Moisture Migration Pathways and Odor

UNDERSTANDING MOISTURE INTRUSION
AND MIGRATION PATHWAYS
May 2020
GreenWorks Environmental, LLC
Healthy Starts at Home ®
VICTOR COPPOLA
Building Biologist / Scientist / Owner
BS, MBA, CGP, CRMI, CMR, ABI, LBPI/RA
NY State Licensed Mold Assessor and Mold Contractor
Certified SteraMist Disinfection Project Manager

Why Moisture Management
“Poorly managed moisture is the primary driving force leading to “Sick
Building Syndrome” that often shows up as biological contamination,
building material biodeterioration, structural settling and overall IAQ
degradation. Having a good working knowledge of the “Water Cycle” is
the first part of assessing how our Built Environments collide with the
Natural Environment. But getting into the minutia of Moisture Migration
Pathways is what’s ultimately needed to truly understand one’s home
environment”.
Victor Coppola • Owner, GreenWorks
www.greenworksllc.com 2

The TIPPING POINT
Talk about moisture and the health of our homes
often revolves around a series of “Seemingly
Insignificant Events.” That transition line - where
we go from “everything’s fine” to “disaster” is called
the “Tipping Point”. It can reveal itself at any time.
You will know when it hits; look for the puddle or
complaints from the occupants revolving around
bad odors, microbial infestation and/or health
effects of the occupants!

We have one rule at GreenWorks
Water Always Wins!

Where’s the best place to start?
Common Culprits to Hidden Gems
When performing an inspection, Home Inspectors &
Environmental Inspectors look at many of the same items.
But we draw vastly different conclusions.
We focus on indoor air quality. Our investigation starts with
the Client’s overall health. We then go after the low-
hanging fruit – the Common Culprits – Roofs, gutters,
grading, decks, irrigation, window wells, plumbing fixtures,
wood floors, HVAC issues, etc.
Then we focus on the Hidden Gems where odor and
microbial clues help us see the big picture

Common Culprits
Gutter Love
Gutter Failure / No Gutters
• Topping Over / Poor Pitch / Long Runs / Kick-out Flashing
• Clogged: Organic (Algae, vegetation, leaves)
Debris (Roof Aggregate / Golf Balls / Sand)
• Discharge too close to the foundation
• Underground discharge pipes
Topping over at
the home
Clogged
underground
Flooding
Basement

Common Culprits
Ponding Decks
The Wet Deck Area
• Watch for low areas under decks
• Bermed deck perimeter
• Liners under decks
• Not wet all the time
• Drainage patterns
• Settling at foundations
• Mosquito infestations
Liner under deck created
pool flooding basement
Mosquito
Breeding
Ground

Common Culprits
Window Wells
Window Well Ponds
• Drainage structures
• Water rings / rust
• Algae / Flood Lines
• Check them all
• Rust deterioration
• Gutter discharge
Window well fills with water.
Note flood debris line.
Water in well obvious.
Algae big clue.
Property has good draining soils
where rear yard slopes towards
home. Stormwater migrates
underground, under patio, hits
foundation goes into all rear
wells. Basement not flooded (yet)

Common Culprits
Grading / Irrigation / Discharge
Grading Over Foundation
• Low spots at foundation / poor grading
• Natural yard drainage swale
• Odd corners / Grading over foundation
• Underground pipes clog / overflow
• Gutter tops over / Foundation discharge
• Entrance Stoops hold water
• Rigid board and membranes help
identify a problem
Gutter
Leader Clog
Gutters
Topping Over
Rigid Foam
Rear detached
garage & driveway
drains clogged, ntrl
swale funnels H2O
to this door

Common Culprits – Plumbing Fixtures • Odor • Patches
Dirty Shower / Patched Tiles
Shower Madness
• The shower is the most used and abused area of the home.
• While visibly doesn’t look good. Is it a Moisture Intrusion issue?
• Would you call out these beauties?
• What are some moisture management issue you see?
Patched leak
runs under
tile into MBR
Incredible
Stench

Common Culprits – Health Complaint
Shower Madness
Our response to “Can you help me, my
son is driving me crazy?”
Sorry, we can’t cure crazy!
The Problem:
• Mom gets dizziness / headaches in this
bathroom all the time (Main Master Bathroom).
• Doesn’t use this shower, says wont stay clean
despite weekly cleaning.
• Can’t get grime out of grout, off tiles, door film
• Just uses one of other 5 bathrooms in home
• Shower/s tight, no fan, opening above door
• Shower drips every 15-20 minutes
• Just enough moisture
• We sample it, but anything but mold
and
there’s no
odor

Common Culprits – Flooding Not Noticed
Vinyl Flooring
Kitchen Sink Culprit
• New townhome on
concrete slab
• Hidden kitchen sink leak
• Water migrated to other
side of house
• No visible H2O or stains
• Floor just felt “Squishy”
• Moisture meter
confirmation
• Wall cavities started to
deteriorate, saw mold
starting in a closet then
called GWE

Common Culprits – Moisture Collection Devices
Buckets, Pails, Prayers & Damp Rid Bags
Over The Counter (OTC) Moisture Management
• Absorbent bags / Damp Rid (19 bags in this basement)
• Dehumidifiers / Fans / French Drains / Deodorizers

Common Culprits – Common OTC Devices
Dehumidifiers
Older / OTC Models
• Lots of options
• Smaller spaces
• Don’t work well
• Regular recalls
• Fire Hazard
• Water Discharge?
• Huge Mold / Odor
reservoir
• Requires regular
cleaning
• False sense of
security
You see this then
there’s definitely
moisture issues

Common Culprits – Drop Ceilings
Ceiling Tiles, Plenums & Interstitial Spaces
Drop Ceilings
• Many different
material type
• All absorb moisture
differently
• Are often replaced to
conceal water
damage and mold so
have to look close.
• Have to access the
drop ceiling, stains
don’t always come
through
• Be careful, often
tough to replace if
you break one.

Common Culprits – Flood Didn’t get Inside the House
Flooring - Clues
The Hall Linen Closet
• No carpet Stains
• But pad is V Barrier
• Visible mold on walls
• Where could moisture
be lurking?
• Think of carpet like a
door or plumbing fixture.
To see underneath is
not invasive and shows
a lot
• So who are my carpet
pullers?
Dark spots on
walls are mold -
Colony Forming
Units (CFU’s)

Common Culprits – Flood Didn’t get Inside the House
Flooring Subfloor - Culprit
Multiple Layer Subfloor
• Crawl space showed no
mold / water staining /
tested dry / High Wind
Area
• Particle Board / MDF /
OSB over plywood acts
like a spounge
• Be particularly warry of
flood homes. This crawl
space flood happened 1
month earlier
Capillary Wicking

Not So Common Culprits • Hidden Moisture 0149 Ponding Basements
Ponding in the Finished Basement
• New Construction, Older Neighborhood
• 2 Sumps engaging every 15 secs.
• Removed 12 large diameter trees
• Hasn’t rained in weeks
• Research – Foundation inspection reveals
saturated soils. Historic Filled Wetlands
H2O through
Walls
Seepage up
through tile floor

Not So Common Culprits – Ponding Basements
Ponding in Finished Basement – Bad Soils
Fill Dirt
Wetland
Soils
• Foundation inspection required and
often yields good water info.
• Stream starts at end of street
• Headwater Environment – Now Holy
Grail” of sensitive enviro areas.
• Hand Auger gives quick soil profile
• Note color difference between top 0-3
feet (Fill Dirt) and lower 3-5 feet.
(Hydric soils with reducing conditions
typical of a wetland environment)
• Black soil is heavy with clay and silt
creating a “Perched Water” table.
• New basement penetrates clay cap
and allows perched water table to
drain into the basement despite tile
drain and foundation waterproofing.

Not So Common Culprits – Ponding Basements
Ponding in Finished Basement – Bad Soils

Your Nose Is Still The Best Tool

That Musty-House Smell
When raiding the refrigerator for a late night snack, who
hasn’t cracked that container and smelled to see if those
leftovers were edible. If it doesn’t smell good we pitch it.
Take the smell of a musty basement and ask yourself - if
those leftovers smelled like that musty-basement would
you eat it? Most likely, not.
So what makes it ok to breathe it?
Victor Coppola • Owner, GreenWorks

Hidden Moisture • Expanded / Remodeled Home • Odor
Expanded & Remodeled Home

Project Details
• Home w/basement T-gut, Expand on crawl with a Porte-cochère.
• $1m on property with another $1m rehab & expansion.
• December, start moving in & wife notices odd odor, husband / kids
smell it (rarely) with no health issues. Described as a “Smusty”
(Sweat & Musty) Odor that is intermittent
• Husband calls GWE in February, Lmtd Odor Invest (LOI). Odor at
outlets front-L worst, suspect basement, visible molds on old
salvaged framing. Mmicrobial samples taken (Air & surface).
Aspergillus / Penicillum culprit identified.
• Client hired the best architect, best builders, best materials - - - How
could this be MOLD! Doesn’t believe GWE findings.
• GWE explains it isn’t just mold, it’s tied to moisture intrusion.
• Client begs GWE to return in May, wife has put the hammer to walls
in the basement and the smell is overbearing now.

Odor Driving Owners Crazy
• Invasive inspection of wall
reveals typical builder materials.
• No VB, studs on cement, rim
joist not insulated, etc.
• Pink microbial growth all over
foundation (The A/P Culprit)
• Pink growth limited to home front

Moisture via Ducts & Humidifier
ALL IN HOMES FRONT EXTERIOR WALL
• Ducts in rim joist poorly insulated & sweating
• Ducts disconnected, pressurizing wall cavity
• Ducts dead-end at missing supply register
• HVAC on whole home humidifier
• Foundation saturated w/gutter splash-back
But water stain
patterns not consistent
with sweating ducts or
foundation moisture.
Keep looking!

Moisture Source Wind Driven
WIND DRIVEN ISSUES A SURPRISE
• Door threshold not properly installed
allowing wind driven moisture to
penetrate into front rim joist and get
under wood floors.

Odor Amplified via Open ducts
It’s now June and Odor is
migrating to second and third
floors. Disconnected ducts
pressurize wall cavity and push
organisms up to top floor.
Additional mold tests reveal a
new player - Stachybotrys

Wind Driven Moisture
New gutter leader
to correct
foundation impacts

Insulative Moisture Barrier

UNDERSTANDING MOISTURE INTRUSION
AND MIGRATION PATHWAYS
May 2020
CASE STUDIES
GreenWorks Environmental, LLC
Healthy Starts at Home ®
Katie McElduff
Building Biologist / Indoor Air Quality Investigator / Project Manager
BS, CRMI, CMR, CCMI
Certified SteraMist Disinfection Technician

Hidden Moisture Case Study • Designer Home • Odor
Designer Home • Odor

Project Details
• No Health Issues
• Home built 1990 / Barrel Roof & EIFS
• Bought 11/15/19 • Called GWE 02/20/20
• Home Inspection revealed no H2O issues
• No visible water stains or molds
• Odor emanating from 2 bedrooms
• Odor comes and goes / Intensity varies

Roof Leak After Moving In

Bedroom of Concern
Visually No Glaring Issues
• No odor day of the inspection
• Smells like Must-Rot aroma
• Family members who will be
in these rooms have asthma
• No health issues with clients.
• Time to take samples
Do we dare
look under
the carpet?
Mold

Barrel Roof & EIFS
Visual EIFS Inspection
• Exterior Inspection shows vent
ports on EIFS discharging
water, areas damaged /
repaired and bedroom has
numerous old cracks.
• Lab tests come back hot for
Water Damage Building
organisms
• Client authorizes invasive
investigation to delineate
impacts.
• Odor immediately intensifies
once the walls are opened.

Bedroom Demolition
Invasive Odor Investigation
• Biodeterioration of walls + Roof Leaks
• Decomp looks like charred fire remains
• Foam barrier seals odor & will allow for
later correction of EIFS at exterior

Lets Look at that Ceiling Leak Again
Small Leak Per Contractor
• Pattern indicates more hidden damage
• Gutter modifications suggest issues
• EIFS repairs suggest hidden damage
Always go at
least two feet
past impacts
Contractor
Cut
GWE Cut

Roof Leak After Moving In
Odor Eradication
• Odor removal is challenging.
• Often involves several treatments
as entire home is impacted.
• Clients now aware & sensitized
• Ionized H2O2 best solution

Hidden Moisture Case Study • High Rise Rehab • Odor
High-Rise Rehab • Odor

High-Rise Details • Odor
• No Health Issues (Mostly)
• Doctors Office Reports a “Rotten egg smell”
permeating from break room
• No visible mold or water stains (per Client)
• Recently Renovated Space (1 year earlier)
• Odor comes and goes when radiator is engaged
• Pregnant receptionist can’t come into work

Lipstick on a Pig
Start Investigation
• Old deteriorated structure under new
façade.
• Exposed in stairwells, above drop ceiling,
inside radiator covers
• Odor comes and goes
• Complaints for three floors above as well

• Test

Stairwell Ceiling
• Wood embedded in brick
• Testing wet with moisture meter
Blowup of
ceiling photo

Hidden Ceiling Plenum
• Wall cavities and plenum
conceal molds, rodent feces,
dirt, debris, etc.
• Signs of moisture damage
• Inaccessible space
• Radiator heat impacts this
space directly “cooking” to
hidden debris.

Hidden In Walls
• Wall cavities conceal
molds, rodent feces,
dirt, debris, etc.
• Signs of moisture
damage
• Inaccessible space

Hidden Moisture Case Study • Church Cover-up • Odor & Moisture
The Church Cover-up
Air Quality Complaints
• Smell / Odor
• Multiple Water Sources
• No Air Conditioning
• No Ventilation
• Decades of flooding
• Numerous renovations
• Tiny budget
• Hidden challenges

Church Demolition

Moisture Migration in Track

Church Moisture • Mold
Numerous Points of Water Entry
• Weeping Wall System
• Tied to French Drain
• Tied to sump pump
• Spray foamed over system
• Used water tolerant sheetrock
(no paper / fiberglass
reinforced)

Wierd Moisture
Water
upwelling
through
slab
Crazy
gutter
leaders

Church Drainage
• Test

Church Finished
• Test

Hidden Moisture Case Study • Hospital Decon • Odor & Moisture
Hospital Interstitial Space

Hospital Decon
Operating Room at VA Hospital
• Smell
• Multiple Water Sources
• Bacterial / Sewage Contamination
• Dirty Interstitial Space
• Environment must be sterile

SteraMist Disinfection

Common Culprits
1980’s Commercial Bldg

Common Culprits

Not-So-Common Culprits
Finished Basement (TYP)

Water Stained Wall Board
• Distinct water staining around 100% perimeter walls (not interior walls)

Foil Backed Insulation
• Helps manage moisture, but degrades IAQ. Creates ideal environment for
micro-organisms (Molds, Gram-Negative Bacteria, Fungus, Rodents, Insects)

Rodent Hotel (Seasonal)
• Using basement wall cavity for winter
• Using outside deck in summer

Hidden Moisture Issues
How Can You Be Sure?
• Moisture meters / IR cameras are intermittent (at best).
• Groundwater levels fluctuate.
• Other physical clues can be subjective or hidden.
Look for Biological Patterns
• Water Damaged Building (WDB) indicators:
Aspergillus/Penicillium, Chaetomium, Stachybotrys, Torula,
Ulocladium, Walemenia
• Often quantifies how bad moisture is.

Hydrology Inspection Checklist
(Some Pointers to Consider)
1) Review the Property Survey & Property Disclosure Document for
clues as to the site’s hydrologic properties & history
2) Interview buyer (& seller) as to concerns, health issues, etc. that
could be impacted by elevated humidity
3) Perform a limited Natural Resource Inventory of the site & area
 Streams, Wetlands, T&E Species, Tidelands, Soils, etc.)
4) Be Aware of Seasonality (Late summer dry spells vs Wet Winters)
5) Research Historic uses of the property
6) Assess exterior Water Management Strategies (WMS)
 Grading, Gutters, Piping, Wet-Wells, off-site concerns
 Do the same for Off-Site areas (Neighbors)

7. Assess common interior water problem areas and look for clues
 Bathrooms, Boiler/Utility Areas, Below Grade Rooms
 Stains, Efflorescence, Material Swelling / Deflection
 French Drains, Sump Pumps, Dehumidifiers, Ventilators
8. Insects – What’s Creeping & Crawling
 Cave Crickets, Centipedes, Springtails, Mites, Spiders, Rodents
 Just visitors or are they residents / see Complete Life Cycle?
9. The Nose Knows – What does it smell like?
 Vapor Intrusion / MVOC’s / Formaldehyde / Petroleum
 Odors – Damp Musty, Sweaty Sock, Sweet Prickly, Cat Urine
(But I have no Cat), Foul Raunchy Type odors all tell a story as
to what is causing the aroma, often tied to a moisture source.

10. Hidden sources of moisture (Visual)
 Lumber vs. Engineered (Free H2O/Lignins & Wood Rot-White)
 Cheap wood/particle board in undersides of furniture / Contents
 Basement Finishing Sys (Walls, Ceilings, Vinyl Floating Floors)
 Sub-Slab drainage pipe networks
 Municipal Rqmnts to hold stormwater / Groundwater Mounding
 Dry Wells & Recharge Chambers
11. Technical Equipment Assistance
 Moisture Meters (Surface vs. Penetrating)
 IR Camera (Phone devices are good & inexpensive)
 Borescope (stand alone or for today’s smart phones)
 Hygrometers, Portable Weather Stations

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