# Mold under sink?



## dreck (Sep 6, 2006)

Hello,

My neighbor was complaining about smells coming from under her sink. She ask me to remove the plywood under the sink & clean & remove any dead animals. After removing the plywood I found mold. Lots of mold!

I have attached a few pictures.

My question is, if I find the source of the leak. Repair the leak & clean everything up pretty well will the mold go away? Or does she need to have a mold specialist come out?

Behind the sink in the wall is all the plumbing for the sink & bathroom above. I am going to cut an hole in the wall to try & determain where the leak is coming from & how much mold may or may not be in the wall.

I think I am over my head but another neighbor is saying repair the leak & clean it up & it will be fine. is this true?

Thanks, dreck


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## dougrus (Sep 16, 2006)

It is hard to say what damage has been done to the subfloor until you clean up that small ecosystem you have goin on there  ...Wear a mask.


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

Ok, that is not a lot of mold. That is an ENORMOUS amount of mold. That mold has mold! First of all, we can only base our opinions on assumption, none of us having the opportunity to exam it first hand, but I'd have to side with the prospect that you may be in over your head. From the looks of that, I would SHOCKED if there isn't significant subfloor damage. Not necessarily because that much mold suggests a ton of water, but because that much mold eats wood and compromises the integrity of the floor. Which means water can penatrate further and faster. That mold has to be cleaned SLOWLY and in sections. You do not want to cause that much mold to become airborne all at once under any circumstances. If the wood is ok and you can clean it, you'll need to clean it in sections using gloves, some cloths that you will toss away after, a RESPIRATOR mask and a strong chemical like 








http://www.restockit.com/images/Product/medium/260240WD.JPG

You really need to determine the source of the leak and the extent of the water damage. I have a feeling there will be a lot of demolition involved here and not a lot of cleaning. Removing the damaged/moldy materials will get rid of the mold and you can use X14 to kill off the lingering effects. That kind of mold growth suggests that the leak has been there for a long, long time. The longer a leak is left, the more destruction it does. Remember, even if you clean the visible mold out and leave the wood in there saturated w/ water, you've left a perfect breeding ground for more mold. Its not likely to dry effectively in under a decade either.... Take it step by step though and wear protective gear while you working anywhere near that.


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## dreck (Sep 6, 2006)

dougrus said:


> It is hard to say what damage has been done to the subfloor until you clean up that small ecosystem you have goin on there  ...Wear a mask.


hehe, trust me, I don't want to do the cleaning. :no: 



J187 said:


> Ok, that is not a lot of mold. That is an ENORMOUS amount of mold. That mold has mold! First of all, we can only base our opinions on assumption, none of us having the opportunity to exam it first hand, but I'd have to side with the prospect that you may be in over your head. From the looks of that, I would SHOCKED if there isn't significant subfloor damage. Not necessarily because that much mold suggests a ton of water, but because that much mold eats wood and compromises the integrity of the floor. Which means water can penatrate further and faster. That mold has to be cleaned SLOWLY and in sections. You do not want to cause that much mold to become airborne all at once under any circumstances. If the wood is ok and you can clean it, you'll need to clean it in sections using gloves, some cloths that you will toss away after, a RESPIRATOR mask and a strong chemical like
> 
> 
> 
> ...


After I post this I talked with her again & told here I think the best thing is for you to bring in someone that knows how to deal withy this. She has called one of those 24 HR mold/water removal guys to come & look at it.
I think that is the best thing at this point. God knows I don't want to clean this mess up. hehe

The sub floor is concrete. So I think the worst thing could be tearing up her hardwood floors & having to replace the cabinets. Also maybe some drywall here & their. I just hope the leak is not under the foundation. yuk! That would be bad.

Thanks for your input, dreck


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## mdshunk (Dec 4, 2005)

I think it's time for her to get her insurance man on the horn too. That's not a little home repair project... that's an insurance claim.


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## dreck (Sep 6, 2006)

mdshunk said:


> I think it's time for her to get her insurance man on the horn too. That's not a little home repair project... that's an insurance claim.


yes, she may have to do that.

The mold guy said it wasn't mold. It's  (SH*T!)
hehe.. :laughing: 

The plumber is coming in the morning. I guess the toliet drain has a leak or is backing up into the cabinets. yuk!
She lives in a condo & hopes the damages maybe covered on the homeowners end. ??

I will keep you posted.

Thanks, dreck


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## dougrus (Sep 16, 2006)

You gotta be kidding me...:surrender: call the calvery
I was gonna go back and look at the picture but decided against it...just had my late night snack...:ban: 

good god...
come on...are you sure there isnt some mold there?


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## dreck (Sep 6, 2006)

dougrus said:


> good god...
> come on...are you sure there isnt some mold there?


O.. their was mold... Just some extra stuff! :laughing: 

Turns out the plumber found a nickle sized hole in the side of the drain. Lucky enough he only had to cut a small hole in the wall under the sink. I'm sure she feels a lot better.

Thanks, dreck


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

A nickel sized hole? Damn. There is a LOT of visible mold there. Unless you're talking about the incredible hulk or the jolly giant,  usually isn't green like that. 

Good to hear the leak has been found, thats a huge step. Replacing the cabinets could prove to be a major PITA if you have to have replace just one or two cabinets and have a cabinet maker match the existing ones. 

Good thing you didn't get too involved in light of the new information that it was actually a sewer leak.


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## dreck (Sep 6, 2006)

J187 said:


> A nickel sized hole? Damn. There is a LOT of visible mold there. Unless you're talking about the incredible hulk or the jolly giant,  usually isn't green like that.
> 
> Good to hear the leak has been found, thats a huge step. Replacing the cabinets could prove to be a major PITA if you have to have replace just one or two cabinets and have a cabinet maker match the existing ones.
> 
> Good thing you didn't get too involved in light of the new information that it was actually a sewer leak.


hehe, yes I am trying to avoid the project if I can.


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## JournalThoughts (Oct 10, 2008)

*We have mold also*

Just today had the maint folks come by and they found a leak under the sink as well as mold...check out the mess...well if I could get the pics to load you could see them


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## Marvin Gardens (Sep 30, 2008)

mdshunk said:


> I think it's time for her to get her insurance man on the horn too. That's not a little home repair project... that's an insurance claim.


This is excellent advice. And it should be priority one since any messing with it could be an excuse for them to reject the claim.

My guess is that this has spread all over the place and there is some significant structural damage with rotting wood.

When they start to tear into it they might be tearing it a long ways to get to a clean area. It could cost thousands to fix.

Since I am not there looking at it get the insurance adjuster to scope it out and give her some ideas of what to do next.


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## dreck (Sep 6, 2006)

This was an old thread from 2006. I guess JournalThoughts had to dig deep to find this one. :thumbup:

This little project turned out to be not so bad. I was surprised the damage was minor. Pretty much clean up & fix the hole. Linda was very lucky.

Good Luck JournalThoughts, & I would love to see the pictures.


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