Mold Prevention and Insulated Concrete Forms
September 2nd, 2010 | Common Troubleshooting, Lets Get Technical! | humidity, Moisture research, mold
The Makeup of Mold
Mold development in residential and commercial construction is a common problem that is gaining more prominence because of greater concerns about how it affects the health of building occupants. People are exposed to mold every day, because it is virtually impossible to create a space that is mold free. Mold releases spores, or invisible “seeds” that are carried through air and water. When these spores land on a damp, moist base that has food and oxygen available they will start to grow.
Mold is a type of fungus that decomposes dead organic material such as leaves, wood and plants. Individual mold colonies are too small to be seen without a microscope, and the color varies according to the food source and the mold’s age.
The Effects of Mold
Prolonged exposure to mold can lead to the development of allergies in susceptible people. It can worsen chronic asthma in those who already suffer from it, and it can cause infections in individuals with suppressed immune systems and certain types of cancer and organ transplant patients. Mold also causes property damage, because it feeds on organic material, like wood and paper, and decomposes it.
Mold in Wood Frame vs. ICF
Mold has four requirements in order to grow and survive –food, oxygen, temperatures between 40 and 100 degrees F, and water or moisture. Oxygen and temperatures between 40 and 100 degrees are necessary in both wood frame and ICF buildings, so Reward ICFs provide no mold prevention advantage in those two areas. However, Reward ICFs provide a real advantage when it comes to the required food and moisture.
Food
In a wood frame structure, mold can find food sources in the wood, the paper facing of gypsum drywall and other wood materials, all of which are the dead organic material on which it thrives. The mold will decompose the wood making nutrients available for it to grow. By contrast, a Reward ICF wall assembly consists of two inorganic types of material –EPS and concrete. Because the Reward insulating concrete form walls are inorganic, the food source for mold is eliminated, and it has lost one of the four requirements for its survival. Although most structures contain organic material, such as wood or the paper on the drywall, eliminating a food source for mold in the exterior walls puts Reward ICF walls at a definite advantage compared to wood frame walls.
Moisture
Since oxygen will always be present, a food source will always be available, and indoor temperatures will generally be between 40 and 100 degree F, controlling moisture is the only effective strategy for preventing mold growth in buildings. And here Reward ICF walls provide the greatest advantage over other types of wall systems.
Next week we’ll cover the two key areas that directly affect the above conditions that will dramatically reduce the ability of mold growth and prevent the conditions where mold is susceptible to. In the meantime feel free to check out our ICF moisture research papers conducted from a 3rd party researcher that proves our insulating concrete form moisture claims.
