Well, it looks like my fridge has been leaking a while judging by this damage. I got suspicious when the adjacent room had black in the carpet and the moulding was discolored.
After pulling the fridge out, I saw soggy, deformed moulding. My curiosity got the best of me at 1:30 in the morning, so I pulled back the moulding to see how extensive the damage was. What I got was a terrible surprise. Ants started scattering everywhere! There was also ant larvae in there!
I found a chemical my exterminator friend gave me, and I let the ants have it. Today, they all seemed to have died. Hopefully the larvae has too.
Anyways, it looks like the OSB needs replaced, along with sections of at minimum three walls and moulding. I was going to put in hardwood flooring this month anyways.
I'm not sure if this black substance is mold, but I feel like chances are high that it is. This has me pretty stressed out considering I'm not the only person that lives in this house. I must say though that we have never had persistent health issues outside of normal colds and the like.
How serious does this problem seem to be? I have a pro coming in the morning. But can I tackle this thing myself? I'm not the most experienced DIYer, but I'm not a total idiot either.
Here are some pics after I put the moulding back. I didn't want to open it up again until repairs are underway. Two pics are of the same area behind the fridge, and one is of the adjacent room. Thanks!
Submitted July 06, 2016 at 01:28AM by Jajo5 http://ift.tt/29felkU HomeImprovement
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