Radar Technology Detects Hidden Mold

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Radar Technology Detects Hidden Mold

Chief Engineer - Crestwood,IL

http://www.chiefengineer.org/content/content_display.cfm/seqnumber_co

ntent/2600.htm

Cutting-edge radar technology may soon make obsolete the slow,

destructive and expensive methods now available to detect hidden

moisture and mold behind wallboards, according to a report released

by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute

(ARTI).

Existing technology to detect mold behind walls requires stripping

wall coverings to inspect hidden surfaces visually or boring holes

into numberous wall sections to extract and culture samples. The

disassembly and drilling must be done very slowly and carefully to

avoid spreading mold spores and fragments through the building,

which increases the cost of remediation, according to the report.

" The economic problems created by hidden moisture are enormous, "

said ARTI's Director of Research Steve Szymurski. " Real estate

property damage from mold growth has cost millions of dollars and

the price tag for this problem is growing because of costly mold

litigation. Therefore, developing better detection instruments that

can locate hidden problems quickly, inexpensively, and

nondestructively is an important research priority. "

In their feasibility study, Atlanta-based Georgia Tech Research

Institute (GTRI) investigators soaked gypsum wallboard, used in most

homes today, with water infused with mold spores to encourage mold

growth, and allowed the spores to germinate in a humid environment.

Using a radar system, researchers scanned the wall and found the

technology to be effective in accurately pinpointing areas of hidden

moisture behind the wallboard. While their research indicates that

the technology can feasibly provide an image detecting mold growth

on the back of wallboard, additional research is still needed to

develop the technology so that it can unequivocally distinguish mold

growth from moisture alone.

In their report, GTRI researchers said the future challenge is to

develop a system small enough to be taken into the field by a mold

remediation practitioner.