Mold Testing Versus a Moisture Inspection

Inspection is the default

Most York houses that “need testing” need someone willing to stick their head in the crawl and say the plastic is a lie. That is an inspection. How to tell covers the homeowner version.

Testing earns its fee when

• You are opening a wall and want a before-photo, not a spore circus.
• A physician asks for environmental information.
• A buyer and seller cannot agree and both want a third party with a written method.
• HVAC contamination is the actual question.

How to read the pitch

Walk away from “we always test because we always remediate.” Ask what decision the sample will change. If the joist is visibly growing something, the decision is already “dry it and clean or replace it.”

Questions people also ask

These pages are homeowner education from Radon Mitigation of York, written by Dave Kessler. They are not a medical diagnosis, a species identification, or an insurance determination. Color does not tell you which mold you have. If someone in the house is sick, talk to a physician. EPA's homeowner guidance treats roughly 10 square feet as the line where many people stop DIY cleanup and call a remediation crew — sooner if sewage, HVAC, or anyone immunocompromised is involved. We are a radon and basement crew. When we are already under a York house we will tell you what we see and what we would do in our own place. We do not pretend a radon fan is a mold remedy.