Mold Remediation: Bathroom Plumbing and Mold

A customer called me out because they discovered some mold in the ceiling corner of their kitchen pantry.  As I spoke with the customer and listened to the details he was able to provide, I thought to myself there’s a real chance that this may be covered under the homeowner’s insurance policy.  Plumbing leaks causing water damage and mold can be covered by insurance. We were able to schedule an onsite mold inspection for the very same day.

Black Mold Discovered

As an IICRC certified mold and water damage restoration professional I understood stachybotrys aka “black mold” cannot grow without a constant source of water. Stachybotrys is not like aspergillus or penicillium mold, which are able to grow with only elevated humidity. Black mold, however, cannot survive on humidity alone and needs to have a constant source of water to begin its sporulation process.

Plumbing Leaks and Mold

Equipped with this knowledge my investigation expanded upstairs into the bathroom to better interpret the source of this water damage. Directly above the kitchen pantry was the master bathroom. There was a large jacuzzi tub, along with a toilet and bidet installed on the far side of the bathroom. The customer reported not using the tub, so we initially estimated that the water damage was caused by failed plumbing associated with the toilet. According to PHP Plumbing, most homeowners do not use there jacuzzi tub on a regular basis, so the customer not using the tub did not seem unusual. I was excited to have discovered the cause of the mold downstairs.

Mold Remediation Documentation

Throughout my mold inspection I was careful to document all water damage. Mold remediation project documentation was very important on this project because there was a big possibility that insurance would cover most of the costs associated with this mold removal project. Once I had created my initial report, I contacted the homeowner’s insurance adjuster. The adjuster was willing to provide coverage if we were able to document a new plumbing leak and prove that the mold growth was not due to a lack of maintenance on the homeowner’s part.

Plumber’s Report and Mold Removal

The insurance company wanted to make sure that they were covering a water damage and plumbing failure which could be classified as setting or accidental. Homeowners insurance will not cover mold removal that cannot be directly traced to a new water damage or plumbing leak. This is why a plumber’s report is critical to submitting a claim for mold or water damage coverage, because the plumber’s report states the official cause of water damage and mold.

Metrix Restoration we believe that plumbers and mold removal professionals should work together. This is why we created the Metrix Connection to better network with the best plumbers throughout our service territory.  Being able to co-ordinate mold removal projects with a plumber allows us to add more value and better serve our mold removal customers.  For this project we contacted one of our best plumbing companies in our network, Perfection HVAC and Plumbing of Northern VA.

Mold Remediation Discoveries

Upon removing the wet, mold contaminated drywall from the effected kitchen pantry, I was surprised at what I discovered. There was an obvious plumbing leak coming from above, but it wasn’t obvious where the leak was coming from. We previously estimated the water damage to be the result of failed plumbing associated with the toilet, however, the leak was coming from failed plumbing associated with the bathroom tub.

I was shocked at the amount of mold growth discovered once I removed the tile encasement of the master bathroom tub. Mold was growing all over the sub floor and had even begun to sprout as mushrooms. Mold is a fungus and under the right conditions mold will sprout in mushroom form. There were some mold mushrooms growing on the sub floor four inches high.

Leaky Bathroom Water Pipe

The mold growth mentioned above was being supported by a leaky water supply line. We were able to confirm that the adjacent water supply line had also leaked previously, causing the prior water damage to the kitchen pantry. The plumbing and water leak were previously repaired; however, the water damage was never properly mitigated by the previous homeowner. In addition to the water leak being repaired, the wet water damaged drywall of the kitchen pantry should have also been removed, so that the subfloor could be dried from below and above.

Once we were able to discover and confirm that the prior water damage the prior leak was repaired, we could now prove to the insurance adjuster that this was indeed a new water damage. However, the age of this new leak was still a mystery. What we do know for certain is that the customer reported seeing black mold on the kitchen pantry developing only recently, which supports a plumbing failure which is sudden or accidental and not due to lack of maintenance on the homeowner’s part. However, the presence of four-inch mold mushrooms growing in the same area, indicate severe water damage unaddressed for an extended period of time.

Metrix Offers Water Damage, Plumbing and Mold Remediation

Regardless of the previous water damage, the fact that there is a new leak with a new plumbing issue means that this homeowner is entitled to coverage with their homeowners’ policy. The homeowner’s insurance would be responsible for covering the water damage and mold remediation repairs but would not cover the mold remediation line items associated with the project. The reason being is that obviously there was pre-existing water damage which were never addressed; therefore, homeowners’ insurance is not responsible. However, homeowners’ insurance would be responsible for all damages associated with the new water damage including structural drying, retiling the bathroom tub and drywall repairs associated with the water damage. No portion of the plumbing would be able to be billed back to water damage claim.

If you or someone you know is in need of water damage mitigation, mold remediation or needs a plumbing repair; choose Metrix over the Matter.  The power to change the matter is in the Metrix.  We are available 24/7 for plumbing and water damage emergencies.  We also offer mitigation repairs.