Mold Remediation in Eldorado at Santa Fe, New Mexico

Eldorado sits southeast of the city along US 285, about fifteen minutes out, spread across roughly twenty square miles of piñon and juniper at around 6,700 feet. It is one of the largest communities in Santa Fe County outside the city itself, with roughly six thousand residents, and it has a housing profile unlike anywhere else in the county.

Why Eldorado houses get mold

The roofs are all about the same age

Eldorado was built out largely from the 1970s into the 1990s. That means a very large share of the flat and low-slope roofs out here went on within the same couple of decades, and they are hitting the end of their service life within the same couple of decades too. Elastomeric coatings, parapet caps, canale flashings and roof-mounted equipment curbs all age on similar clocks. When one neighbor finds a leak, it is worth looking at your own roof, because it is probably the same vintage.

Passive solar design traps moisture

Eldorado has a lot of passive solar houses, and that was a genuinely good idea for this climate. But attached sunspaces, greenhouse rooms and Trombe wall assemblies create conditions that ordinary rooms do not: large glass areas that go very cold at night, big daily temperature swings, plants and watering, and often minimal ventilation. Condensation forms on the glass and the frames, runs down, and collects at the sill and the floor junction. Sunroom sills are one of the most reliable places to find growth out here.

Radiant slab heat

Hydronic radiant floors are common in Eldorado. When a line, a manifold or a fitting weeps, the water goes into the slab and under the flooring, not onto it. You do not see a puddle. You see a warm spot, a boiler that cycles more than it should, and eventually growth at the base of a wall or under a floor covering.

Well and community water systems

Pressure tanks, water softeners and filtration equipment live in utility closets and garages. A weeping tank or a softener discharge that has been dripping for months is a common find, and because that equipment is usually behind a door nobody opens, it runs a long time.

The housing stock

Mostly single-family homes on large lots, frequently one story, frequently flat or low-slope roofed with parapets, with stucco exteriors over frame or occasionally over adobe or pumicecrete. Many have evaporative coolers, some have converted to refrigerated air, and a lot have wood stoves or kiva fireplaces. Long gravel driveways and mature piñon mean roof debris, which means clogged canales, which means ponding in a monsoon storm.

What to check on an Eldorado property

• Every canale, twice a year, for pitch, debris and flashing separation.
• Parapet caps for cracking, especially on the south and west exposures that take the most UV.
• The sunroom or greenhouse sill and the floor junction under the glass.
• The mechanical closet: pressure tank, softener, water heater pan, boiler manifold.
• The swamp cooler curb and pan if there is one on the roof.
• Grading, since lots out here shed a lot of water fast during a storm and many were graded decades ago.

Getting somebody out there

Eldorado is a straight run down US 285 from town and there is no travel charge for it. For an active leak we try to get a remediation contractor out the same day or the next. For an old stain or a smell, generally within the week. The estimate is free and it comes in writing.

If you are not sure what you are dealing with, start with inspection and testing. If it is overhead, see attic remediation. If your cooler is on the roof, see HVAC and cooler cleaning. And whatever the source, the repair page covers the part that actually keeps it from coming back.

Frequently asked questions