Black Mold Removal in Antioch, TN

Antioch's water and housing

Antioch is part of Metro Nashville, about 9 miles southeast of downtown, with Mill Creek running through it and J. Percy Priest Lake nearby. In May 2010 the Mill Creek gauge at Antioch set a record crest of 26.10 feet. In March 2021, flash flooding stranded cars on I-24 near Harding Place and pushed water into a Walmart on Nolensville Pike. In the Antioch (Priest Lake) area, about 64 percent of homes were built before 1980; roughly 59 percent are detached houses, 23 percent townhouses or attached units and 11 percent mobile homes. Aging plumbing, shared walls and tight bathrooms with weak ventilation all turn up in mold calls here.

Testing first or fixing first

EPA says sampling is usually unnecessary when mold is visible, and no federal limits exist for mold spores. Sampling earns its keep after cleanup, when it can help confirm the area was cleaned properly.

Signs worth a call

• Dark spotting along a wall shared with the next townhouse.
• Growth under sinks or along the base of walls in a mobile home.
• Stains that reappear after every heavy storm.
• Musty air coming from floor registers.
• Black growth on the back of carpet pad or under vinyl near a water heater.

Larger areas, more than about 10 square feet by EPA's measure, need containment so dust from removal does not drift into the rest of the home.

Timing after storms

EPA says to dry wet materials within 24 to 48 hours. If water got in and sat longer, plan on removal rather than surface cleaning. Metro Water Services points residents to FEMA flood maps and Metro's Parcel Viewer to check a property's flood zone, and notes that being outside a mapped zone is no guarantee. Replacing load-bearing walls afterward requires a Metro Codes permit, and residential mold jobs from $3,000 to under $25,000 in Davidson County require a state Home Improvement license. Metro Public Health can help with health questions.