Wet moldy basement guide: this article describes the effects of a wet moldy basement on the rest of a building.

This article includes photographs and text illustrating a very wet, moldy, rotted-framed sub-basement inspected by David Grudzinski, a Cranston RI professional home inspector and member of ASHI and NACHI. Page top photo of a rotting, flooding, moldy sub basement, courtesy of Mr. Grudzinski.

Basement Water & Mold Affect Whole Building

How moisture & mold from a wet basement or crawl space travel up through the building living area and into the building attic or roof cavity

[Click to enlarge any image]

At BASEMENT MOLD we described visual clues that you can spot in a building basement or crawl space that show the leak history, water sources, and moisture sources in a building.

Mr. Grudzinski's photograph (left) shows severe rot and structural damage found in a building sub basement that had been exposed to periodic flooding.

Moisture from this area traveled upwards through the rest of the building where it was also a key contributor

to ATTIC MOLD.

Grudzinski's page top photo (above) shows more collapsing framing as well as mold growth. This sub basement was dangerous even to enter, and conditions there apparently indicated a threat of structural collapse of the floor above.

"In the basement of home, a small door in the floor was found. There was a sub basement. The form were still present. The rot and mold was extensive. This white mold was al over, and the room was very humid. " - D.G.

Grudzinski found the sub basement so wet, in fact, that his camera lens fogged up between photos, as he demonstrates in this photograph.

"Some of the forms used to pour the sub basement were still in place.

Some rotted and fell. Notice the fog.

In the time it took to take 2 pictures, the camera fogged again."

Careful examination of these clues, such as leak stain patterns, can also make clear whether water is entering a basement from the ground level (maybe bad gutters and downspouts?) or from a lower source such as ground water or a hidden spring.

"As you can see form the water mark, this sub basement has been subjected to flooding, [probably recurrent flooding.] "

More on basement or crawl space leak prevention and drying out procedures can be read

at CRAWL SPACE DRYOUT - home.

If there is visible mold on other basement, sub basement, or crawl space surfaces, don't forget to also check

• the condition of the occupied spaces 
  
  above for mold or other IAQ problems that may be caused or aggravated by wet building conditions - see details
  
  at MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE
• the conditions in the building attic or roof spaces
  
  where moisture may be trapped - see more information
  
  at ATTIC MOLD CAUSES
• the condition of building insulation in those areas
  
  that during a mold remediation the insurance company, mold consultant, or mold remediator may want to leave in place because it "looks clean".
• the overall condition of the building for evidence of rot,
  
  and insect damage, structural movement, or even risk of structural collapse

In the photograph shown here, not only was there extensive Stachybotrys chartarum contamination visible as "black mold" on the basement drywall, a special vacuum test of the fiberglass insulation in this basement ceiling disclosed high levels of Aspergillus versicolor, Aspergillus sp., & Penicillium sp..

Basements and crawl spaces that have been wet or exposed to high moisture are common reservoirs of hidden mold such as moldy insulation.

Also see INSULATION MOLD CONTAMINATION TEST.

Photo - Daniel Friedman.

This article is part of our series: MOLD in BUILDINGS which describes how to find mold and test for mold in buildings, including how and where to collect mold samples using an easy, inexpensive, low-tech but very effective mold testing method.

The wet conditions in this sub basement formed the principal moisture source in the building above, leading to a moldy attic that we describe

at ATTIC MOLD CAUSES.

...

Continue reading at MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Selected Mold Contamination Articles

• ACCEPTABLE MOLD LEVEL
• ACCURACY OF AIR TESTS for MOLD
• ATTIC MOLD
• BASEMENT MOLD.
• CRAWLSPACE MOLD
• MOLD: A COMPLETE GUIDE - home
• MOLD / ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT, HIRE ?
• MOLD TEST REASONS
• MOLD TESTING & SAMPLING MISTAKES
• MOLD TESTING SERVICES

Suggested citation for this web page

BASEMENT MOLD WATER IMPACT 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 BUILDING ENVIRONMENT

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

Or see

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MOLD CONTAMINATION & REMEDIATION

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

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Questions & answers or comments about the effect of wet basements and moldy basements on other building areas: movement of moisture and mold contamination through buildings.

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

---