Mold Testing in Hendersonville, TN

We live near Old Hickory Lake. Does that change what a test shows?

It changes how results should be read. Hendersonville sits on Old Hickory Lake, about 13 miles from downtown Nashville, and summers here are long and humid. Outdoor spore counts can run high, so an air test without an outdoor comparison sample is close to meaningless. Ask the tester to take one outside at the same visit and to compare spore types, not just totals. Indoor results that look like the outdoor sample usually point away from an indoor problem; types that show up only indoors deserve a closer look.

Our house is from the 1980s. Is it more likely to need testing?

Age alone doesn't call for a test, but it does raise the odds of the moisture problems that lead to one. The city's median home was built around 1989, so many houses are on original windows, supply lines or water heaters, or on their second roof. A slow leak behind a vanity or a crawl space that never dries can produce a smell long before a stain. The Sumner County Flood Insurance Study also studies Drakes Creek and its tributaries as flooding sources for the city. Start with a moisture check; sample where the readings or the odor point.

I rent. Will a lab report help?

Possibly. A little under 30 percent of Hendersonville homes are rented, and a written report with photos and moisture readings documents conditions clearly. Report the leak to your landlord in writing first. If it isn't repaired, the city's Building and Codes Department takes complaints through an online form, though it doesn't accept anonymous complaints except in emergencies.

A local note

Angi reports a national range of about $250 to $500 for a mold test, and prices in Sumner County vary with the number of samples. If remediation follows, rebuilding that needs a permit goes through the City of Hendersonville Building & Codes Department, and Angi suggests hiring a different company for clearance testing than for the cleanup. For health questions, the Sumner County Health Department has a clinic location in Hendersonville as well as its main office in Gallatin. EPA notes mold can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat and lungs; anyone with health concerns should see a health professional rather than rely on a spore count.