buildings with Bleach DOORS, INTERIOR DRYER VENTING DRYWALL HAZARDS, CHINESE DRYWALL INSTALLATION Best Practices DRYWALL MOLD DRYWALL MOLD RESISTANT EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS EFFLORESCENCE, Salts & White / Brown Deposits ELDERLY & VETERANS HOME SAFETY ELECTRICAL INSPECTION, DIAGNOSIS, REPAIR ENERGY SAVINGS in buildings ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS - INSPECT, TEST, REMEDY FIBERGLASS INSULATION FIBERGLASS HAZARDS FIBERGLASS INSULATION MOLD FLAT ROOF MOISTURE & CONDENSATION FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP FLOOD DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS FLOOD VENTS & FLOOD PORTS FLOODS IN buildings-mold FLOOR DAMAGE DIAGNOSIS FORMALDEHYDE HAZARDS FOOTING & FOUNDATION DRAINS FOUNDATION CRACKS & DAMAGE GUIDE FOUNDATION WATERPROOFING FRENCH DRAINS FRAMING DAMAGE, INSPECTION, REPAIR FRAMING DETAILS for BETTER INSULATION FRAMING DETAILS for DOUBLE WALL HOUSES FRAMING DAMAGE, INSPECTION, REPAIR FRAMING DETAILS for BETTER INSULATION FRAMING DETAILS for DOUBLE WALL HOUSES FRAMING METAL STUD PERFORMANCE FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB FUNGICIDAL SPRAY & SEALANT USE GUIDE GAS EXPOSURE EFFECTS, TOXIC GAS DETECTION & MEASUREMENT GAS EXPOSURE LIMITS & STANDARDS GLARE, Sunlight/Lighting Control HEAT LOSS in buildings HEAT LOSS DETECTION TOOLS HEAT LOSS INDICATORS HEAT LOSS PREVENTION PRIORITIES HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION HEAT TAPES & CABLES on Roofs for Ice Dams HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS HOT ROOF DESIGNS: Un-Vented Roof Solutions HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS HOUSE DOCTOR, how-to be HOUSE PARTS, DEFINITIONS HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET ICE DAM PREVENTION INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE INDOOR HOUSE DUST & DEBRIS INSULATION CHOICES Insulation Air & Heat Leaks INSULATION FACT SHEET- DOE INSULATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT INSULATION LOCATION - WHERE TO PUT IT INSULATION LOCATION for BRICK VENEER WALLS INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES INSULATION LOCATION for CATHEDRAL CEILINGS INSULATION LOCATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM INSULATION MOLD INSULATION R-Values & Properties KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN GUIDE KITCHEN VENTILATION LIGHTING, EXTERIOR GUIDE LIGHTING, INTERIOR GUIDE LOG HOME GUIDE METAL LATH, PLASTER & STUCCO MOBILE HOME INSPECTIONS MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS MOLD: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MOLD MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT MOLD MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE MOLD CLEANERS - WHAT TO USE MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD MOLD CONSULTANTS/INSPECTORS MOLD CULTURE TEST KIT VALIDITY MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION GUIDE MOLD or INDOOR AIR EMERGENCY RESPONSE MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE MOLD FAQ's MOLD ODORS, MUSTY SMELLS MOLD PREVENTION GUIDE MOLD RELATED ILLNESS GUIDE MOLD SAFETY WARNINGS MOLD SPRAYS, SEALANTS, PAINTS MOLD STANDARDS MOLD TEST KITS for DIY MOLD TESTS MOLD TESTING METHOD VALIDITY MVOCs & MOLDY MUSTY ODORS Nanomaterials Hazards SOUND CONTROL in buildings STAIN & BIODETERIORATION AGENT CATALOG STAINS on buildings - QUICK GUIDE STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS STAINS on/near CHIMNEYS STAINS & FINISHES, INTERIOR STAINS on INDOOR SURFACES: PHOTO GUIDE STAINS & Thermal Tracking STAIN DIAGNOSIS on ROOFS STAIN DIAGNOSIS on STONE STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS STONE CLEANING METHODS STONE VENEER WALLS STUCCO WAll FAILURES DUE TO WEATHER STUCCO WALL METHODS & INSTALLATION STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION STUCCO PAINT FAILURES SUMP PUMPS GUIDE SWEATING (CONDENSATION) on PIPES, TANKS THERMAL TRACKING & THERMAL BRIDGING THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS THERMAL MASS in buildings THERMAL MASS FLOOR SLABS THERMAL MASS in UPSTAIRS THERMAL MASS WALL DESIGN THERMAL MASS in HOMES - STUDY THERMAL MASS TRADEOFFS, HEATING vs COOLING THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS THERMAL MASS in buildings THERMAL TRACKING & THERMAL BRIDGING What is Thermal Tracking Ceiling Thermal Tracking Marks Wall Thermal Tracking Stains Floor Carpet Thermal Tracking Stains Air Bypass Leaks Marks on Insulation Thermal Tracking to Diagnose IAQ Stains HVAC Supply Registers Pet Stains on Floors Pet Stains on Walls Human Occupant Stains on Walls Stains from Candles, Woodstoves, Fireplaces Other Stains on Indoor Walls & Ceilings What to Do About Thermal Tracking THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS THERMAL MASS in buildings TRIM, INTERIOR INSTALLATION TRUSS UPLIFT, ROOF TRUSSES, Floor & Roof VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION in BUILDINGS VENTILATION in buildings VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS in buildings VINYL CHLORIDE HEALTH INFO WALL FINISHES INTERIOR WATER ENTRY in buildings WIND WASHING INSULATION At EAVES WINDOWS & DOORS WINTERIZE A BUILDING WOOD Burning Heaters Fireplaces Stoves More Information |
This article describes, provides photographs, & diagnoses the causes of interior wall, ceiling, flooring or carpeting stains and explains how to recognize their probable cause and source, including soot stains, house dust stains, pet or animal stains, and thermal tracking or thermal bridging stains associated with building air leaks, and building insulation defects. InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers nor with topics or services discussed at this website.© Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. A Photographic Guide to Help Diagnose the Causes of Indoor Stains on Carpet, Cabinet Doors, HVAC Registers
Often dark indoor ceiling, wall, carpet or floor stains are mistaken for toxic indoor mold when they come from other causes instead. When investigating a building for a mold problem, you can save mold test costs by learning how to recognize MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD or is only Harmless Mold but may be mistaken for more serious contamination - save your money. Because some clients have on occasion sent samples to our mold test lab that really should not have been collected, much less looked-at, we provide this library of photographs of things that are "not mold" and don't need to be tested. "black mold" often mistaken for "toxic fungal growth." Photos of HVAC and carpet stains (excluding the moldy carpet photos) were provided courtesy of Pat Belkin, Charlotte, NC. Here are some examples of troubling indoor surface stains with some preliminary opinions about what these stains may be about. We emphasize preliminary opinion because here we comment on these photos before an expert diagnostic building inspection has been performed and before any lab samples have been collected and analyzed from these surfaces. Whether or not such sampling and analysis are justified depends on the experience of the building occupants (health complaints or health vulnerability), the history of the building (exposure to leaks, damage, pets, contaminants), and other site investigative results. See When to hire a professional to investigate a building for help in deciding when to go further. How to Recognize & Diagnose Phantom Stains on Indoor Surfaces
What would support the "phantom stain" hypothesis for an item such as this cabinet door? Stain pattern: If the stain appears in a regular pattern on companion surfaces such as other cabinet doors it may be an artifact of the door's manufacture Stain location: If examination of other cabinet surfaces shows similar stains in varying locations Manufacturing artifacts: If examination of sample cabinets from the same supplier or manufacturer, new, say in a showroom, show similar markings Ability to remove surface staining material: If a tape sample cannot remove any debris from this are of darkened color Stain particulate or chemical components: If a tape sample of surface debris removed particles which are determined to be finish coatings or wood fibers without fungal or chemical modification, Presence of common causes of stains: If there are no moisture, food, air movement, or other suspect sources that have affected some of these cabinets but not others Time of occurrence of stain: If the stain is under the finish-coating of the wood cabinet surface rather than something which was deposited on top of the coating (though indeed moisture can in some circumstances affect surfaces below their coating) then this may be the case with this example photo of a yellowish stain on a birch ply cabinet door interior How to Diagnose Stains & Discoloration on Heating or Cooling Supply or Return Registers or Plenums
These particles adhere to the register surface due to either moisture from condensation or in this location, more likely due to static electricity as particles are moving across a normally dry surface. See Stains HVAC Supply Registers for more examples. What to do about supply register debris: House dust, normally composed primarily of human skin cells and fabric fibers, is not usually an environmental or air quality issue, though at high levels on surfaces it can be diagnostic of building conditions such as high moisture or poor HVAC system maintenance. We can reduce this debris deposition by duct and air handler cleaning and by better and constant maintenance of filters at the return air registers. If other information disclosed by the building investigation warrants, one have this debris screened for mold, allergens or other problematic particles by using a forensic laboratory whose technicians are expert in house dust analysis. Return register & return air plenum debris: The right hand photo shows a combination of paint overspray (white particles on the black return plenum insulation liner), and house dust (brown debris on the metal frame intended to hold a return air filter). What to do about return plenum debris: The brown dust and debris indicates that the air filter used at this location has been leaky. See An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Air Filters on HVAC Systems for further advice on air filters that do not leak in this location. How to Diagnose Stains & Discoloration on Heating or Air Conditioning Filters
How to Diagnose Mold Stains & Mold Growth on Floor Carpeting
These photographs show two common patterns of mold growth on the upper surface of a carpet that was left wet in a building. In the left photograph a brown mold is growing in a rather uniform pattern without definite edges on carpet in a closet. The black mold visible in the upper left and right portions of the photograph will probably be a different mold genera and species - this is an example of the dangers of careless sampling of mold in buildings since a lot of what people think is present in a building depends on exactly how mold samples are collected. The right hand photo above shows two rather round black patterns of mold growth on floor carpeting in the same building. Even if no mold was visible on other carpet surfaces in this building it is likely that the carpeting, if it was wet, has become mold contaminated - a condition that might be confirmed by inspection of the carpet backing, padding, or other building surfaces. Carpets or furniture that have been wet or had mold growth: Wall-to-wall carpets and upholstered furniture that have been soaked and/or have had mold growth on their surfaces, most likely cannot be adequately cleaned and should be replaced. See CARPET MOLD CONTAMINATION. Also see CARPET & other STAIN TESTS and CARPET TEST PROCEDURE. Carpet padding and subfloor: And where carpeting has been wet, don't forget that the padding below the carpeting and even the floor and subfloor below may be damaged or moldy. See CARPET PADDING ASBESTOS, MOLD, ODORS. Even carpeting which has not been wet may be a significant problem mold reservoir in a building if the carpeting has been exposed to a high level of airborne mold or other allergens. This condition occurs, for example, when a water-damaged moldy building has been remediated without proper dust and debris control. The difference is that carpeting or upholstered furniture that has never been wet and that has not had mold growth on its surface, that is, it has been subjected to settled dust only, may often be adequately cleaned using HEPA vacuuming methods. See CARPET DUST IDENTIFICATION Screening samples of carpeting and other building surfaces taken outside of the remediation work area both before and after a mold remediation project can protect both the remediation company and the building owner from unanticipated additional mold cleanup work after the initial mold remediation project has been completed. A Another case of severe carpet staining due to furniture left on wet carpeting, accompanied by mold growth, is shown in this photograph. How to Diagnose Stains & Discoloration on Rugs or Wall to Wall Carpeting
Possible thermal tracking stains are shown by the darkened debris on the floor carpet in the left photo above, where a grayish line appears to follow the point where the wall to wall carpeting abuts the building wall or wall baseboard trim. See Thermal Tracking for detailed discussion of this phenomenon and how to diagnose it. Possible furniture footprint stains on carpeting are suggested by the right hand photo above. Sometimes a stain like this, particularly where it follows the same shape as an object which has been placed on the carpet, suggests that the stain was deposited from the object itself, or dirt on its surface, or bleed-out if the object was placed on a carpet left damp after carpet shampooing. A Severe carpet staining due to furniture left on wet carpeting, accompanied by mold growth, is shown in this photograph. How to Diagnose "Clean" Areas of Carpet Surrounded by Stains or DiscolorationUsually soot marks, thermal bridging, or thermal tracking stains appear, if at all, in the building interior locations listed just below discussed in the remaining sections of this article. Photos & Diagnosing Stains on Building Walls and CeilingsCommon stains on painted inteior walls and ceilings include
Photos & Diagnosing Stains on Building Floors other than Carpets
Questions & Answers regarding this articleQuestions & answers about identifying the cause and finding the cure for indoor stains on ceilings, walls, floors, carpeting, furniture, and other indoor surfaces and materials Ask a Question or Search InspectAPediaHTML Comment Box is loading comments...
Recommend / Share this Article
... Technical Reviewers & ReferencesInspectAPedia.com® - Daniel Friedman - Publisher & Editor. InspectAPedia Bookstore lists recommended books, organized by topic & available for purchase. Most of our articles also include a list of recommended books for the specific article topic as well as other references, and information sources. Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com. Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below. Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
THERMAL TRACKING
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
|