Mold Removal & Remediation in Zephyrhills, FL

Why does mold show up in my Zephyrhills mobile home?

Roughly 27 percent of housing units in Zephyrhills are mobile homes. Manufactured homes have many roof seams and a closed space under the floor wrapped in skirting. Water from a roof seam or leaking window runs down inside the wall panels, and water from a drain or supply line drips onto the underbelly insulation and sits there. With Central Florida humidity and little airflow under the home, that insulation can stay damp for weeks. Watch for soft spots in the floor, stained ceiling panels and a musty smell that grows stronger when the AC cycles off. Keeping skirting vents open, recoating the roof before hurricane season and running the AC to hold humidity under 60 percent all help.

Is an older house here more likely to have mold?

The city's median home dates to about 1990, and about a third of units were built before 1980. Older homes tend to have original plumbing, aging roof decking and ductwork that has been patched over the years, each a possible water source. Newer homes aren't immune: a clogged condensate line can soak drywall in a two-year-old house just as easily. The cleanup is the same either way. Find the water, remove what is moldy and porous, clean and dry the framing, and confirm it's dry before closing up.

Who handles permits and complaints in Zephyrhills?

Removing mold isn't treated as permitted work, but rebuilding afterward can be. New drywall, framing or structural repairs inside city limits go through the City of Zephyrhills Building Department on 8th Street. Renters, who occupy about 30 percent of homes, can contact City of Zephyrhills Code Enforcement if a landlord leaves a roof or window leak unfixed; it handles minimum housing issues such as roofs and windows and takes requests through the city's online service portal.

A note for Zephyrhills households

Nearly 30 percent of residents are 65 or older. EPA advises that people with asthma or weakened immune systems stay away from moldy areas, so plan for the company to seal off the work area, or arrange to be elsewhere while materials come out. For health questions, contact a health professional or the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County. Under s. 468.8419 of the Florida Statutes, the company doing the removal can't also handle the assessment or clearance check on your home within 12 months, so a separate mold assessor covers those steps.