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What is the black wood?

What is this black wood? Mold? Water damage? Eek!

5K views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  Phil-a-Del 
#1 · (Edited)
So, I've become allergic to something in my apartment (itching, swollen glands and sinuses). :( My guess is that its a reaction to mold. Looking in the ceiling, where water from a roof leak had been dripping in about two months back, I saw what looked liked charred wood (image enclosed). Does that look like mold, water damage, roof tar stains ... ? If it's mold, will spraying it with vinegar make it go away? (I'm almost hoping it's mold, because then at least I'll have figured out the problem. Itch itch itch.)
 

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#4 ·
That's not the black mold that everyone hears about---it's wood rot---but who could guess what is going on below that---you are a tenant---will the land loard be repairing that soon?

I am sensitive to molds and such---this spring and summer have been wet--and the molds are running wild ---your ill health might be from the mold going on outside of the house,also.
 
#5 ·
I didn't want to talk to my landlord about it till I had pinpointed exactly what/where the problem is (I've already asked him to check a few things for mold and he's found nothing, and I don't want to have a boy who cried wolf moment) ... so I was gonna get an allergy test to confirm that it's mold I'm reacting to and poke around the apartment some more.

Is that rot an urgent issue?
 
#6 ·
That looks more like the Tannins from the wood have leached out then mold. I have seen that in new construction were we built in the rain. It is very commen to see the wood be black in some area's. can there be mold?? You betcha! here is the kicker there is black mold spores in every home that has ever been built. the thing it is mitigate the chances of it growing. Mold is like fire. it takes three things to make fire. Heat fuel and oxygen. Mold takes about two things to grow. Food cellulose i.e. the wood fibers. and moisture. take one of those away and the mold spores can not grow. So make sure that area is well dry well ventelated and don't worry. Plus you just might have a cold with zero corrolation to this. you might have caught the epstien bar virus. has the same sytoms as what your describing.
 
#7 ·
Doesn't look like mold to me. Just stained wood from the leak. If leak is fixed then probably no further structural repair is needed.

Allergies are a pain. Rather than play find me find me with the apartment you should find out from your doctor exactly what you are allergic to. Then you'll know what to look for and how to fix it. But if you don't know the cause of your allergy you'll just drive the landlord nuts asking him to keep changing things on a never ending search.
 
#9 ·
I've made an appointment for allergy testing, but in the mean time ... if I only feel sick in that room of the house (the kitchen, on the third floor) (symptoms decease/go away as I move away from the kitchen), and I've lived there for two years prior without problem, and there's a musty smell, could it be anything else besides mold?

I've searched with my eyes and a flashlight in every little corner for mold and have come up with nothing besides the above ... is there a way of checking walls/ceilings without hiring someone?
 
#12 ·
You are absolutely correct and not mistaken, nothing will substitute for a professional mold tester. They are trained professionals that know how to acurately check for mold with precision testing equipment. Deffinately the way to go, imo.

Test kits just give you a generality that mold is present as you have mentioned. I was just suggesting something inexpensive you so could give the test results to your lanlord to prove that mold is present. Then it's his responsibiility to take it from there.

It sounds like you have a good plan. Going to the doctor and getting an alergy test. Go from there.

Hope everything works out for you and you find out what you are alergic to. Keep us updated. Thanks.
 
#15 ·
Better mold test kit idea

:thumbup: Just for future reference, I have used a DIY mold test product that uses antibody screening much like a pregnancy test and works in a few minutes. Identifies black molds and unhealthy mold types but doesn't detects common molds. More expensive than the other kits that you need to send into a lab but results are immediate and onsite. Still a lot less than mold inspection. Product is called Healthful Home 5-minute mold test. I found it at my local Ace hardware but its also available at Amazon and the company website.
 
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