Mold - The Hidden Killer
by
Rick Krafft
 You’ve
no doubt seen the headlines similar to the
one above lately. The newspapers and lawyers
found something new to sensationalize. In my
position as a warranty representative for a national
home builder, I’ve attended several seminars on
the mold issue and have addressed many incidents
in our homes in the Las Vegas area.
While certain mold spores are nothing to sneeze
at, the majority of occurrences are minor and
nonthreatening.
The reason I’m addressing this subject here is that
an RV is a prime candidate to have a mold
situation develop from an active water leak.
Continual bumping and rocking while on the
road can cause fittings to loosen. The indoor/
outdoor carpet they put over our plywood floor
under cabinets and storage areas is an excellent
mold breeding ground if it remains wet. The
key to growing mold cultures is a continual wet
area - once the wet area dries up, the mold goes
into remission until it gets wet again.
It’s a good idea to check your water
connections especially on the back of your
shower behind the faucet. This was where I
had an active leak and a goodly amount of
white fuzz growing on the carpet under the
oven cabinet! A 10% solution of bleach and
water will neutralize a mold culture.
Don’t get me wrong, in a confined space like
our RVs, and if you’re prone to respiratory
problems, mold spores could accentuate your
condition.
The bad stuff is usually present in a grey or
black water leak situation. That’s the kind with
a ten dollar name.
A thorough leak inspection once a year is a
good preventative maintenance habit to get into.
One place to pay particular attention as our
coaches get older is around the hot water heater.
I’ve had the fitting at the hot water heater loosen
up and leak as well as a leak on the tank seam
itself. It’s not a bad idea to put a containment pan
under the hot water heater with a drain to the
outside. I used a light weight turkey baking pan
and siliconed a drain line on it to the outside
through the floor. The pliable pan works good
because you can form fit it around pipes.
If the pictures the lawyers paint were true, all
RV’ers would be dead by now with the “hands-on”
black water dump antics we go through! The rule
of thumb I’ve used to keep myself from getting the
plague at the dump station is to remember to never
pick my nose until after I wash my hands!!
Rick Krafft
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