Roof leaking? There may be trouble brewing under the snow on your roof

Warm attics, cold outside temps

and too much snow are the perfect recipe

for “ice dams,” water leaks,

and then mold problems

If your roof is leaking, chances are “ice dams” have been forming under your snow-packed roof, sending water through the cracks, into your home. Assuming you can spot the leak, simply catching the dripping water with pails, or mopping it up, is just the start of your troubles. It’s the mold that comes after the leak that’s going to cause the most damage to your home, and possibly your health.

Explains Robert Weitz, a certified microbial investigator: “An ice dam is a ridge of ice on the edge of a sloping roof that prevents melting snow from draining off the roof. With the buildup, the water formed by the melting snow has no place to go, except into your home.” It is this water that causes damage to your home’s structure – walls, ceilings, insulation – in addition to your carpets, furniture and drapes. Once that happens, it doesn’t take long for mold to take hold – less than 24 hours for a new colony to be established.

Weitz, also a principal at RTK Environmental Group of Stamford and Newington, CT, New York City, and Boston, MA, says that there are more than 100,000 different types of molds. When inhaled, mold spores can cause chronic allergies, headaches, fatigue, skin rashes, throat and eye irritations, wheezing, and many respiratory problems including asthma.

Immediate action is required, both indoors and out. Weitz suggests:

Indoors:

1. Take a picture of the damage, and remove the water immediately. Don't wait for your insurance company to call you back. Waiting — even for a few hours — could accentuate your water and mold damage.
2. Some items, once wet, should be thrown away immediately. This includes food, cosmetics, medical supplies, stuffed animals, and baby toys.
3. If a material cannot be dried within 24 hours, it should be tossed. Unfortunately, this list includes mattresses, pillows, carpets, upholstered furniture, and items containing paper, including wallboard.
4. Snow melts on the warmer parts of the roof, but as it travels down the roof toward the eaves, it begins freezing instead of draining, which causes ice dams to form. To avoid this, keep attic air temperature below freezing when the outside temperatures are in the 20s. To do this, seal any air leaks in the ceiling below your attic floor, making it as airtight as possible to keep warm, moist air flowing from the house into the attic. Once sealing is complete, you can also increase the insulation on the attic floor.

Outdoors:

1. Unfortunately, it’s easy to cause damage to your roof shingles, so it’s wise not to routinely remove snow from the roof. And never chip away the ice from an ice dam.
2. Have a contractor remove snow from the roof. But be warned that some tools, such as roof rakes, can cause damage to the roofing materials. If you do it yourself, choose a rake with wheels.
3. If water is leaking into your home, hire a contractor to make channels through the ice dam.
4. Be sure gutters are clean and free of leaves. Clean gutters will not prevent ice dams, but they offer a place for the water to go.

If you have water damage this winter, a company which tests for mold, such as RTK Environmental Group, can conduct air monitoring and surface sampling tests; identify affected areas and measure the amount of mold; and determine if the health of your family is at risk. For more information, or to contact RTK, visit www.RTKEnvironmental.com, or call 1-800-392-6468.

About RTK Environmental Group

RTK Environmental Group, with offices in Stamford, CT; Newington, CT; New York City; and Boston, MA, is one of the most trusted environmental testing service firms in the New York metropolitan area. It has provided testing services to more than 12,000 commercial and residential customers, ranging from homeowners and real estate investors to medical centers and housing authorities and many others. Company professionals are certified, licensed, and fully insured, and on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The public is invited to visit its Web site, www.rtkenvironmental.com.

National Lead Poisoning Week Underscores the Importance of Testing for Lead Paint Before You Renovate Is Lead Lurking in Your Home?

October 24 to October 30, 2010 is National Lead Poisoning Week, and important opportunity to spread the word about the dangers of lead paint that lurks in so many homes. Unfortunately, the many cases, you have no idea it's there -- but as soon as you disturb paint, it contaminates your home.

Anyone renovating a pre-1978 built home -- from a simple repainting job to window replacements and major additions or demolitions -- must first test for lead paint. If it is determined the home has lead paint, they should make sure all contractors performing renovations that disturb this paint have received EPA-certification in the Renovation, Repair, and Painting rules and lead-safe work practices that recently went into effect. The homeowners' health -- and the health of their children and pets (and tenants) -- is at stake.

If homeowners plan on doing the work themselves, they should study the Renovation, Repair and Painting guidelines for safe work practices to keep your family safe from the harmful effects of lead dust poisoning.

RTK Environmental Group (in New York, Stamford, Hartford, and Boston) is one of a handful of firms accredited to teach the EPA's certification classes. They also test for lead.

Why the rule?

· Breathing in lead dust — not eating lead paint chips — is the most common cause of lead poisoning.

· Lead poisoning annually affects more than 300,000 U.S. children younger than six.

· Lead is so toxic is can damage a child’s kidneys and central nervous system.

· Ingesting even small doses of lead can reduce a child’s IQ and physical growth, impair hearing, and cause behavioral problems. (Check out: http://rtkenvironmental.blogspot.com/2010/06/inside-us-epa-rrp-training-class-part.html)

· Low levels of lead can pose problems for adults, including high blood pressure and hypertension. Pregnant women exposed to lead can transfer lead to their fetuses.

To learn more about potential lead hazards in your home, or to schedule a lead inspection, homeowners can call RTK Environmental at 1-800-392-6468; for information on RRP scheduled classes, either call or email Gene Burch at gburch@rtkenvironmental.com

'Nicole' to Dump Six Inches of Rain on Northeast

We're in the thick of it! Unrelenting rain from Tropical Rain Storm Nicole is pounding the entire east coast. And with winds gusting up to 60 m.p.h., Nicole could be the "perfect storm" for mold.

Mold only needs moisture and a food source to grow. Certainly, flooded basements or leaky roofs can provide the moisture; sheetrock, carpeting, and furniture act as tasty treats for those annoying spores. Making matters worse, when the power goes out (thanks to high winds), sump pumps stop working and basements take on even more water.

Unfortunately, the real problems are just beginning shortly after a storm. Withi

n 24 to 48 hours, mold (sometimes toxic) becomes a growing problem, secretly spreading up walls and across floors. By the time you realize you have mold, it’s too late. When it comes to mold, what you can’t see can hurt you.

So, what can homeowners do NOW to prevent toxic mold from spreading throughout their homes?

We at RTK take mold seriously, and are considered one of the leading mold inspection services in the region. Here are some quick fixes:

1. If possible, open windows to allow air to flow through your house.

2. Some items, once wet, need to be thrown out immediately, including food, cosmetic medical supplies, stuffed animals and baby toys.

3. If a material cannot be dried out within 24 hours, it should also be tossed. Unfortunately, this list includes mattresses, pillows, carpets, upholstered furniture and items containing paper, including wallboard. Homeowners need to remember that wallboard in a finished basement is a magnet for mold. If there is visible mold, there is no cleaning solution that will kill it. The wallboard must be replaced.

Our mold remediation report is like a construction blueprint, telling the contractor what needs to be done and where. The testing we provide is critical: Once mold forms, the spores can migrate to other parts in your house. Mold might start in the basement, but before long, it’s traveled to the first and second floors.

Since we do not handle remediation, our reports are unbiased. In fact, we get great pleasure when our inspections discover no toxicity. Unfortunately, after a storm like we just experienced, every home is a candidate for a mold attack.

Need a mold inspection? Click here --- to set one up.

EPA RRP Deadline is Today!

Attention renovators: Today's the day that you are required by the U.S. EPA to have enrolled yourself in an upcoming RRP training class. If you plan on performing any work on a home, childcare facility, or school built prior to 1978, it's best to be compliant with the new EPA rules.

Fines are quite steep: $32,500 per violation with possible jail time.

If you need the proper training, RTK has been accredited by the EPA to properly teach the RRP class.

Click here for further information about class schedules and registration.

Good luck!