I’m just another guy, not a professional at all. I am, however, a microbiologist that works at a place that tests for this exact thing (but we don’t remediate). So this does not constitute a recommendation. Hopefully an actual remediation person can come in and tell you/correct me so I know. I make zero claim to how the spot will look after, but it should be fine. And so on and so forth.
From a microbiology standpoint, if it’s grown like that, its going to have put spores out everywhere. So while cutting it out and replacing is the BEST option, it’s mostly just going to remove the active production of spores. This can also be nearly identically achieved with a bleach solution. You can buy them premade, but it’s basically just 10% (?) bleach and 90% water. Should be super easy to find exact formula online. Put that in a spray bottle, soak the spot on both sides, let it dry, and repeat a couple of times. Maybe scrape it off with a putty knife and put it directly into a sealed bag before you walk it through your house. Seriously, spores are no joke - some can survive re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Don’t walk it through the house open. Respray, rinse and repeat.
If you REALLY want to make sure and give zero shits about how it looks, use 100% bleach after. But know that bleach likes to dissolve things - it’s basically the same as an acid, but in the other side of the chemical spectrum, and has the same results. I’d check online to see how drywall will react before doing this, but it’ll kill the fungi/mold.
Once you’re satisfied that the spot has been touched by bleach all the way through, paint it and forget it exists. It’ll let you know relatively quickly if you didn’t get it all.
Again, this is from a microbiology standpoint only. I have no idea how the drywall will react or have any experience in remediation.
If you use it on the surface, you won’t have any problems (if it’s diluted). It’s something that’s sold for this exact thing. Otherwise, a quick Google would tell you if there are any problems. I’m just trying to help with the mold/fungal part since that might be a little more tricky to understand.
My only hesitation is if it gets under the paper. It still should be fine, but I don’t want to say yes when I’m not 100% sure (it’s a scientist thing).
The pure bleach… Well, I’d test that first on a small piece of drywall if you have any laying around. Put a little on, let it sit for a minute, wipe it off with water a couple times and see how it looks in a day or two. In a different spot, put some on for 5 min and do the same thing.
Good post for sure. I can chime in from the environmental consulting and remediation side. Honestly, from the pictures that doesn’t look that bad. If it were my house I’d treat with biocide, paint, and be done with it assuming it’s fully dry and the water problem is gone.
Not an official recommendation of course, but I wouldn’t use bleach. Bleach can damage building materials. What’s a better option is something like Shockwave or Concrobium, something that is EPA-registered for use as a biocide. I would apply it on both sides of the drywall to the point of it soaking in, and then allow it to get fully dry. After I was SURE it was dry I’d paint both sides with Kilz primer, and repaint to suit. The Kilz primer will act as an encapsulent and make sure you are not exposed to any of the dead mold.
I’ve done quite a bit of mold removal in my house from before we encapsulated the crawl space, and this has worked flawlessly even though I have family members that are extremely sensitive to molds. I wouldnt worry too much about mold spores present throughout your house- the dirty secret of the remediation industry is that there are mold spores literally everywhere. They key is to make sure the humidity levels in your house are controlled and never exceed 60-65%.
It’s usually worth getting a second opinion on anything that expensive, and it’s usually worth waiting for a good engineer if they’re backed up.
I am an engineer, and I’ve seen good engineers and shit engineers. It’s terrible I have to say this, but if you’re buying a house and the owner has an engineer look at a potentially serious problem, you should probably still pay for an engineer to look at it as well. And it’s probably going to be expensive. $450 is a steal.
Also, if you know what you want the engineer to look at, specifically, it will cost less than “getting the house checked.” The former might be a fixed fee, the latter is likely to be hourly and well into 4 figures.
I have been trying to find a structural engineer to come look at my garage but I don’t even know where to look. Google wasn’t extremely helpful. Any advice on how to find structural engineers in my area?
I’d check with medium sized contractors or smaller 1-10 person) architecture firms. Very few of us (PEs) deal with small/residential work, but those are the people who are likely to need or know an engineer that does small jobs. The local building official might know somebody, but depending on their risk aversion they might not be willing to say for fear that they have (officially) recommended someone.
Handyman here. Lots of great suggestions for alternatives to pulling the P trap. The thing is, pulling and cleaning the P trap is super easy. Easier than everything else listed here. By the time you bend a coat hanger or go buy some drano, you could have the p trap off and back with no tools needed. I think this may be one of those cases where the best question isn’t “could I” but “should I” do some alternative thing…
When you get your short term answer settled, think of the long-term preventative maintenance.
Every 3 or 4 months, fill the sink to the brim with hot water, and then let it all drain. The heat and pressure will help melt lipid deposits and flush them down the system.
do this with all the sinks nearby as well, drain lines like to restrict and regular flushing can help prevent a lot of headache.
I sometimes pour a kettle of boiling water down the kitchen drain to melt the fats. I recall seeing a youtube video of a guy boiling pvc fittings to separate them and reuse them, which caused some concern for my habit of pouring boiling water down. But he had to boil those fittings in a pot for like 30 min with all sides of the fitting getting heat, so I’m not worried.
Budget permitting, it’s best to pour the hot water down ~15-20 min before going to bed, then just before going to bed pour ~50—100ml of enzymes. Enzyme-based maintenence cleaning is most effective when the sludge they will consume is warm. Let the enzymes feast on the nasties all night long.
Sounds to me like the drum might be floating really loosely inside the machine. It not spinning dead center is gonna cause the weight to be thrown around and move everything.
Depending on how the machine is made it could be a couple of components on the fritz. At a guess I’d say either the belt that turns the drum is stretched from use, or the frame the drum glides on might need replacement.
Is it a side loader? The drum has springs that connect the drum to a weight in the back. Check if all of the springs are connected. If one is loose, the machine will vibrate like crazy.
I had the same issue with the same solution after I moved my washer.
I didn’t previously know that it’s important to clamp the springs when moving a washer, otherwise the springs experience years of wear during one truck ride.
I replaced the springs and had a like-new washer again.
Are the feet set properly? They usually screw in and out. Try rocking it and see if you can adjust the feet lengths so it doesn’t rock when shaking it.
I can't really solve your shaking problem but my washer shakes a bit (not crazy but it does vibrate the upstairs) so I bought pucks on Amazon and they stop the washer from shaking heavily.
No, it’s about 7 years old. It’s worked great until this move. The moving company jammed foam in between the drum and the frame. I’m thinking they may have screwed something up
If it is a new washing machine there are breaks screwed into the back of the machine.
They are put there so the drum does not move during shipping from the factory to the customer, maybe they were also put in when you moved. If they remain in the washing machine motor is fighting against the break pads and the machine will shake violently. Please look at the manual or search on the internet how to take them out.
Anecdotally only, I know multiple people who have done the Mr. Cool DIY kits who have had issues ranging from minor to catastrophic. Some may have been installer error. Some were defective parts out of the box. Regardless, the parts are generally way more proprietary and often only available from the manufacturer.
I decided to go with the more commercial systems and just DIY’d 2 Daikin setups, one 3 ton/4 zone and one 5 ton/5 zone.
You will absolutely need certain somewhat specialized tools. I went as far as to get my EPA license to be able to purchase 410a from reliable channels. Overall the cost was still way less than what HVAC contractors are getting these days.
This is only anecdotal I know, but I am very happy with how the diakin systems have performed.
I was able to buy some R-410a on eBay when I installed mine a couple years ago. Looking again, I don’t see any more listed.
The tools weren’t too expensive. I wasn’t able to buy lineset covers locally, and I’m sure I paid a little premium buying them online.
I wasn’t able to do a high pressure leak test because I was only able to get a low pressure nitrogen regulator. I ended up tearing my hair out for months because the system barely worked because there was a leak I didn’t find until I noticed oil on a fitting.
Having a recovery pump and cylinder would be invaluable for troubleshooting leaks. But they’re so expensive.
Agree a recovery pump was a big help. I already had a powerful vacuum pump, but I did buy a recovery pump, cylinder, gauges, and a scale.
You can still check for and find leaks with Better Bubble or similar leak detector.
These are also great to help prevent leaks if you don’t have Nylog and a torque wrench/crowsfoots for the fittings. They’re Teflon or similar. flareseal.com
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