Recently,  PowerBees was contacted to perform a Mold testing analysis of a property in Stow.  The customer and his family have been living in this single family house (built in 1947) for the last fifteen years. The customer reported a musty odor on the first level of his home in an entry off the kitchen and in the office area within the kitchen.  The odor appeared to be coming from two adjacent crawlspaces below.  The customer indicated that he the odor was noticeable in the basement as well. The customer stated that although the partially finished basement does not have a history of significant flooding, approximately one month ago after returning from being away for several days, the humidity was noticeably higher in the basement and the pungency of the musty odor had increased. The dehumidifier was reportedly shut off during the family’s absence.  In an effort to reduce the odor, the customer sprayed a commercially available “mister” in the crawlspaces.  However, the misting was not a functional solution. Concern was expressed over the air quality and the possible impact on his family’s health, although there had been no reported health issues at the time.

Three non-viable air samples were taken at the property.  One air sample was taken in main crawlspace, a second air sample was taken from the kitchen/office and a third air sample was taken outside.  The results from the samples showed high levels of airborne Penicillium / Aspergillus spores in the main crawlspace and slightly elevated Penicillium / Aspergillus levels in the kitchen/office. Stachybotrys was also found in the basement, although only 1 raw count or 53 counts/m³ was identified on the slide.

Bathroom mold was identified in the bathroom of a residential property in Wellesley, MA in March.  PowerBees was contacted to perform a mold inspection.  Upon inspection of the master bathroom, visible black and brown mold was identified on the porous stone tile in the shower.  Moisture levels, measure with the Delmhorst moisture meter, were normal in all surfaces probed.  Humidity in the bathroom was measured at 35%.

42 dryer vents were cleaned in an apartment high rise in Pampano Beach, Florida by PowerBees. The units had their dryer vents cleaned individualy, but were all done the same day. Since the vents contained a right turn, PowerBees used a dyer vent snake to access the lower halfs to clean the vents. Rooftop vents were accessed from the roof.

November 2, 2010

 PowerBees, www.powerbees.com,  was contacted by residents in a South End neighborhood to perform dryer vent cleaning.  The residents had reported a decrease in the efficiency of their dryers and substantial clogging by lint and other particles.  They expressed their concern about the potential hazard of fires in their dryer vents given the high publicity related to dryer vent fires.  PowerBees was able to make an appointment for dyer vent cleaning that week.  The PowerBees technicians utilized their Rotobrush system to clean the dryer vents.  The vent was in an apartment and so was considerably longer than most residential properties.  Since PowerBees has equipment capable of reaching the longest vents, the vents were able to be cleaned.  PowerBees also fogged the system with a Microban antimicrobial spray in order to remove any mold particles and prevent future mold contamination.