Root Cause Analysis!

Posted on by admin

During our initial research we learned a couple of very interesting but disturbing information:

  • Mold is basically everywhere and grows in warm, humid, dark and non-ventilated environments
  • Mold spores can cause year-round severe allergies and sinus problems like nasal and sinus congestion, respiratory problems, itchy eyes, skin irritations, etc.
  • In some people, the prolonged exposure to mycotoxins produced by mold exposure can present a serious health threat, including neurological problems

It sounded like all the allergy symptoms we have been experiencing – those which we thought were caused by colds or seasonal allergies – could be caused by being allergic to mold. So, we started looking for mold in our beach condo. At first glance, we couldn’t see or find anything. We checked bathroom and kitchen cabinets, the laundry room and even windows for water leaks or any other sources of water damage (one typical root cause for mold build up). We also deep cleaned and disinfected all surfaces, including cabinets, closets, carpets, window treatments and furniture. Last but not least, we bought a brand new mattress and replaced the HVAC filters with MERV 13 filters.

The result: the condo smelled amazingly fresh and clean but we still woke up with congested sinuses, post nasal drip and watery eyes at 5:30 am. Back to the drawing board!

As part of “Mold Search 2.0”, we removed air vents, bathroom fixtures & faucets and finally got a hit! We found black colored mold in the air vents and under the faucet mounts. Basically, all air vents were covered with mold. Just amazingly disgusting!

The root cause was found and the explanation was simple. These beach rentals are mainly used for short vacations during the summer and sit empty during the winter months, leaving plenty of time for mold to grow in the dark, humid and non-ventilated lines of the HVAC systems.

As we were just renters and did not own the condo, we were not up for the task of a full condo remediation to remove the mold, so we decided it was time to look for a new place to live. And unfortunately leave our dream beach condo!