MOLD IN MY NEW HOME

[Craig]

I live in Jacksonville, FL. I bought a Homes of Merit back in March 04. over the last 2 weeks I started noticing mold around the air vents. I am noticing mold on several places on the ceiling, interior doors & furniture.
is this due to the set up of the home or something with the way it was built? I had the home built to the energy star package with mastic around the duct work.
we are having some mild respiratory problems over the last week (which may be caused by the mold in my Homes of Merit home).
what should I do ?

[rmurray]

The home MUST be ventalated...there should be a power vent system (HOM uses a power vent..looks like a bath vent in the ceiling). that MUST be turned on...your humidity seems too high..the mold at the a/c vents is from condensation of the humidity in the room air...consider buying a dehumidifier...it will make the home more comfortable..

You will have to deal with the moisture problem first...then kill off the mold in the home..


Actually sounds a little like you might have too large of an a/c unit..if the unit does not run enough..it will not remove enough moisture from the air...a humidifier will help in this situation..

Good Luck

[Eugene (UL)]

I also live in North FLA, and ventilation is the key. I bought My Skyline in NOV 03 with a Blend air II system. Anytime the fan runs, a "motorized flap" opens on a 3" vent pipe running from the roof into the return closet, introducing fresh air into the system. Without it, the home is so "tight", it will condensate on the inside. It works flawlessly. I would not have a home without it. The house is never "stale". To kill the mold presently in your home, buy a LARGE can of lysol,(green top) remove your air filter, turn the a/c off, turn on just the fan,and spray the ENTIRE can into the return vent. This will take about 10 minutes, but keep spraying.This will kill all the mold in the vents as well as on the a/c evaporator. I have cured many "sick homes" this way. The difference will be immediate. Make SURE you run the exaust fans when you shower, and Ventilate the house!!

[Craig]

we always run our fans when we take showers. should they be ran 24/7 ?
I reported the problem to the dealer I bought the home from last week (Normandy Mobile Homes in Jacksonville, FL). they reported it to the set up crew, Homes of Merit in Lake City, FL & the A/C company that installed my 12 seer heat pump.
the A/C contractor came out last Friday & said the return ductwork going back to the heat pump had come off from the home. therefore, it was just laying on the ground sucking in all the damp air from the hurricanes we have been having. he put it back on & said he didnt know what to tell me about the mold. but he had never seen a home this bad.
the Homes of Merit crew came on Monday & said they had never seen a home with this much mold/mildew in it. the stated that when they were out 3 months ago the return air vent was laying on the ground. they stated that they reported it to the dealer & Homes of Merit at that time. apparantly the dealer didnt do anything about it.
the manager of the dealer & the owner of the A/C company came out yesterday & said it was bad. last I have heard is that a carpet company is going to come out & spray my ductwork with KILZ (dont know if im spelling that correctly).
I have made 3 calls today & 1 fax to try to find out from the manager of the dealer what is going to be done to resolve my issues & when.
I havent been in my home 6 months yet. dealers like this one are what gives manufactured homes a BAD name.
if the mold is airborne can we ever get rid of it for sure? could the mold be inside my walls & ceiling in the insulation? any advice as to what I should do? should I obtain an attorney ? do i have any rights concerning this if the dealer/factory were notified 3 months ago about the A/C ductwork laying on the ground & nothing was done to correct it?