[Tugg]

In 2009 I purchased a condo, the home inspector missed a sewage leak in the crawl space since the condo was flipped no one lived in it for over a year and a half needles to say the crawl space was full of mold I became hypersensitive, have lost everything and have been running from mold ever since. 4 years ago I purchased a home that sits on a cement slab, no crawl space or basement less chance for mold growth. The sub contractor that installed the plumbing never hooked up the drain to the bathtub so for 16 years water would drain past the cement slab into the dirt. The exterior walls became moldy and the insulation had mold spores and mycotoxins growing in them. Needless to say I became very ill. The shower and bath tub were all one piece and made of fiber glass I removed them and the insulation remediated the mold, painted with an anti microbial, used expanding spray foam insulation and installed a 40 mil vapor barrier. The cement cut out for drain that runs under the cement slab was cemented, a 40 mil vapor barrier installed and sealed with a piece of sheet metal. The problem I’m currently having is there’s mold growing in my sewer system. I started to become ill last week and couldn’t figure out why. It turns out the cap for the clean out that’s in the front yard had a crack in it and a piece was missing so all that outside air was blowing mold spores back into my house making me ill. The cap has been replaced, I’ll clean my house tomorrow with Microban but what do I use to remove the mold growing in my sewage system? I have a moisture meter and there no signs of water leaks anywhere I just can’t figure out how the mold spores are entering my home when I’ve done everything possible to seal every nook and cranny. The only thing I can think of the spores are contaminating the water trapped in the p-trap in the kitchen sink (where I feel the worst) and entering my house that way. Anyone have any suggestions? THANK YOU

 

[chandler48]

Mold in a sewerage system?? I can't see how that will affect the interior of your house. Lots more stuff passes in the system that would be more degrading, not to mention methane gas.

It seems your sensitivity and active problems with mold are great. I would call in a mold abatement professional and have them evaluate your situation and recommend the best means of ridding your environment of mold.

I don't understand the drastic measure of cementing the shower pit. A judicious sealing of the pipe would have been more in order, and would have allowed the installation of a shower at a later date, which you can't do now.

 

[Old Thomas]

Did you test for mold spores in your house? You should test in several places in your house and take a couple of tests outdoors. Mold spores are everywhere and it is nearly impossible to live in a mold free environment. If I go outside at any time and test I will find mold spores. The best you can hope for is fewer mold spores inside than outside. If air from the sewer system is getting in your house, you have a plumbing problem. If the water in the traps concerns you, put a teaspoon of bleach in it.

 

[hkstroud]

The only thing I can think of the spores are contaminating the water trapped in the p-trap in the kitchen sink (where I feel the worst) and entering my house that way.

That does not sound logical. The water in the kitchen P trap is replaced every time you run water in the sink.
What does sound logical (to me) is that you have venting problem with the kitchen sink.

If you do have a venting problem at the kitchen sink the water in the trap can be siphoned out exposing you to the odors and gasses of the sewer system. That is the purpose of the trap, to separate your from those odors and gasses.
The next time you believe you smell mold from the kitchen sink, run about a quart of water down the drain and see it the odors go away
If they do, investigate whether or not you have a venting problem.

 

[Tugg]

Larry, thank you responding. I have a defectI’ve gene that affects the way my immune system handles mold, mold spores and the mycotoxins mold creates.

I had a good idea where the mold was but to get to it the fiberglass shower/ tub had to be removed, so I had buy a grinder and cut it up into small pieces put it in 55 gallon trash bags and take it out thru a bedroom that shares a wall with the bathroom to avoid contaminating the rest of the house.

The cement cut out where the PCV pipe was even affected me so I removed that. I dug down 2 feet into the dirt and never hit dry dirt so I filled the 2 feet with dry dirt and originally used expanding spray foam insulation knowing it doesn’t get moldy but if it gets wet it stays wet unless properly aired out. That when I decided to cement the along the edges making sure the PVC pipe that went under the cement slab was covered and avoided getting any cement on the pipe. Cement is porous that’s when I covered the cement with a 40 mil vapor barrier knowing water couldn’t penetrate that. I covered the hole with sheet metal I screwed it into place. Once I get the tub in I’ll mark the sheet metal where the plumbing will go remove the sheet metal install the PVC pipe put the sheet metal back into place and permanently seal it.

When removing the tub I ran an extended hose from the bathroom thru the bedroom and vented outside I used that for negative air pressure. The salesman at Lowe’s sold me the wrong hepa filter and everything in my back yard became contaminated including the 6 foot high privacy fence. My cement patio still bothers me so I bought a product that contains bleach and removes mold mildew and stains on your house but is only meant for outdoor use I’ve lost everything due to mold I refuse to replace my furniture, tv or even a bed and won’t till I can fix my current mold problem. I sleep on tiled floor, my pillow is wrapped in a black trash bag so when it starts to bother me I take it outside and spray it down with bleach.

I removed the bathroom fan because the fins eventually get dusty and attract mold spores and installed a window so the bathroom is constantly getting fresh air
When my truck becomes cross contaminated I’ll fill two plastic tubs with bleach and let the fumes from the sodium hypochlorite kill the mold spores. After 2 days my truck is safe to drive again. I know people with my condition that can’t live in conventional housing, they live in tents in the desert. They completely isolate themselves for fear of being reexposed to mold.

What really sucks is other than avoidance there is no cure and mold has been here since the beginning of time

 

[chandler48]

Nothing of what you have done is common practice, and is basically grabbing at straws. Call in a professional and have them assess the needs and recommend what to do. You have gone overboard with remedial measures that won't contain nor get rid of the mold. I'll have to allow the others to help, as undoing what you have done is the only way I could help.

 

[Tugg]

Did you test for mold spores in your house? You should test in several places in your house and take a couple of tests outdoors. Mold spores are everywhere and it is nearly impossible to live in a mold free environment. If I go outside at any time and test I will find mold spores. The best you can hope for is fewer mold spores inside than outside. If air from the sewer system is getting in your house, you have a plumbing problem. If the water in the traps concerns you, put a teaspoon of bleach in it.

Thomas fall and spring are the worst time of year for me. Fall is a killer, the leaves are falling from the trees and every single house in my neighborhood has a tree but me so everyday I’m outside with my blower blowing the leaves in a pile, putting them in 55 gallon trash bags and throwing them away.

I’m so hypersensitive to mold/spores/mycotoxins that it would be a waste of $200 to have my house tested. I can walk into a building and within 15 minutes I can tell if the house has mold, give me a half hour I’ll tell you where it’s at.

I don’t have a washer or a dryer All the water for the the p-trap for the washer has evaporated so there’s nothing there to stop the methan gas or the mold from entering the laundry room. I have the drain sealed and completely covered the washer water lines but it still gets thru. I sealed the only doorway leading from the kitchen to the laundry room with drywall and painted it with an anti microbial paint

The same with the bathroom, the water used in the p-traps for the shower, toilet and vanity has dried up. The showers not a problem because it’s so well sealed. I purchased a device that fits in the toilet drain, you screw it in to place and the rubber gasket flattens out creating a seal. The drain for the vanity just has a plastic bag wedge in it and is sealed with Gorilla tape. I also have the bathroom sealed off with 12 mil plastic. Lowe’s sells a zipper that has. an adhesive, you peel off the paper stick it to the plastic, open up the zipper cut a line tru the plastic which allows you access.

Water in a p-trap can become contaminated if the water sits there long enough. I don’t cook So I don’t do dishes if anything I’ll occasionally use the sink to wash what few clothes I have that’s about it. Thank you for your replies

 

[Tugg]

Nothing of what you have done is common practice, and is basically grabbing at straws. Call in a professional and have them assess the needs and recommend what to do. You have gone overboard with remedial measures that won't contain nor get rid of the mold. I'll have to allow the others to help, as undoing what you have done is the only way I could help.

I remediated 2 houses I was living in but because I basically have to live ina bubble it wasn’t fair to the people I was living with for them to have live like I’m forced to so I moved

This house has had 16 years of mold being sucked out of the bathroom wall with the help of the furnace and distributed thru every nook and cranny of the house, I’ve probably spent over $10,000 In supplies and tools having a professional do it would cost me 4 times as much and I wouldn’t trust anyone to do the Job the way I want it done. I’ve used spray foam insulation in the walls that were affected the most to stop air flow going from one room to another than fogged them with microban

The bathroom is fixed all I have to do is shave down the studs where the tub goes so it fits properly. Once thats done the shower walls will be installed than the toilet after that the vanity.

I’ll more than likely hire someone with a camera that’s capable of running it thru the sewer system just to make sure the pipes are sealed correctly and their not cracked. If there is a problem with the plumbing I’ll be the one that fixes it. This way I know the job is done right and I’ll check it 3 or 4 times if for anything piece of mind

Imagine going to work everyday knowing the building your working in is going to make you sick, how long would you continue to work there? . Mold just doesn’t make me physically ill but it effects my short term memory, my sense of balance, my eye sight and at times my judgment. I’ve made mistakes while working on my house but I’m doing work I’ve never done before. When it really starts to effect my sense of judgment I’ll stop working for a couple of weeks till the brain fog clears than I’m back at it. This is my home if I can’t live here I have no place left to go. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve been forced to live in my truck during the winter months in Denver because I couldn’t find a safe place to live. All I had during those times was t-shirt, a pair of pants and a thin blanket

 

[Ghostmaker]

I would suggest you completely remove all the plumbing and use a bucket that you can clean each day.

 

[Old Thomas]

You put a window in your bathroom. Outdoor air almost everywhere contains mold spores. If I go outside right now and test I will find mold spores. You should seal up your windows and only get fresh air from a mechanical ventilation system with high performance HEPA filters. Run your exhaust air system at a lower CFM than your outdoor air system so your house is slightly pressurized. Then any cracks or leaks will have air going out rather than air leaking in. Some air from inside goes out, some gets filtered and recirculated, and incoming filtered air is greater than outgoing air. The more it runs the cleaner your air gets.

 

[Tugg]

Mold in a sewerage system?? I
I don't understand the drastic measure of cementing the shower pit. A judicious sealing of the pipe would have been more in order, and would have allowed the installation of a shower at a later date, which you can't do now.

I didn’t cement the entire hole closed I cemented the bottom because water had leaked down into the cavity for so many years I more than would’ve had remove the cement to dig deeper. Once I removed the plumbing I dug down 2 extra feet and the dirt was still moist. Had I not sealed the bottom and put in the plumbing and a tub over hole the dirt would never dried and mold would have started to grow again.

The subcontractor that' removed the cement for the plumbing did a piss poor job I cemented the sides, smoothed them out and generally made that hole look better. I left plenty of room on the bottom and all four sides since I wasn’t sure what tub I was going to get and how the new plumbing was going to line up compared to the old plumbing I wanted to make sure the p-trap had plenty of room on the bottom in case it sat lower.

Keep in mind I’m working in a sealed room with no air conditioner or fresh air, wearing a dual filtered respirator and a haz mat suit. The longer I stayed in that room the sicker I got but quitting wasn’t an option

 

[Tugg]

You put a window in your bathroom. Outdoor air almost everywhere contains mold spores. If I go outside right now and test I will find mold spores. You should seal up your windows and only get fresh air from a mechanical ventilation system with high performance HEPA filters. Run your exhaust air system at a lower CFM than your outdoor air system so your house is slightly pressurized. Then any cracks or leaks will have air going out rather than air leaking in. Some air from inside goes out, some gets filtered and recirculated, and incoming filtered air is greater than outgoing air. The more it runs the cleaner your air gets.

I’ve been going thru this since 2009 everything you suggested I’ve tried. I’ve used bathroom fans before when the fins from the blower became dusty mold spores attach themselves to that dust and wait for the opportunity to start a colony. When the fan is off outside air finds its way into the ventilation system and the fan with the dusty fins and blows those mold spores back into your home. I have a bathroom fan I used for three months it I walked into the bathroom and left the fan off I’d immediately feel the effects the spores caused from that fan.

Since 2009 I have maybe one occurrence that mold spores in the air stopped me from going outside. My current next door neighbor rents and has four 10 foot trees growing in his front yard. In the four years he’s lived there I’ve yet to see him witha rake or leaf blower picking up his leaves. It got so bad on that one particular day I decided to stay why expose myself to a situation I have no control of? Those leaves ultimately find their way onto my property now they’re my responsibility

Air purifiers... I’ve tried them all I paid as little as $99.00 to $1500.00 but because my sensitivity was so bad back than they had little effect so I gVe up on wasting my money on them and used it on something like medications that helped me even more.

The window I installed provides me with something more than an air purifer, bathroom fan and most medications... fresh air. Avoidance is the best alternative for someone with my affliction.I can’t avoid mold sporesbut I can lower my exposure by providing my system with fresh air something the window offers that your suggestions don’t.

Mold spores aren’t the only piece to the puzzle. You have to deal with the mycotoxins mold creates which is a bigger threat to me than mold spores. Mycotoxins aren’t organic it’s a chemical created by mold colonies. Because it’s a chemical it can not be killed and will continue to thrive long after the mold colony has been remediated. I’m not talking days weeks or months I’m talking years before that mycotoxin is neutralized.

Check the suggestions you made how many will successfully neutralize a mycotoxin? I’ve been dealing with this for 11 years and during those 11 years the only thing that neutralizes mycotoxins is sodium hydrochlorite also known as bleach. The problem with using bleach it’s extremely toxic and very corrosive and should only used on non porous items. I have absolutely no carpet in my house only tile when I am feeling symptomatic I.ll put on my respirator and mop the kitchen and living room floor with it. Once the odor dissipates I feel much better. That’s how know mycotoxins are more of a threat to me than a mold spore is. If I wanted to remove a mold spore I’d rent an air scrubber, not even an air scrubber can remove mycotoxins

 

[lenaitch]

Move to non-coastal US southwest? I understand mycotoxins can also be present in food.

 

[bruceb3]

a bathroom without a ceiling fan is an open invitation to mold growth. Every time you take a shower or bath, that extremely humid air has to be evacuated. Mold needs moisture and darkness to grow.
You may very well have a plumbing leak in a wall that's causing your issues.