New construction mold?
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Building a new home and there seems to be mold on the framing? What steps should we take have this addressed by the builder??
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Replies
None, unless your sensitive to it.
I'd me more concerned with those ducts in unconditioned space that i think I see.
Great point thanks so much...
Nothing to do at this point. You do want to get a dehumidifier running once you have the windows and doors in.
Walta
Dehumidifier, electric heat (propane will dump more water in the space), fans, and scrub with diluted bleach. What is the moisture content of this lumber? Do you have a digital moisture meter? In an effort to drop the moisture in my new construction home once the sheathing was up, I measured a few dozen spots that were troublesome, measured the moisture % and wrote it down on the spot with permanent marker, tracking it over time. I had some spots as high as 25%, was aiming for 10-12%. It took a few weeks to get there. One spot that developed mold was treated with bleach water, and it seemed to do the trick.
If you’re really worried about it, buy one of the pump-up style portable sprayers made for spraying insecticide and fertilizer in gardens. These sprayers are often around $10 or so. Get one rated for use with bleach. Use the sprayer to spray bleach solution (diluted bleach) on the moldy areas before you close your walls.
Bill
I had mold on framing and plywood and addressed it by mixing up TSP, washing soda, and baking soda in hot water, letting it cool, and then spraying on. It creates a very basic (ph wise) environment which should prevent mold. Supposedly more effective than bleach.
https://stingysailor.com/2017/02/11/remove-and-prevent-mildew-for-pennies/