Was It Rain Or Was It Air?
ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Here's a building owner's real fear factor: your building is found to have mold and moisture problems. Diagnostic tests lead to a complete rebricking of the exterior, only for the same mold problems to return the following summer. That's scary.
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How could the repair have been so far off from what was actually the problem?
Most often this is a result of not paying close enough attention to mold and water damage patterns and, as a result, misdiagnosing – or only partially diagnosing – the root problem. This is especially common in cases where a building falls victim to complex moisture problems originating with multiple sources.
Occasionally, faulty diagnoses occur because one legitimate component was correctly identified but others were overlooked. For example, a rainwater leak is detected and blame is attributed, but air infiltration from a defective HVAC system that was a contributing culprit is missed. As a result, repairs to the building envelope might be recommended, but these only solve the water leak and fail to address mechanical system air infiltration and humidity issues.
Complicated moisture problems deserve a multi-disciplinary approach that includes both architectural and mechanical expertise. This keeps a bias towards the building envelope or HVAC system from becoming a negative influencing factor on the repair.
The entire scenario is a horror story in which no building owner wants to play a part. It's hard enough to go through catastrophic building failure and expensive repairs once, but to have to repeat the process so soon after a misdiagnosis is brutal. Yet unfortunately, this is what many owners and operators are facing – particularly those of hotels and resorts in warm, humid climates.
Using damage indicators as a forensic guide, forensics experts with a trained eye should be able to detect the telltale different patterns of mold resulting from rainwater vs. mold stemming from air infiltration. This differentiation should help provide a more accurate diagnosis and resolution to the mold problem.
If you suspect your building is suffering from a mold or moisture problem, look for a building forensics firm that has experience in both building envelope and HVAC issues, as well as an understanding of how the two systems work together.
Contact:
George DuBose
LBFG
Phone: (407) 467-5518
Fax: (407) 814-0452
Email
Website: www.libertybuilding.com