If you can't smell it - does it exist? a.k.a. Zippy bares all.

[Guest guest]

If your house does not smell moldy or musty, could

there still be a mold problem? "

I want to ask the question on two levels,

factoring out any inhibition on the olfactory

nerves that mold might have. (I can't smell

a skunk, literally. But others in the house

still have a pretty good sense of smell left.)

The first question would be: Is it theoretically

possible to have a problem with mold, and not

smell it?

Second, in the " real world " , is this possible?

The reason I ask is because, we have had a mold

problem in the past from a leaky pipe in the crawl

space under the house, and from a window unit air

conditioner that had black mold in the duct work,

and perhaps even worse, the vent to the outside was

stuck open (by accumulated mold) and was sucking

air right over the drain pan, which was full of

a sickly soup of pink and white mold (it looked

like strawberry swirl ice-cream; makes me want to

cry to think about it). And if that wasn't enough,

I had mold in my bed for over ten years without my

knowledge.

I had put one of those foam eggshell thingys on

top of my mattress. Apparently, this did not allow

the mattress to breath, and when I peeled it back

(ahem, ten years later), there was about 3 tablespoons

of black mold spores on the mattress underneath, and

some active green mold to boot.

Again, the urge to cry = = = ==

The mattress episode was about 6 years ago.

Mattress replaced pronto! There was also some " remediation "

for the rest of the house too at 6 years. More foundation

vents, and a UltraAire APD installed for humidity

control, fresh air, and positive pressure. Wall unit

air conditioner problem only discovered last year, and

replaced.

But our house doesn't smell musty anymore. We can

turn off the APD, and be gone all day. When we return,

there is no musty smell. What do you think?

Thank for reading this far. Our society has a LOT

to learn about mold.

Zippy

[Guest guest]

Zippy,

I can only answer from my experience.The place that I worked and got

sick at did not have that musty mildewy smell. The only thing we

noticed was a black soot-like dust at our work stations each day. We

thought the maintance company they had hired was doing a poor job.

This " dust " came directly from the a/c vents. So in my experience.

yes you can have mold and not smell it.

Sharon C.

>

> If your house does not smell moldy or musty, could

> there still be a mold problem? "

>

> I want to ask the question on two levels,

> factoring out any inhibition on the olfactory

> nerves that mold might have. (I can't smell

> a skunk, literally. But others in the house

> still have a pretty good sense of smell left.)

>

> The first question would be: Is it theoretically

> possible to have a problem with mold, and not

> smell it?

>

> Second, in the " real world " , is this possible?

>

>

> The reason I ask is because, we have had a mold

> problem in the past from a leaky pipe in the crawl

> space under the house, and from a window unit air

> conditioner that had black mold in the duct work,

> and perhaps even worse, the vent to the outside was

> stuck open (by accumulated mold) and was sucking

> air right over the drain pan, which was full of

> a sickly soup of pink and white mold (it looked

> like strawberry swirl ice-cream; makes me want to

> cry to think about it). And if that wasn't enough,

> I had mold in my bed for over ten years without my

> knowledge.

> I had put one of those foam eggshell thingys on

> top of my mattress. Apparently, this did not allow

> the mattress to breath, and when I peeled it back

> (ahem, ten years later), there was about 3 tablespoons

> of black mold spores on the mattress underneath, and

> some active green mold to boot.

> Again, the urge to cry = = = ==

>

> The mattress episode was about 6 years ago.

> Mattress replaced pronto! There was also some " remediation "

> for the rest of the house too at 6 years. More foundation

> vents, and a UltraAire APD installed for humidity

> control, fresh air, and positive pressure. Wall unit

> air conditioner problem only discovered last year, and

> replaced.

>

> But our house doesn't smell musty anymore. We can

> turn off the APD, and be gone all day. When we return,

> there is no musty smell. What do you think?

>

> Thank for reading this far. Our society has a LOT

> to learn about mold.

>

> Zippy

>

[Guest guest]

---Hi Zippy, I was exposed in a home almost 7 years and never smelt a

thing or seen it. it was from roof leaks and it was hidden behind the

walls. it took almost 9 years to get so bad that it grew through the

plaster and showed from the outside of the house, but I got ill with

first symptoms less than 2 months after it started. my second home

smells bad, but it has a big moisture problem and water runs and

basicly sets under the house. mold had been growing there for 20-50

years from what I was told. it was covered up and sold as livable,

and they dried it out and painted to cover smell, but it didn't take

long for the smell to come back. I think about anything is

possiable.

In , " bhp355 "

<zippy890@...> wrote:

>

> If your house does not smell moldy or musty, could

> there still be a mold problem? "

>

> I want to ask the question on two levels,

> factoring out any inhibition on the olfactory

> nerves that mold might have. (I can't smell

> a skunk, literally. But others in the house

> still have a pretty good sense of smell left.)

>

> The first question would be: Is it theoretically

> possible to have a problem with mold, and not

> smell it?

>

> Second, in the " real world " , is this possible?

>

>

> The reason I ask is because, we have had a mold

> problem in the past from a leaky pipe in the crawl

> space under the house, and from a window unit air

> conditioner that had black mold in the duct work,

> and perhaps even worse, the vent to the outside was

> stuck open (by accumulated mold) and was sucking

> air right over the drain pan, which was full of

> a sickly soup of pink and white mold (it looked

> like strawberry swirl ice-cream; makes me want to

> cry to think about it). And if that wasn't enough,

> I had mold in my bed for over ten years without my

> knowledge.

> I had put one of those foam eggshell thingys on

> top of my mattress. Apparently, this did not allow

> the mattress to breath, and when I peeled it back

> (ahem, ten years later), there was about 3 tablespoons

> of black mold spores on the mattress underneath, and

> some active green mold to boot.

> Again, the urge to cry = = = ==

>

> The mattress episode was about 6 years ago.

> Mattress replaced pronto! There was also some " remediation "

> for the rest of the house too at 6 years. More foundation

> vents, and a UltraAire APD installed for humidity

> control, fresh air, and positive pressure. Wall unit

> air conditioner problem only discovered last year, and

> replaced.

>

> But our house doesn't smell musty anymore. We can

> turn off the APD, and be gone all day. When we return,

> there is no musty smell. What do you think?

>

> Thank for reading this far. Our society has a LOT

> to learn about mold.

>

> Zippy

>