Vacuum tests on building insulation to screen for mold or other particles:

Using Vacuum Cassettes or Spore Traps to Collect Mold or Particle Dust Samples from Building Insulation, this article explains the advantages and shortcomings of using vacuum cassettes or spore traps to collect mold test samples (or other dust or particle samples) from building insulation where mold, insect, or other contamination is suspected.

Our photo (page top) shows what looked like clean fiberglass insulation located over a basement that had been subject to chronic flooding and ultimately, mold contamination that was visible on other basement surfaces. Vacuum tests confirmed that the insulation contained high levels of Penicillium/Aspergillus mold spores and was acting as a mold reservoir in the building.

Usefulness of Vacuuming exposed Building Insulation for Mold Contamination

15th Annual North Carolina/South Carolina
Environmental Information Association Technical Conference
Myrtle Beach, SC
Daniel Friedman 23 September 2005, Updated 4/14/2009

At many investigations we have found a large hidden mold reservoir in building insulation, particularly fiberglass insulation in attics under roof leaks over drywall, and in crawl spaces which have been damp or wet. We have also found very moldy fiberglass in basement ceilings after moldy surfaces and debris have been removed (such insulation should have been removed during the remediation).

[Click to enlarge any image]

Our photo (left) shows insulation that did not display visible mold but that our vacuum test found to be very mold-contaminated (see our lab photo below). (The dark stains on this fiberglass insulation were not mold but house dust deposited from air movement.

See THERMAL TRACKING & THERMAL BRIDGING for details.

Our method is to agitate the target insulation (simply poke it with your flashlight or a ruler), followed by holding our vacuum cassette an inch or two away from the insulation surface. This reliably picks up particles from the insulation without overloading the sample with fiberglass. (A baseline comparison sample collected in nearby building air before any such agitating sampling is also needed.)

This method has been remarkably successful in finding and allowing the removal of several "mystery" problems in buildings where severe mold-related complaints were heard.

Any of several types of vacuum cassettes are used to collect dust from a surface. We use Air-o-Cel ™ cassettes and MCE filter cassettes. We am experimenting with vacuum cassettes loaded with high-adhesive tape.

The contents of the mold test vacuum cassette may be examined by light microscope or may be used for preparation of cultures. One special (and costly) cassette method collects dual samples permitting both direct examination and culturing.

Our lab photo (left) shows insulation that did not display visible mold to the naked eye when examined in place in the building (photo above) but that our vacuum test found to be very mold-contaminated.

This method may be used for both qualitative and quantitative analysis, depending on collection method details. It is best suited for sampling dust from surfaces and from soft goods such as carpeting or upholstered furniture.

It's strength is its use in examining multiple hard surfaces with relatively low levels of debris (avoiding sample overload) or individual soft surfaces where tape may not collect particles imbedded in the surface, and in collecting dust from multiple locations in a single cassette as a building dust scan for mold.

Shortcomings of vacuuming insulation for mold

We love this method, but one must take care not to overload the sample.

If insulation is not exposed for testing one needs to make a sufficiently large opening to agitate and then vacuum the insulation - we use a 4" square opening and take care to avoid vacuuming up simply a collection of drywall dust.

In this article series discuss the validity of nearly all of the popular mold testing methods currently in use, pointing out the strengths and weakness of each approach to mold sampling in the indoor environment, beginning with air sampling for airborne mold levels indoors.

See details

at FIBERGLASS INSULATION MOLD for a detailed discussion of hidden mold contamination in building insulation.

...

Continue reading at c or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• DUST SAMPLING PROCEDURE
• FIBERGLASS DETECTION in BUILDING AIR & DUST
• FIBERGLASS INSULATION MOLD for a detailed discussion of hidden mold contamination in building insulation.
• INDOOR AIR QUALITY METHODS COMPARED
• MOLD CONTAMINATION IN BUILDINGS - home, overall approach to building investigation
• MOLD TEST PROCEDURES
• TECHNICAL & LAB PROCEDURES
• VACUUMING BUILDING CAVITIES
• VACUUM CASSETTE FILTER SAMPLE TESTS for DUST / MOLD
• VACUUM SAMPLING EQUIPMENT, DIY
• VACUUM TEST INSULATION CONTAMINANTS

Suggested citation for this web page

VACUUM TEST INSULATION CONTAMINANTS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to FIBERGLASS HAZARDS

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---