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kyonu's avatar
kyonu
Explorer
Feb 11, 2015

Mold?!

Hey fellas,

So last month I had a large water leak behind the toilet that I was able to fix. It was so bad you could feel sloshy wetness all around the bed frame in the bedroom. We have since repaired the leak and the carpet has been dry.

BUT, my girlfriend keeps getting really bad allergies which are quickly alleviated when she steps outside (and she is very sensitive, so being outside as a reprieve must mean something). This tells me that there is something IN the RV causing problems. I am assuming this is a mold problem underneath the carpet where the water was, and possibly the wooded areas where the water came from.

How would I go about looking at this? I live in it, and don't have the money to get a place to live for weeks while Camping World (only reputable place near me) fixes it. Even then I've heard some damning things about their "repair" crew.

Please help! I need to know what I can do. I am a DIY'er so can fix many things, just need a start. Should I rip up the carpet and scrub-a-dub dub? Should I burn it to the ground? This is infuriating, and the two air purifiers (each rated for a large room) can't even cleanse the whole RV.

Thanks in advance!
  • Step one is pulling up the carpet, for sure. Possibly other furniture and flooring once the carpet is up and you can see the extent of the problem.

    One month probably isn't long enough for any structural decay to start, so clean with mold killing chemicals, treat with a preventative, then put everything back together. I'd probably throw out the carpet and replace while you're at it.

    Finally, a top to bottom detailed scrup/shampoo of the whole interior to kill any spores that you stirred up while fixing the problem.
  • Before tearing it out you will need a way to get good ventilation in and out. You'll also need a mold rated respirator.
    No way to live in it while mold work is going on.
    You could pick up a mold test kit in the paint department of HD or similar. They are probably under $10. You may not wish to send to a lab for testing, but the amount of growth in the petri dish will confirm or deny the presence of mold. Afterb that, if you want, you can send it to the lab listed on the paper and for about $50 they will tell what kind of mold and in what amounts.
    You can also PM questions if you want. I hold a FL mold remediators license.
  • I'd say a total ripout of flooring is in order. Mold is serious stuff.

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