What's your BuildIQ: Mold Remediation and Assessment - Understanding Moisture Sources and Movement

It's always there, patiently waiting to invade homes. If it succeeds, the home and its inhabitants are at risk. When the elements are right it can grow uncontrollably, leaving toxins and destruction behind.

The menace? Mold. And while this situation might seem straight out of a horror flick, it's one that is plaguing homeowners and the home building industry.

Small amounts of mold are everywhere we are -- in our homes, cars and workplaces. Normal growth isn't a problem, it's when mold starts to grow uncontrollably that problems arise. To grow, mold needs three things: a food source, temperatures between 40ºF and 100ºF, and moisture. All of these are found within a home.

Effectively controlling moisture is the best way to limit mold growth. To find the moisture problem, you need to understand where water can come from and how it moves from a home's exterior to the interior.

There are two kinds of moisture found outside and inside a house: liquid water and water vapor. Rain, snow and groundwater are sources of liquid water that come from outside of the home. Humidity -- water vapor in the air -- is also a source of outside water. Water inside the home usually comes from plumbing leaks, overflowing water heaters and dishwashers. Humidity also rears its ugly head inside the house, coming from a range of sources including cooking, showering and even breathing.

Moisture moves in mysterious ways, but understanding this movement can help you stop mold growth before it gets out of control. To learn more about the five ways moisture moves (gravity, wind, capillary action, air flow and diffusion) and what to do if you discover extensive mold growth, go to hz.buildiquniversity.com to enroll in Mold Assessment and Remediation.