After the drying
Mold Inspection & Testing in Portland, ME
An independent assessor confirms whether the assembly that got wet is actually dry, whether growth started while it was not, and how far it reaches. An inspection after a water loss confirms whether the assembly that got wet is dry now and whether growth started while it was not. Readings are taken in the material, cavities are opened where the readings point, and the result is a written scope of what is dry, what is not, and what has to be corrected for the repair to hold.
Quoted on site by the contractor who visits
On this site, inspection is the last check of a water job rather than the start of a separate one. Most people reach this page because something was wet, was dried, and a smell or a stain came back. The inspection answers whether the material is dry now and whether anything grew while it was not. Nothing here is medical advice; questions about health are for a clinician.
Often needed alongside
- Mold Remediation
Growth and the material it grew into come out under containment, what remains is cleaned, and the assembly is dried and read before anything closes it in.
- Structural Drying & Dehumidification
Sealed air movers and dehumidifiers bring framing, subfloor and drywall back to a measured dry standard, with daily readings logged from inside the material.
Frequently asked questions
What is the made ground built out of?
Whatever was to hand when it was placed: rubble, ballast, ash, spoil from other sites, and the timber of the wharves themselves. It was not engineered fill and no record was kept, so what is under a particular building is genuinely unknown.
Why does old timber in the fill matter?
Because it rots when it is not permanently wet, and leaves a void where it was. Wharf timbers buried in the fill survived as long as the ground water stayed above them; where the level has dropped, they have decayed and the ground above has settled.
Does the tide reach these basements?
The ground water does, which amounts to the same thing. The level beneath these streets rises and falls with the harbor, so a basement here can be wet on a high tide and dry six hours later, entirely independently of any rain.
Read it with the local conditions on the Portland page.