Todays Game Mold or No Mold
Today's game is mold or no mold.
I know everyone here has an opinion on just about everything.
Had one inch or less of rain water on the basement floor (no sewage). In two hours it was drained. Drywall is 1/2 to 1 inch above the floor. Within 4 hours, we had it moped up. Placed two old furnace squirle cage fans on the floor and 36 hours later, I had a 36" barn fan down there. We also placed 4 ceramic heaters down there for the next 48 hours to warm it up and take some humidity out of the basement. 24 hours after the water we had a dehumidifier down there.
With the heaters and dehumidifier running we could get the humidity down to 26% Running about 30% humidity now without the heaters running. Fans have been on constantly for about 120 hours.
I can stand behind and to the side of the barn fan at one end of the basement with the three main fans all pointing north at vaious parts of the room and feel a breeze in my face blowing back south along the wall. I'm trying to say there is a lot of air movement and the humidty is low, at least by Illinois standards.
Floor is laminate with a foam underlayment and plastic sheeting above the cement.
Is there much of a potential for mold growth or not?
I know everyone here has an opinion on just about everything.
Had one inch or less of rain water on the basement floor (no sewage). In two hours it was drained. Drywall is 1/2 to 1 inch above the floor. Within 4 hours, we had it moped up. Placed two old furnace squirle cage fans on the floor and 36 hours later, I had a 36" barn fan down there. We also placed 4 ceramic heaters down there for the next 48 hours to warm it up and take some humidity out of the basement. 24 hours after the water we had a dehumidifier down there.
With the heaters and dehumidifier running we could get the humidity down to 26% Running about 30% humidity now without the heaters running. Fans have been on constantly for about 120 hours.
I can stand behind and to the side of the barn fan at one end of the basement with the three main fans all pointing north at vaious parts of the room and feel a breeze in my face blowing back south along the wall. I'm trying to say there is a lot of air movement and the humidty is low, at least by Illinois standards.
Floor is laminate with a foam underlayment and plastic sheeting above the cement.
Is there much of a potential for mold growth or not?
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The potential depends upon if you have mold spore there and what the humidity does in the future. Mold spores are very tenacious and persistent and can survive for years. If they are there, or get there, and if at some future point the basement again becomes wet, you will get mold. The best plan would be to keep the dehumidifier running (elevated on a shelf or block to keep it above future floods) and keep the humidity permanantly low. 0 -
If the laminate flooring doesn't buckle I would still be concerned about moisture trapped in the foam underlayment between the flooring and the vapor barrior. Best bet, contact the the flooring manufacturer. Those floors Float and are designed to expand and contract about 3/8" to 1/2" in all directions 0
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