Hey everyone! I'm hoping someone here can help me as things have been a nightmare lately with our property manager who refuses to come look at anything. Our fireplace has been leaking BIG TIME every time it rains. There is so much water damage that the bricks are deteriorating and literally crumbling off. My main concern is this.. the bricks are white but covered in a yellow/orange substance where the water damage has occurred. The inside of the fireplace is also a pink color now. After being sick since moving in, I was recently diagnosed with a lung issue that you guessed it, can be from mold! So my question is this.. is this mold? Or what is it?
Hi Heather, The short answer is - microscopy & expertise in this area are required for identifying the nature of organisms or collection of lifeforms that grow in damp places. Links to similar discussions in this forum in case helpful to you: Identification: - Need help identifying mold Identification: - Mold or Mildew?? - frog
Ohhh, Heather...I feel your pain. Your pix could be of my basement. Looks like you have (at least) both mold and efflorescence. If you have notified the landlord and have documentation thereof...perhaps legal recourse might be in order. Mold in Rentals: Landlord Liability, Responsibility, and Prevention Seriously, your health is at stake here. Check local ordinances---city could prosecute code violations and force the dude to repair. Codes and Ordinances :: VBgov.com - City of Virginia Beach Suggest you scope out a new home! And: Welcome to the Forum!
Thank you so much for your response! My husband and I have been trying to hire someone ourselves to come out and give us a difinitive answer but because we aren't the owner they've declined coming out for liability reasons. We've already found a new place to go, so now it's just a matter of confirming it is mold and being able to legally break the lease so we can go elsewhere. My health, along with my dog's, seems to be affected so I'm hopeful we can get out asap. I'll check out those links. Again, thanks so much!
You are more than welcome! Good Luck to all 3 of you with this situation, and I hope Hurricane Michael takes a rapid detour AWAY ! Let us know what happens.