What are Some Odd Causes of Mold Damage in Your Property?

4/26/2020 (Permalink)

Checking your gutters during the warm months can help prevent ice jams during the cold months.

Ice Dam Formation On Your Roof Can Lead To Mold Damage In Your Harriman Home's Attic

Colder weather means turning up the heat in our homes in Harriman. Keeping things comfortably warm can help stave off colds and flu episodes, as well as protect our homes. Letting heat escape through a poorly insulated roof and exterior walls in your residence can lead to higher heating bills.

Harriman residents should know that a lack of insulation in their roof can lead to mold damage. Ice dams form when warm air escapes through a poorly insulated roof, and this heat then melts the underside of the ice and snow that accumulated. Sunlight melts some of the snow on the top of the snow cover, sending water off the roof or trickling underneath in places where the cover is thinner. Overnight, when temperatures drop again, the top layer refreezes and traps the water underneath. The heat escaping can continue to melt the lowest part of the snow.

The weight of this ice and snow on your roof can eventually push water between shingles. As this water slowly enters your home, it can compress insulation further. This leads to more heat escaping through your roof. The moisture that entered remains, providing the microbes already present with the ability to begin growing in full force.

Installing new installation can prevent ice dams, but many homeowners find that mold damage already exists when they pull out the old insulation. SERVPRO can remediate this microbial invasion and make everything “Like it never even happened.” Any repairs to the roof should also occur at this time, to prevent any leaks or drips that can harm newly installed insulation. Afterward, you can safely install new insulation without worrying that either problem might return.

When mold damage occurs in an attic, many of the things stored there can also become covered in microbial growth. Some items stain easily because of the materials involved in their construction. However, we can restore many belongings to excellent condition. We can perform this cleaning in your home if space allows for our workers and equipment.

Because mold spreads via spores, SERVPRO's technicians set up air scrubbers in the living areas of your house. These machines clean the air and trap microscopic particles, including dust, spores, and small fibers. This is very important to consider if any ducts in your attic contain holes, tears, or breaks that spores might have entered before we remediated the situation.

The Ever-Present Microbe Does Not Mean Mold Damage Must Occur in Oak Ridge Properties

Microbes a new corner of Oak Ridge, and only the unwanted presence of water activates these otherwise harmless microorganisms. Once this occurs, however, and water continues to provide them with easy access to vital nutrients, mold can continue growing indefinitely. 
 
Homes in Oak Ridge require mold damage remediation to thwart growth and stop homes from succumbing to this constantly growing microbe. SERVPRO's specialists receive training in mold damage remediation and can provide you with specific information about how these can damage your property. 
 
Microbes can exist anywhere, even in freezing temperatures. However, they only exist in a dormant state most of the time. They require warmer, but shady locations, and enough water to release the nutrients from materials nearby as well as moisture to keep them growing.  This is why they prefer attics and basements, as well as closed-off rooms, crawlspaces, and under cabinets. A lack of air currents also helps microorganisms grow quickly and profusely. 
 
SERVPRO can help locate where moisture enters your home's living space and close the source off, this does not kill off the mold itself but forces it back into a dormant state. However, any microbes that settle in the area cannot grow, either. We perform remediation of areas with mold damage in a manner that keeps the already present ones contained, and also set up air scrubbers to remove any spores from the home's environment. 
 
No amount of remediation can wipe your home completely free of mold and mildew spores. Microbes are continually being reintroduced, as well, from outside sources. However, proper mold damage remediation gives your home a fresh start by reducing the population down to a healthy number and eliminating any sources of moisture. 
 

SERVPRO of Loudon & Roane Counties wants families to live in homes that contain no mold damage, especially since microbes can cause health effects. We serve residents in Kingston and Rockwood, as well as the Blue Springs area. Contact SERVPRO any time of the day or night, 265 days a year, by calling (865) 986-3015.

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