St. Petersburg, Florida has a tropical climate with it being hot and humid almost year-round. This is a good condition for mold growth in your attic. Mold is a fungus and it is present everywhere in nature. While it is helpful elsewhere in nature and its functions, its presence in your attic is detrimental to your house and its residents. Mold grows on the wooden components of the roof, insulation materials, and other things stored in your attic. Apart from metal, it grows on almost all types of materials. Mold growth can deteriorate the materials it grows on.
Roof repair in St. Petersburg, FL — The Roofing Company
Give us a call to sign up for a FREE roofing estimate.
When you notice a musty smell in your attic or spot any discoloration on the wooden parts it should be cleaned immediately using bleach. If you think that mold will die off on its own when the weather is hot, you are kidding yourself, as the mold does not die but becomes only temporarily inactive when the condition is dry.
Image source: Black Streaks on Your Roof
Dangers to your home
1. Structural deterioration
This is the most dangerous consequence of mold attacking your roof. Mold grows on wooden parts of the roof and makes them weak from inside as well as outside. It affects the attic sheathing. Mold is a fungus and its microscopic spores get inside and affect the roof’s inner components. This often goes unnoticed until late. By that time the harm will be done and the situation can be out of hand. So you should make it a mandatory activity to inspect your attic as often as possible and clean the mold if they appear in the nooks and corners.
2. Affected insulation
Mold can affect the attic insulation. If this happens you may have to remove the insulation altogether and redo it. If it is left untended, the spores will be discharged in large quantities and it will permeate the ducts and pipes that are present in the attic. From there the spores will spread to the other parts of the house through the HVAC system. So you should take great care to see that the insulation remains mold-free.
3. Ceiling issues
When your attic is mold-infested, it easily affects the ceiling. The yellow or black patches on the ceiling, first and foremost, become an aesthetic issue but that is not all. The mold will slowly deteriorate the ceiling material and it may fall off in due course.
4. Internal and external walls
Mold on the walls destroys the curb appeal of the house. It makes your house look old and neglected. It depreciates the value of the house, both in the monetary and aesthetic points of view. While the black or green patches on the outer walls spoil the look of the house, the mold inside the house will cause health issues.
Dangers to the residents
The health issues caused to humans by the mold are many and diverse. The spores are the worst kind of allergens. Many people will not even be aware of their vulnerability until it is diagnosed by a physician. The main issues are respiratory infections. The spores get into the respiratory tract to irritate its surfaces and cause asthma, dry cough, throat infections or nose congestion, and sinusitis. Some people develop skin infections or eye infections. Black mold is not very common but if it happens to infect your house, it can be extremely dangerous. Its spores are poisonous and can prove to be fatal to some extent.
Dangers to your belongings
Mold can affect all kinds of materials other than plastic and metal. It affects the books by deteriorating the binding and paper, making them useless. The leather furniture can also be affected and when neglected, can be very costly. The carpets will be discolored and its texture can be damaged. The floorboards also can be similarly affected.