Testing for Mold in Home (San Antonio, Anton: insurance, houses, buy)

[Guerinat]

We have moved into a home built in 1960. My wife is concerned there is a mold problem. I understand inspectors are not required to inspect for mold as part of a home purchase transaction, any resources for getting the home tested? We have already purchased the home and are currently living in it.

Myself, spouse and toddler kids sincerely appreciate any help or direction anyone can provide.

[elnina]

You can buy a mold kit and run some test yourself, if they come up positive, I would call professional svc to assess the situation.
http://www.inspectapedia.com/sickhouse.htm
Mold test kit review
Home Mold Test Kits, Test Your Home for Household Mold!
Pro-Lab Mold Test Kit (Mo 109) - Safety Test Kits - Ace Hardware

[TexasRedneck]

Or, you can call San Antonio Testing - last I heard, they were still doing the testing. Local company, I've used them for many years - and they do the kinds of tests where you bet your life on the results.

[Guerinat]

Thank you very much for the information.
From the information provided, I decided to pay and have the service come and professionally check for mold. My wife probably didn't trust I could accurately do the self-check kit myself.
thanks again. I appreciate the feedback and this forum.

[kevcrawford]

Argus Environmental (Google them) is one of the most respected outfits in town. They've done mold testing on a few houses that I've sold.

[TrapperL]

I've done the mold remediation and testing and let me save you some money and some trouble, the house has mold.....every house ever built has mold. Mold was at the location millions of years ago and it hasn't left and never will as long as earth is still a living thing. Mold testing is a scam and remediation is costly. Like they say in the mold test industry, "You can't make the dough if you don't put on the show". Mold can get out of hand and is EASILY fixed by someone of the IQ of 1. It requires air, moisture, and a food source. Take any of those away and it's dead. There is no such thing as a Lazarus mold either, once its dead- it's dead.
Considering you said a 1960's house, if it has a post foundation make sure it has adequate ventilation. This is the biggest generator of moisture for the old homes and can cause molds to get out of hand. The fix is to add more vents that all you need to do is cut a hole and install a vent. You should have something like an 8"x 16" vent every 8 feet around the foundation. If there is a sewer leak, your nose will find the leak and you need a plumber. If the house is on a slab you might have a pressure water leak. Shut off all water inside the home, go to the water meter and watch it for 2 minutes. It has a leak indicator on the meter. Most are a red triangle that will spin. If it moves, you have a pressure side leak and you need a plumber, not some clown with a Petri dish. If you should find a plumbing leak in the house, all you need to do is clean up the mess with warm soap and water. No special biocides are necessary or needed.
At one time the mold remediation business was a money maker and the insurance companies paid huge amounts of money for this scam. Thankfully, thru efforts of folks like myself and others, the State now limits the liability for mold remediation and since the money is now gone, so are the blatantly stupid claims. If your wife thinks she has mold in the house, here's some reading for her to consider. She can test the house herself- yeah, it's pretty easy to do.....and you don't need a PhD to do it.
http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...now-about-mold