I love it when I see mold remediation firms, and companies that sell the products they use, offering multi-year guarantees or warranties. It helps me to know – immediately – who I will never refer clients to. See, mold growth can occur within 24-48 hours of a water event, or excessive dampness, according to the EPA. So, how does a company that removes black mold offer guaranteed mold prevention, especially since they have no way of knowing whether or not there may be another unattended flood or leak, or if your dehumidifier dies while you’re sunning yourself in the Caribbean? They can’t, except with some fancy fine print. Caveat emptor.
See, if the conditions are right for mold—which simply means dampness for an extended period—no amount of mold-killer or anti-microbial, or anything will prevent it. I’ve seen mold growing on dust on glass. I’ve seen mold growing on every surface you can imagine.
There’s a company called Anabec, which makes a whole slew of products commonly used in mold remediation. They, and the contractors who use their stuff, offer warranties on their mold prevention and remediation products ranging from 10 to 50 years! Must be powerful, eh? Well, actually, here is their fine print, which I copied from their website.
- The Owner will maintain treated surfaces in accordance with general good housekeeping and insure [sic] treated areas are kept dry.
- The Owner is responsible for making immediate repairs when necessary to stop water intrusion in treated areas, interior areas, and roof or exterior walls to stop any moisture intrusion. Failure to recognize and repair such conditions will render the warranty void.
- The Owner shall at all times maintain environmental control of the indoor air by ensuring a consistent relative humidity of 65% or below and sufficient ventilation in all indoor spaces. Shutting down the HVAC system for an extended period of time has adverse effects on the indoor building materials and will render the warranty void.
- Any claims of the terms of this warranty must be made immediately with verbal communication and in writing directly to Anabec, Inc. and the Anabec Qualified Contractor within 7 days of discovery of any mold re-growth on the surface.
This is truly amazing to me. If you follow their guidelines, they should offer a lifetime warranty! Why limit it to 10 or 50 years? If you keep surfaces clean and dry, mold will NEVER grow! End of story! So what they’re saying is that if YOU do YOUR job, they will graciously guarantee that their products will work, but only if YOU do YOUR part, which is to make sure that the conditions for mold growth don’t exist. Which means you don’t need their products.
