Leaking Roof? Beware of Mold

4/12/2022 (Permalink)

Mold damage on a ceiling.

As a business owner in Flourtown, PA, your daily to-do list may seem endless. Ensuring maintenance of the property may be easy to overlook, but even a minor roof leak may quickly lead to reprioritizing your list. While a mold remediation and restoration company is trained to eliminate black mold and restore the property, avoiding it altogether is a better alternative.

Types of Growth

Unfortunately, small leaks may go undetected. Since this pesky fungus only needs around 24 to 48 hours to start forming, it may have already spread into a big problem. For commercial properties, there are two main types of black mold growth that a leaking roof can cause:

Systemic Growth: If moisture has built up for an extended period of time, the growth may have spread to the entire attic under the roof. This requires more extensive remediation.

Limited Growth: If there is enough ventilation or the problem has been discovered soon enough, the moisture accumulation may be minimized to the affected area. With it being more contained, the cleanup process is typically much easier to address.

Prevention Tips

While a ceiling leak is a sure sign of a problem, that often takes time to happen. In many cases, the problem isn’t discovered until the damage has already happened. Along with having the roof inspected for potential issues or replacement if is a few decades old, general maintenance helps prevent problems and makes the roof last longer.

Remove any debris that has settled on the roof to avoid damage.
Regularly have gutters and downspouts cleaned to prevent water from pooling.
If the property is near a tree, ensure overhanging branches are trimmed back.

Being faced with black mold means time and money spent on cleanup. While the right conditions may make it hard to avoid, being proactive and addressing any roof issues helps minimize the chances of a problem.