You may find it hard to believe that a vehicle that has been through a flood and has been partially or entirely submerged into water may not end up where it is supposed to go: the scrap yard. More often than not, these cars are resold in salvage auctions or are cleaned up and made to look good as new and are identified as previously submerged.
There are a great many things that one must know about water damaged vehicles. A water damaged vehicle is a veritable hotbed for mold growth on the inside of the vehicle. This is especially true if it was allowed to dry naturally and simply go untreated. If the vehicle’s doors have been closed and the interior has been allowed to dry naturally, the odor will be very easy to detect without any form of training. Now, not everyone who sells you a car will be honest about it. They will sometimes try to mask the smell of mold, water damage, and any other unpleasantries that you could detect while inspecting the interiors of the vehicle you look at. It’s important that you simply walk away if a low end car smells pleasant, because it has most likely been masked. It is also recommended that you keep an eye out for rust on any part of the interior and especially on the exterior of the vehicle around the taillights. This a tell-tale sign of water damage. It is important to smell around the carpet, because if it has been improperly treated, it will most likely stink.
It is commonly thought that the engine of the vehicle will be perfectly operational if the water is simply allowed to dry out on its own. This however is not the case. It is in fact highly recommended that the car is restored by a professional, so that there is no risk of causing further damage to the vehicle. There can be all kinds of debris inside the vehicle that could cause more damage than necessary. There is also a high risk of bacteria, so see that this issue is addressed as well.
It comes highly recommended that you get the vehicle’s history so that you can know for sure if the vehicle has indeed been involved in a water oriented accident, but you should be aware that only if an insurance claim related to water damage was filed on the vehicle will the damage show up on the report. If the damage was not reported to the insurance company, it will not appear on the vehicle history report, either.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Water Damage and Home Insurance
One of the most frequent and well known causes of home insurance claims is water damage. It is not a pleasant experience to discover that not everything in your home insurance policy is covered, but it happens nonetheless. If an appliance such as a dishwasher begins to leak uncontrollably on a floor, or a pipe somehow bursts due to poor insulation during the winter and there is damage and mold left behind as a result, it is important to find out whether or not your insurance will cover it.
If a pipe was to burst during the winter while you were on vacation and you had not properly insulated it from the cold, you most likely will not be covered due to lack of preparation that would have helped to prevent this from happening in the first place.
You should be covered for any water damage caused by the seemingly disregardable act of letting your bathtub overflow, even if you were on the phone or cooking and not paying much attention and forgot to simply turn off the bath water. This accident is a fairly common occurrence.
Even in the common cases of a household appliance such as a dishwasher or washing machine suddenly malfunctioning and water gets all over the floor causing water damage, homeowner’s insurance will definitely cover this. Of course, you must pay for the necessary repairs on the machine on your own, but damage caused solely by the water is paid for by your insurance policy.
If the cause of the water damage is a leaky roof, and there is a heavy rain, you are covered by your insurance claim. You are also covered if rain seeps into your basement, if your basement floods into the basement and into the house itself. If a tree limb was to break off and damage your home and water damage to the structure resulted, then this would also be covered.
However, any water damage that may have been caused by a flood is not likely to be covered unless your insurance policy identifies a flood as a covered source of damage to your home. You must purchase flood insurance directly from the federal government, and your local community should be able to help you acquire any information as to whether they are a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
If a pipe was to burst during the winter while you were on vacation and you had not properly insulated it from the cold, you most likely will not be covered due to lack of preparation that would have helped to prevent this from happening in the first place.
You should be covered for any water damage caused by the seemingly disregardable act of letting your bathtub overflow, even if you were on the phone or cooking and not paying much attention and forgot to simply turn off the bath water. This accident is a fairly common occurrence.
Even in the common cases of a household appliance such as a dishwasher or washing machine suddenly malfunctioning and water gets all over the floor causing water damage, homeowner’s insurance will definitely cover this. Of course, you must pay for the necessary repairs on the machine on your own, but damage caused solely by the water is paid for by your insurance policy.
If the cause of the water damage is a leaky roof, and there is a heavy rain, you are covered by your insurance claim. You are also covered if rain seeps into your basement, if your basement floods into the basement and into the house itself. If a tree limb was to break off and damage your home and water damage to the structure resulted, then this would also be covered.
However, any water damage that may have been caused by a flood is not likely to be covered unless your insurance policy identifies a flood as a covered source of damage to your home. You must purchase flood insurance directly from the federal government, and your local community should be able to help you acquire any information as to whether they are a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
Mold in the Apartment and Legal Liability
If you sign a lease to an apartment or a house, many believe you are bound to that lease, even if they discover the integrity of the apartment is not up to par. Even if they discover toxic mold. This, however, is not the case at all. If you have done as just described, it is important for you to know that is your landlord’s responsibility to inform you of any all possible health risks that the apartment may have, as they are liable to legal action if they do not provide a healthy place of living. Your landlord can indeed be held responsible if your family take ill as a result of the mold infestation in the aforementioned property.
In order to do this, one must prove that the mold exists in the area rented, because in most leases mold testing, removal, and regular inspections do not have to be covered by the landlord. In fact, the one who pays for these things is you. You must, however, be able to prove there is a mold problem to begin with.
And if you are able to prove that the rented property is indeed infested with mold, then the landlord is possibly liable for medical bills, loss of income due to sickness, damage to the tenant’s health, and any possible property damage brought on by the infestation. They can also be liable for other things, such as the difference between rent at the mold infested area and the new un-infested rented area, mold inspections, money required to move to a clean environment, and the remediation of the rented space paid for by the tenant prior to moving out of the infested room.
You should, however, first notify your landlord that there is a mold infestation by mail and provide proof of your claim inside the envelope. The mold sample you send will be tested and identified using a mold test kit signed by a mold laboratory. It is important to have a written report signed by a certified mold inspector along with a laboratory report. If the landlord does not acknowledge this notice, you can send a second notice stating you will withhold your rent until the infestation is dealt with in a timely manner. If the landlord chooses, still, to ignore the notice, send a final notice explaining that you will be vacating the premises and that you are either contemplating seeking or are actively seeking legal action.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
In order to do this, one must prove that the mold exists in the area rented, because in most leases mold testing, removal, and regular inspections do not have to be covered by the landlord. In fact, the one who pays for these things is you. You must, however, be able to prove there is a mold problem to begin with.
And if you are able to prove that the rented property is indeed infested with mold, then the landlord is possibly liable for medical bills, loss of income due to sickness, damage to the tenant’s health, and any possible property damage brought on by the infestation. They can also be liable for other things, such as the difference between rent at the mold infested area and the new un-infested rented area, mold inspections, money required to move to a clean environment, and the remediation of the rented space paid for by the tenant prior to moving out of the infested room.
You should, however, first notify your landlord that there is a mold infestation by mail and provide proof of your claim inside the envelope. The mold sample you send will be tested and identified using a mold test kit signed by a mold laboratory. It is important to have a written report signed by a certified mold inspector along with a laboratory report. If the landlord does not acknowledge this notice, you can send a second notice stating you will withhold your rent until the infestation is dealt with in a timely manner. If the landlord chooses, still, to ignore the notice, send a final notice explaining that you will be vacating the premises and that you are either contemplating seeking or are actively seeking legal action.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
Mold in History
Some historians speculate today that a disease called ergot or ergotism (food poisoning caused by mold) overran the population of Europe for approximately 500 years. Most sources say that the fungus responsible for this long term epidemic belongs to the genus Claviceps and some say that species in the genus Fusarium are also responsible. These genera infected rye grain kernels both before and after the harvest and produced alkaloids (such as ergotamine).
Poor people in Europe at the time lived on rye bread and not a lot else and so these people were the most at risk for infection. Pregnant women miscarried their babies and even after they were born, children still died from this and those who lived suffered from different chronic illnesses, including mental disorders. The hallucinations and seizures that they suffered were often attributed to magic or possession or even in some cases as divine inspiration. When rye was replaced with wheat and potatoes, the epidemic began to subside.
It seems that rich and well to do households were never affected as much as lower income households. It is said that Ergot was the cause of the low birth and high death rates in Europe between the year 1250 and 1750 and also that Ergot planted the seeds of the Salem witch trials. Settlers of Massachusetts planted rye and it was a regular part of their diet and they experienced just as many hallucinations and seizures as the Europeans who ate it. Ergotism has been slowing the population growth of countries even as recently as 1945, when it was discovered to exist in Russia.
Mold is chronicled in the Bible as being an unclean substance and a building contaminated with it is unsafe to be in for any length of time. The rabbis of the time inspected homes and acted as health officials on a regular basis in ancient times and it was said that any building materials or clothing that had been contaminated with mold or mildew had to be disposed of in a place away from town designated for the disposal of such items. Clothing contaminated with mold was supposed to be burned. Homes infected were torn down, rebuilt, and watched closely to see if the infection returned and this is not very different from how we treat mold contaminated homes today.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Poor people in Europe at the time lived on rye bread and not a lot else and so these people were the most at risk for infection. Pregnant women miscarried their babies and even after they were born, children still died from this and those who lived suffered from different chronic illnesses, including mental disorders. The hallucinations and seizures that they suffered were often attributed to magic or possession or even in some cases as divine inspiration. When rye was replaced with wheat and potatoes, the epidemic began to subside.
It seems that rich and well to do households were never affected as much as lower income households. It is said that Ergot was the cause of the low birth and high death rates in Europe between the year 1250 and 1750 and also that Ergot planted the seeds of the Salem witch trials. Settlers of Massachusetts planted rye and it was a regular part of their diet and they experienced just as many hallucinations and seizures as the Europeans who ate it. Ergotism has been slowing the population growth of countries even as recently as 1945, when it was discovered to exist in Russia.
Mold is chronicled in the Bible as being an unclean substance and a building contaminated with it is unsafe to be in for any length of time. The rabbis of the time inspected homes and acted as health officials on a regular basis in ancient times and it was said that any building materials or clothing that had been contaminated with mold or mildew had to be disposed of in a place away from town designated for the disposal of such items. Clothing contaminated with mold was supposed to be burned. Homes infected were torn down, rebuilt, and watched closely to see if the infection returned and this is not very different from how we treat mold contaminated homes today.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Death Shall Come: The Moldy Curse of King Tut
King Tutankhamen was around the age 19 when he died and compared to the tombs of other pharaohs, his was modest at best. After his death, the enemies that he had in the state attempted to remove his name from all official documents, including where is name appeared etched in stone upon buildings and monuments.
A curse was placed on the entrance of his tomb and it supposedly read, “death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the king” and a few months after the opening of King Tut’s tomb, Lord Carnarvon, age 57, became seriously ill and was taken to Cairo to be treated. His son claimed later that on his estate back in England, the man’s dog howled and fell dead at almost the same time.
Some studies show that the cause of all the deaths connected with the opening of King Tut’s tomb are due to the dangerous kinds of mold that were growing in the tomb at the time. In the year 1999 a German microbiologist named Gotthard Kramer took samples from 40 mummies and noted that several different dangerous mold types existed on each one.
When mold spores enter the body through the respiratory system, mouth, or through wounds on the skin, they can cause many different medical conditions or even death in some cases, especially in those who have weakened immune systems. Archaeologists now wear gloves and respiratory masks when exploring these places that have remained untouched for so long, which is something the archaeologists of the early 1900’s did not do.
The health records of people who worked at the museum with the mummies had been exposed to a mold called Aspergillus niger, which causes fatigue, rashes, and fever and it has been suggested that this mold may have been able to live inside the tombs for many thousands of years and when the archaeologists entered the tomb to examine it, the mold was picked up and transmitted. Another mold that could have been at Egyptian archaeological sites is Aspergillus ochraceus, but this mold has not been known to be fatal.
So, was it the curse of King Tut that caused so many people to die after the opening of his tomb? Or was mold? Evidence suggests that mold might have been the cause, but it’s possible that we will never truly know the answer.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
A curse was placed on the entrance of his tomb and it supposedly read, “death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the king” and a few months after the opening of King Tut’s tomb, Lord Carnarvon, age 57, became seriously ill and was taken to Cairo to be treated. His son claimed later that on his estate back in England, the man’s dog howled and fell dead at almost the same time.
Some studies show that the cause of all the deaths connected with the opening of King Tut’s tomb are due to the dangerous kinds of mold that were growing in the tomb at the time. In the year 1999 a German microbiologist named Gotthard Kramer took samples from 40 mummies and noted that several different dangerous mold types existed on each one.
When mold spores enter the body through the respiratory system, mouth, or through wounds on the skin, they can cause many different medical conditions or even death in some cases, especially in those who have weakened immune systems. Archaeologists now wear gloves and respiratory masks when exploring these places that have remained untouched for so long, which is something the archaeologists of the early 1900’s did not do.
The health records of people who worked at the museum with the mummies had been exposed to a mold called Aspergillus niger, which causes fatigue, rashes, and fever and it has been suggested that this mold may have been able to live inside the tombs for many thousands of years and when the archaeologists entered the tomb to examine it, the mold was picked up and transmitted. Another mold that could have been at Egyptian archaeological sites is Aspergillus ochraceus, but this mold has not been known to be fatal.
So, was it the curse of King Tut that caused so many people to die after the opening of his tomb? Or was mold? Evidence suggests that mold might have been the cause, but it’s possible that we will never truly know the answer.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Some Tips on How to Stop Water Damage
Everyone who owns or rents a home should know what to do to prevent water damage. Even if you rent the property that you’re on, it’s in your best interest to take some responsibility for your living space and do what you can do stop water damage, especially if you plan on renting there for a long time.
If you have a washing machine in your home or apartment, it’s a good idea to make sure that the hose doesn’t have any cracks in it. If the hose ruptures and begins to spew water, it won’t be long before your entire laundry room floor is covered in water and starts leaking into the next room. Hoses that connect to your washer should be replaced as many times and as frequently as you need to, but under normal conditions, every three to five years is sufficient.
A leaky water heater is also a cause of water damage in the home and one of the best ways to determine if you have a leaky one is to look for rust or signs that it has leaked in the past. If a water heater is located on a 2nd or higher floor of the home or apartment building, it needs to be installed inside a pan that has a drain connected to a drain in the floor to make sure the water goes into the plumbing system.
Making sure that water is escaping from your roof the way it should be one of the first things on your mind if you want to prevent water damage to your attic and the rest of your house. If you’re just renting an apartment, then this part is mostly up to your landlord or the property manager. If you’re renting a home, then part of this is probably up to you. Cleaning out the gutters and the general maintenance of the property is up to you unless it’s something serious. Making sure the downspouts that are attached to the corners of the house are free of leaves and other debris will drain water away from the foundation of the house and keep it from sinking into the ground. Keeping water draining away from the house and making sure the cracks around your doors and windows are thoroughly caulked and sealed is another step that you can take to keep water from leaking into your home.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
If you have a washing machine in your home or apartment, it’s a good idea to make sure that the hose doesn’t have any cracks in it. If the hose ruptures and begins to spew water, it won’t be long before your entire laundry room floor is covered in water and starts leaking into the next room. Hoses that connect to your washer should be replaced as many times and as frequently as you need to, but under normal conditions, every three to five years is sufficient.
A leaky water heater is also a cause of water damage in the home and one of the best ways to determine if you have a leaky one is to look for rust or signs that it has leaked in the past. If a water heater is located on a 2nd or higher floor of the home or apartment building, it needs to be installed inside a pan that has a drain connected to a drain in the floor to make sure the water goes into the plumbing system.
Making sure that water is escaping from your roof the way it should be one of the first things on your mind if you want to prevent water damage to your attic and the rest of your house. If you’re just renting an apartment, then this part is mostly up to your landlord or the property manager. If you’re renting a home, then part of this is probably up to you. Cleaning out the gutters and the general maintenance of the property is up to you unless it’s something serious. Making sure the downspouts that are attached to the corners of the house are free of leaves and other debris will drain water away from the foundation of the house and keep it from sinking into the ground. Keeping water draining away from the house and making sure the cracks around your doors and windows are thoroughly caulked and sealed is another step that you can take to keep water from leaking into your home.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Preventing Mold From Invading Your Home’s Construction
One of the worst things that can happen to someone who’s building a brand new home is discovering after the construction is completed that mold has been growing within his new haven. It is indeed a problem and it might be more common than you would think.
Mold can and does get built into new homes and a lot of the time, it’s the fault of the contractor for not properly inspecting or storing his building materials and by allowing the site to get wet from rain before the roof and walls are completed. Sometimes what is supposed to be the interior of the home is left uncovered and when it rains, the building materials get soaked and are allowed to dry this way. In warm, humid weather, this can allow mold to get a grip on the structure and begin to grow. You’ll not only have the possibility of mold, but you’ll also put your home at risk of water damage. Covering the building site with tarps or plastic sheeting should keep the rain, snow, (and the mold) out.
You should make sure that the contractor and his/her workers are using good quality materials to build your new home with. Testing the building materials for mold is one thing that you can do to make certain that it stays out of your home’s foundation. If you go to the building site and you see building materials like wood and sheetrock being stored directly on the ground, tell your contractor that they need to be raised up to aid in the prevention of mold growth. Your contractor should already know this, but irresponsible ones or those that are trying to make the process as easy as possible are the ones that you should worry about. Check your contractor’s references and make sure they’ve done a good job for others in the past.
The home should also be periodically checked for mold as it’s being built and after the building is completed. No one wants to go to the trouble of building a home that will be worth quite a lot of money if it’s only going to have to be gutted to remove mold a few months later, right?
If you’re careful and you keep an eye on your home’s construction, you can prevent most kinds of mold and water damage. If you’re not, you’re asking for quite a headache and the loss of a lot of funds.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Florida water damage restoration companies and
Miami Water Damage Restoration. contractors
Mold can and does get built into new homes and a lot of the time, it’s the fault of the contractor for not properly inspecting or storing his building materials and by allowing the site to get wet from rain before the roof and walls are completed. Sometimes what is supposed to be the interior of the home is left uncovered and when it rains, the building materials get soaked and are allowed to dry this way. In warm, humid weather, this can allow mold to get a grip on the structure and begin to grow. You’ll not only have the possibility of mold, but you’ll also put your home at risk of water damage. Covering the building site with tarps or plastic sheeting should keep the rain, snow, (and the mold) out.
You should make sure that the contractor and his/her workers are using good quality materials to build your new home with. Testing the building materials for mold is one thing that you can do to make certain that it stays out of your home’s foundation. If you go to the building site and you see building materials like wood and sheetrock being stored directly on the ground, tell your contractor that they need to be raised up to aid in the prevention of mold growth. Your contractor should already know this, but irresponsible ones or those that are trying to make the process as easy as possible are the ones that you should worry about. Check your contractor’s references and make sure they’ve done a good job for others in the past.
The home should also be periodically checked for mold as it’s being built and after the building is completed. No one wants to go to the trouble of building a home that will be worth quite a lot of money if it’s only going to have to be gutted to remove mold a few months later, right?
If you’re careful and you keep an eye on your home’s construction, you can prevent most kinds of mold and water damage. If you’re not, you’re asking for quite a headache and the loss of a lot of funds.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Florida water damage restoration companies and
Miami Water Damage Restoration. contractors
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Mold Dogs are Unprofessional
When you go to hire a professional company that deals with mold contaminations, there are a few different things that you need to look for to determine whether or not the company is actually professional or not. Do they use the most modern methods of mold detection and cleaning? Do they wear protective gear? What kind of gear do they wear? Body suits? Respirators? And this is perhaps one of the most important questions of all: do they use animals to detect the presence of mold in your home?
The simple fact is that companies that use dogs to detect mold in a home or business are not professionals. They just are not. The practice of using dogs to detect mold in a home or in another building is inhumane and cruel to the animal, simply because of the knowledge that pets are just as susceptible to health damage due to mold as human beings are. A “mold dog” cannot detect whether or not the mold that exists in your home is toxic, what kind of mold it is, or in what quantity that it may exist. This is what mold laboratories and testing kits are for. All a mold dog can do is tell you if mold exists on the premises or not.
It can cost thousands of dollars for a company to have a dog trained to detect mold, but even after the dog is trained, it is almost surely money thrown down the drain. Dogs are trained to actively inhale mold spores, which is something that we as human beings are repeatedly told NEVER to do. We are told to wear respirators to filter these harmful spores out of the air that we breathe when we are dealing with mold. The animal is not aware that these spores can harm them at all. Dogs can develop severe skin, eye, and sinus infections and not to mention lung infections and even pneumonia. Unfortunately, the dog has no way of telling us that something is wrong with it. It knows, but cannot communicate this to us.
There are many other more modern, more professional ways to deal with the task of detecting mold on a piece of property. Any company that uses mold to detect dogs is not one that you want to deal with. Mold dog websites often have pictures of completely healthy animals and they will remain healthy for a while, but the typical cause of death is due to mold-related health complications.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold inspections and other states and cities such as
north carolina mold inspections companies across the united states.
The simple fact is that companies that use dogs to detect mold in a home or business are not professionals. They just are not. The practice of using dogs to detect mold in a home or in another building is inhumane and cruel to the animal, simply because of the knowledge that pets are just as susceptible to health damage due to mold as human beings are. A “mold dog” cannot detect whether or not the mold that exists in your home is toxic, what kind of mold it is, or in what quantity that it may exist. This is what mold laboratories and testing kits are for. All a mold dog can do is tell you if mold exists on the premises or not.
It can cost thousands of dollars for a company to have a dog trained to detect mold, but even after the dog is trained, it is almost surely money thrown down the drain. Dogs are trained to actively inhale mold spores, which is something that we as human beings are repeatedly told NEVER to do. We are told to wear respirators to filter these harmful spores out of the air that we breathe when we are dealing with mold. The animal is not aware that these spores can harm them at all. Dogs can develop severe skin, eye, and sinus infections and not to mention lung infections and even pneumonia. Unfortunately, the dog has no way of telling us that something is wrong with it. It knows, but cannot communicate this to us.
There are many other more modern, more professional ways to deal with the task of detecting mold on a piece of property. Any company that uses mold to detect dogs is not one that you want to deal with. Mold dog websites often have pictures of completely healthy animals and they will remain healthy for a while, but the typical cause of death is due to mold-related health complications.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New Jersey mold inspections and other states and cities such as
north carolina mold inspections companies across the united states.
Mold Causes Valley Fever in the Southwest
There is a mold that exists in the southwestern United States, different areas of South America, and the deserts of Mexico that the majority of people are not aware of when they visit the area. The people the most at risk for coming into contact with this mold are construction workers and archeologists, because they dig around in the soil where this mold tends to be found. What is it called and just how dangerous is it really?
Coccidioides immitis causes a skin disease that has been referred to as “Valley Fever” by some, but as Coccidioidomycosis to physicians. The features of this skin disease are typically rashes, coughing, myalgia, rashes, and headaches. Myalgia is synonymous with “muscle pain” and this can be a sign or symptom of many other different kinds of diseases, not just Valley Fever. The usual cause of myalgia is the over-use of a specific muscle or possibly an entire set of muscles. If a person does not have a medical history of overworking or accidents, then the myalgia is probably being caused by a bacterial or even a viral infection. If it is present in a person chronically, then it could possibly be a sign of some deficiency in the person’s nutrition.
The disease is known to be endemic in the states of New Mexico, California, and Arizona.
The most common cause of C. immitis exposure is due to the digging or disturbing of soil that has been contaminated. For the mold spores to get into the air and allow you to inhale them, this contaminated soil typically needs to be wet and recently, in order for archeologists to be able to dig in soil in the southwestern United States, they have ordered the soil be saturated with water first to avoid this exposure. This has been put into practice not only with archeologists, but also any other occupation that involves digging into the soil. Soil can also be stirred up due to natural disasters such as earthquakes or dust storms.
Those at the risk for developing the most serious aspects of the disease can include those who are pregnant and in their third trimester, African Americans, Asians, and anyone with a weakened immune system, such as those who have HIV or AIDS. Severe pulmonary disease could develop in these individuals in addition to the skin rashes, fever, and other symptoms that are associated with Valley Fever.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Chicago Water and Sewage Extraction and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Coccidioides immitis causes a skin disease that has been referred to as “Valley Fever” by some, but as Coccidioidomycosis to physicians. The features of this skin disease are typically rashes, coughing, myalgia, rashes, and headaches. Myalgia is synonymous with “muscle pain” and this can be a sign or symptom of many other different kinds of diseases, not just Valley Fever. The usual cause of myalgia is the over-use of a specific muscle or possibly an entire set of muscles. If a person does not have a medical history of overworking or accidents, then the myalgia is probably being caused by a bacterial or even a viral infection. If it is present in a person chronically, then it could possibly be a sign of some deficiency in the person’s nutrition.
The disease is known to be endemic in the states of New Mexico, California, and Arizona.
The most common cause of C. immitis exposure is due to the digging or disturbing of soil that has been contaminated. For the mold spores to get into the air and allow you to inhale them, this contaminated soil typically needs to be wet and recently, in order for archeologists to be able to dig in soil in the southwestern United States, they have ordered the soil be saturated with water first to avoid this exposure. This has been put into practice not only with archeologists, but also any other occupation that involves digging into the soil. Soil can also be stirred up due to natural disasters such as earthquakes or dust storms.
Those at the risk for developing the most serious aspects of the disease can include those who are pregnant and in their third trimester, African Americans, Asians, and anyone with a weakened immune system, such as those who have HIV or AIDS. Severe pulmonary disease could develop in these individuals in addition to the skin rashes, fever, and other symptoms that are associated with Valley Fever.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Chicago Water and Sewage Extraction and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Dangerous Mold in the Desert
It might not have occurred to you, but mold can exist even in some of the hottest climates, such as parts of the southwestern United States. Just because this mold can exist there, however, does not mean that it is not a danger to human beings. People who live in the deserts of the southwestern U.S. might not think that they are in any danger from mold due to the high temperatures and lack of rain, but the fact is that these areas are in just as much danger of mold and water damage as areas that get more rain and have more life-friendly temperatures.
Coccidioides simmitis is a dangerous mold that lives in the western deserts of the United States and causes what has become known as “Valley Fever”. This is a skin disease that can lead to death if it is left untreated for long enough and while this mold is located in the deserts of the southwestern United States and even Mexico, it is oddly absent from the deserts of other continents such as Asia, Africa, and Australia.
The reason that mold damage can be a huge problem in areas of desert such as those of Arizona and New Mexico is that residents sometimes use “swamp heaters” to cool down their homes and offices during the most hot and dry parts of the year. Unfortunately, the downside to these will cause the indoor humidity to skyrocket and condensation ends up building on windows and any other cold surface. Leaks can also occur where water pipes flow upward to the coolers on the rooftops and this can cause water damage to attics, ceilings, and walls.
Water and air conditioning are very important in desert climates and so the possibility of air conditioning condensation leakage and plumbing leaks is pretty high. Air conditioners and fans are used almost constantly and in some places, hot water heaters are not needed during the majority of the year because the water is hot when it comes out of the faucet.
Most of the mold insurance claims in the deserts of the United States are caused by water damage, even though most people think that desert climates do not have enough moisture to cause mold to become an issue. With the presence of the mold that causes Valley Fever in the southwestern United States, if you live in a desert area, you should be extremely careful to make sure that water leaks in your home or business are taken care of very quickly and efficiently.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Sewage Damage Clean-up and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Coccidioides simmitis is a dangerous mold that lives in the western deserts of the United States and causes what has become known as “Valley Fever”. This is a skin disease that can lead to death if it is left untreated for long enough and while this mold is located in the deserts of the southwestern United States and even Mexico, it is oddly absent from the deserts of other continents such as Asia, Africa, and Australia.
The reason that mold damage can be a huge problem in areas of desert such as those of Arizona and New Mexico is that residents sometimes use “swamp heaters” to cool down their homes and offices during the most hot and dry parts of the year. Unfortunately, the downside to these will cause the indoor humidity to skyrocket and condensation ends up building on windows and any other cold surface. Leaks can also occur where water pipes flow upward to the coolers on the rooftops and this can cause water damage to attics, ceilings, and walls.
Water and air conditioning are very important in desert climates and so the possibility of air conditioning condensation leakage and plumbing leaks is pretty high. Air conditioners and fans are used almost constantly and in some places, hot water heaters are not needed during the majority of the year because the water is hot when it comes out of the faucet.
Most of the mold insurance claims in the deserts of the United States are caused by water damage, even though most people think that desert climates do not have enough moisture to cause mold to become an issue. With the presence of the mold that causes Valley Fever in the southwestern United States, if you live in a desert area, you should be extremely careful to make sure that water leaks in your home or business are taken care of very quickly and efficiently.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York Sewage Damage Clean-up and other states and cities such as
North Carolina Water and Sewage Extraction companies across the united states.
Your Laptop Hates Water
To anyone who owns a laptop, getting a soft drink or a glass of water anywhere near it is probably taboo, but if you are like me, then you probably keep something to drink near by at all times. You’d rather “risk it” than go thirsty, but this does not always have to be the case. While getting your laptop wet in any way can seriously damage it, there are ways to save it if you do happen to spill your drink or anything else onto the keyboard and subsequently, onto the hard drive, and etcetera. Unlike a desktop computer, the keyboard of a laptop is obviously located on top of the most important components of your computer: hard drive, memory, CD-ROM, and etcetera. Without these, your computer will not function.
The problem when you spill something onto your laptop is not with the actual liquid that you spill on it, although things that become sticky after they dry like soda or tea can be a hassle to clean up. The problem lies with the electricity that is running through your laptop at the time you spill the liquid onto it. It usually takes a few seconds for the liquid to get down into the electrical components of the laptop, so the first thing that you need to do if you spill something on your computer is to unplug it and take out the battery IMMEDIATELY. You must remove the electrical current from the laptop as quickly as possible in order to be able to save it.
After you remove the electrical current, the next thing that you have to do is to turn the machine upside down completely in order to keep the liquid from getting further into the shell of the laptop. This will keep it from coming into contact with your hard drive, memory, motherboard, and etcetera. You should allow the least amount of this liquid that comes into contact with those important components as possible, especially if it is an acidic liquid such as soda.
After you have drained as much of the liquid as possible out of it, collect some paper towels or just a normal towel and clean up any of the liquid from the outside of the machine.
At this point, depending on if you got the electricity removed from the unit in time, you could take it to a professional repairman or continue to repair the laptop yourself. The extent of the “repair” could be just allowing the unit to completely dry out or it could involve removing components and cleaning the sticky soda residue from them. Attempting to repair it yourself could possibly void your warranty for future damages, but a professional could be expensive.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
The problem when you spill something onto your laptop is not with the actual liquid that you spill on it, although things that become sticky after they dry like soda or tea can be a hassle to clean up. The problem lies with the electricity that is running through your laptop at the time you spill the liquid onto it. It usually takes a few seconds for the liquid to get down into the electrical components of the laptop, so the first thing that you need to do if you spill something on your computer is to unplug it and take out the battery IMMEDIATELY. You must remove the electrical current from the laptop as quickly as possible in order to be able to save it.
After you remove the electrical current, the next thing that you have to do is to turn the machine upside down completely in order to keep the liquid from getting further into the shell of the laptop. This will keep it from coming into contact with your hard drive, memory, motherboard, and etcetera. You should allow the least amount of this liquid that comes into contact with those important components as possible, especially if it is an acidic liquid such as soda.
After you have drained as much of the liquid as possible out of it, collect some paper towels or just a normal towel and clean up any of the liquid from the outside of the machine.
At this point, depending on if you got the electricity removed from the unit in time, you could take it to a professional repairman or continue to repair the laptop yourself. The extent of the “repair” could be just allowing the unit to completely dry out or it could involve removing components and cleaning the sticky soda residue from them. Attempting to repair it yourself could possibly void your warranty for future damages, but a professional could be expensive.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation companies across the united states.
Your Laptop and Water Damage
Putting a laptop and a soft drink onto the same surface is almost taboo to most people who own a laptop computer, even though most people who are at their computers or laptops for several hours a day will tell you that it is quite difficult to put in a full day’s work at the computer and not eat and drink almost at the same time. I keep a drink near me at all times and fortunately I have never spilled anything onto my beloved laptop, but there are many incidents where others have. Those who have only just purchased their first laptop will probably not know how to deal with water (or liquid) damage like this. There is a way to handle this situation and possibly save your machine, however.
Most water damage that is done to your laptop is usually caused by acidic beverages like soda or coffee, because they leave a sticky residue on anything they are spilled on. They also tend to cause corrosion on any metal contacts that they might touch on the motherboard, hard drive, and etcetera.
If you do spill something on your laptop, remove the power source as quickly as possible. This includes the A/C adapter and the battery, as well, because it is not the liquid alone that causes the problem. If a laptop or other electronic device has no electricity running through it when the liquid is spilled, it will likely be fine if you dry it out as soon as possible. However, an electric current running through a wet device is what causes the circuits to essentially fry and all software programming to be removed. Let a device such as a CD player that has become submerged in water dry out completely before you attempt to power it on. Remove the batteries until you are sure. This same principle can be applied to a wet laptop.
If you have merely spilled water onto it, then you might not have a big problem on your hands as long as you removed the electrical current from the device before the water sank deep into the device. If you have spilled soda or coffee into the device, then it will leave a sticky residue on the inside of your laptop.
After removing the electrical current, turn it over and allow the excess liquid to drain out. After you to this, wipe the outside with a cloth of some kind.
After this, you can take the machine to a professional repairman to make sure the inside is undamaged or if you have only spilled water into it, you can wait until it is completely dry. If you are absolutely sure that the inside components were not damaged by the electric current, turn it back on after you are sure the inside is dry.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Most water damage that is done to your laptop is usually caused by acidic beverages like soda or coffee, because they leave a sticky residue on anything they are spilled on. They also tend to cause corrosion on any metal contacts that they might touch on the motherboard, hard drive, and etcetera.
If you do spill something on your laptop, remove the power source as quickly as possible. This includes the A/C adapter and the battery, as well, because it is not the liquid alone that causes the problem. If a laptop or other electronic device has no electricity running through it when the liquid is spilled, it will likely be fine if you dry it out as soon as possible. However, an electric current running through a wet device is what causes the circuits to essentially fry and all software programming to be removed. Let a device such as a CD player that has become submerged in water dry out completely before you attempt to power it on. Remove the batteries until you are sure. This same principle can be applied to a wet laptop.
If you have merely spilled water onto it, then you might not have a big problem on your hands as long as you removed the electrical current from the device before the water sank deep into the device. If you have spilled soda or coffee into the device, then it will leave a sticky residue on the inside of your laptop.
After removing the electrical current, turn it over and allow the excess liquid to drain out. After you to this, wipe the outside with a cloth of some kind.
After this, you can take the machine to a professional repairman to make sure the inside is undamaged or if you have only spilled water into it, you can wait until it is completely dry. If you are absolutely sure that the inside components were not damaged by the electric current, turn it back on after you are sure the inside is dry.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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