Basement Mold Issues

       Humidity - 

• Humidity levels in the basement range from 65-77% with the higher levels in the finished space, mold actively grows above 50% humidity.  There is condensation on the basement bathroom mirrors; it looks like someone just took a shower.  
• The dehumidification unit that is in the basement has a failed condensate pump which is not pumping out the water generated by the unit.  
• The HVAC crew is replacing the pump tomorrow (6/1/12), once it is on it will bring down the humidity levels in the basement. We have left the exhaust fan in the basketball court on to aid in removing moisture.

      Mold - 

• There are significant mold issues in the basement, the two years of vacancy allowed the mold to grow unabated.  
• There are three types of mold currently growing in the basement including the more toxic black mold, Stachybotrys, on or behind almost every surface in the basement with the exception of the ceilings.  
• The walls in the finished portion of the basement currently are saturated with moisture and the mold is rooted to a depth of 3/16".  
• The basketball court seems to have only surface mold that can be remediated by a surface cleaning.  
• There is significant mold behind the vinyl wallpaper, there are some spots that look OK but the area where the washer and dryer were located needs to be completely removed.   
• We have been advised to have workmen use masks when working in the basement for extended periods as the mold gives off volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and mycotoxins.

       Remediation - 

• To remediate this situation we have been advised to remove the walls in the basement that are saturated or where mold is visibly rooted.  These areas include the media room, the finished hallway, the kitchen area, the boiler room, the area outside the sauna, the sauna bathroom and the room across from the kitchen. 
• The ceilings seem salvageable for most of the basement.  
• The areas outside of the finished space have issues mostly localized in the exterior walls which will need to be removed, from our investigation the interior walls look like a surface clean will suffice.  
• There are other areas that can have the surface cleaned such as tile and glass.  
• Once the wall surfaces are removed we will need to treat the framing and concrete walls to eliminate the mold.  Once we treat the framing we can put up new mold resistant sheet rock and new trim.