So glad I found this site. Thank you everyone! I, Chriz, read up to page 12 along with page 16, and the earlier posts probably apply more to me.
Here's the timeline and details:
Apartment had brown water for 1 day about May 1, maybe as late as May 6.
On or about May 10th had an intuitive feeling about mold testing...because (a) I had been feeling lethargic (b) recalled the *sound* of a persistent drip --behind wall and between wall and concrete-- between apts about a year ago in corner of living room (c) was 'attracted' to Mold Test Kit in Home Depot; yup drawn to an endcap display...(LOL)
Then tub began leaking, then almost running but dealt with it for about 3 days...too busy to call it in.
May 14th saw Water Department rep at complex, apparently to check on previous "brown" water complaint's resolution.
That same day Maintenance turned off water at shutoff valve, but water still leaking. [MOLD]
Also noticed jackhammer crew working in front of next building. [DIRT DISTURBED?]
May 15th, ankles really itchy and noticed strange, never-had-before waxy buildup/'film' on nose.
May 16th, film on nose thicker.
May 18th, water in that bathroom turned back on and faucet repaired at 4pm--WD 40 had been used to loosen faucet. At 5pm cleaning the tracks of a window that is just 2 feet away from my possible 'mold' corner.
May 19th, 1am, faucet tested...hands dried...hands REALLY STICKY!!!! [PAPER TOWELS?]
Assumed it was WD40 issue. Ran (and ran and ran) water to clear. Kept washing hands but still sticky. Cleaned faucets with 3 different spray cleaners assuming I was touching and contaminating them during hand washing. Used other water sources to wash hands. Used paper towels (Bounty Basic) to dry; used cloth towels to dry. Used different hand soap to wash hands; used Windex on hands; used Fantastic; used bleach and water; used Fantastic with Bleach; Finally used Comet Cleanser on hands and got some relief!
This came on very suddenly!!! It doesn't feel like a medical (thyroid, allergy) condition. I have had a few strange things that MIGHT be related, but my gut says whatever happened it happened today. My hands, when damp (not wet and not dry) are sticky!
My suspects are:
(1) Mold from behind wall or window tracks?...back to HD to get those test kits!
(2) Serratia marcescens bacteria in the hot water heater?...that would be the building's...I guess I have to hope that the Water Department will accept a sample from me and test for free. (I heard they didn't even want to come out to investigate the brown water initially!!)
(3) Bounty BASIC paper towels?...I don't think so because I didn't get any relief from cotton towels but they are "new" paper towels from this manufacturer [ROSIN?]
4) Some bug bite on my ankles?...but I don't see anything there, don't have any bugs, don't recall any bites, and that symptom seems a bit removed from the sudden onset.
5) Or just WD40 that has contaminated all our faucets? I wrote to the company to inquire but I don't think spraying it, even excessively, on pipes and faucets provides a delivery vehicle to water supply itself.
I offer all of this as a 'clue.' If I figure anything out, I'll repost.
(As for the survey you can create a free Zoomerang survey that people can take in order to collect data. But it could only be for 100 responses (submissions) at a time. Just fyi.)
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So glad I found this site. Thank you everyone! I, Chriz, read up to page 12 along with page 16, and the earlier posts probably apply more to me.
Here's the timeline and details:
Apartment had brown water for 1 day about May 1, maybe as late as May 6.
On or about May 10th had an intuitive feeling about mold testing...because (a) I had been feeling lethargic (b) recalled the *sound* of a persistent drip --behind wall and between wall and concrete-- between apts about a year ago in corner of living room (c) was 'attracted' to Mold Test Kit in Home Depot; yup drawn to an endcap display...(LOL)
Then tub began leaking, then almost running but dealt with it for about 3 days...too busy to call it in.
May 14th saw Water Department rep at complex, apparently to check on previous "brown" water complaint's resolution.
That same day Maintenance turned off water at shutoff valve, but water still leaking. [MOLD]
Also noticed jackhammer crew working in front of next building. [DIRT DISTURBED?]
May 15th, ankles really itchy and noticed strange, never-had-before waxy buildup/'film' on nose.
May 16th, film on nose thicker.
May 18th, water in that bathroom turned back on and faucet repaired at 4pm--WD 40 had been used to loosen faucet. At 5pm cleaning the tracks of a window that is just 2 feet away from my possible 'mold' corner.
May 19th, 1am, faucet tested...hands dried...hands REALLY STICKY!!!! [PAPER TOWELS?]
Assumed it was WD40 issue. Ran (and ran and ran) water to clear. Kept washing hands but still sticky. Cleaned faucets with 3 different spray cleaners assuming I was touching and contaminating them during hand washing. Used other water sources to wash hands. Used paper towels (Bounty Basic) to dry; used cloth towels to dry. Used different hand soap to wash hands; used Windex on hands; used Fantastic; used bleach and water; used Fantastic with Bleach; Finally used Comet Cleanser on hands and got some relief!
This came on very suddenly!!! It doesn't feel like a medical (thyroid, allergy) condition. I have had a few strange things that MIGHT be related, but my gut says whatever happened it happened today. My hands, when damp (not wet and not dry) are sticky!
My suspects are:
(1) Mold from behind wall or window tracks?...back to HD to get those test kits!
(2) Serratia marcescens bacteria in the hot water heater?...that would be the building's...I guess I have to hope that the Water Department will accept a sample from me and test for free. (I heard they didn't even want to come out to investigate the brown water initially!!)
(3) Bounty BASIC paper towels?...I don't think so because I didn't get any relief from cotton towels but they are "new" paper towels from this manufacturer [ROSIN?]
4) Some bug bite on my ankles?...but I don't see anything there, don't have any bugs, don't recall any bites, and that symptom seems a bit removed from the sudden onset.
5) Or just WD40 that has contaminated all our faucets? I wrote to the company to inquire but I don't think spraying it, even excessively, on pipes and faucets provides a delivery vehicle to water supply itself.
I offer all of this as a 'clue.' If I figure anything out, I'll repost.
(As for the survey you can create a free Zoomerang survey that people can take in order to collect data. But it could only be for 100 responses (submissions) at a time. Just fyi.)
May 18, 2011 - 2:20amThis Comment
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