Mobile home maker responds to mold problem

When a viewer called the News on Six about leaks and mold problems in her brand-new home, she wasn't getting any help from the manufacturer. <br>That was back in February, and News on Six medical

Friday, April 5th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

When a viewer called the News on Six about leaks and mold problems in her brand-new home, she wasn't getting any help from the manufacturer.
That was back in February, and News on Six medical reporter Tami Marler has the rest of the story.

Jeremy Davis told us back in February his new home was making his family sick. "Me and my sister's been wanting to get away from the mold and mildew because that's probably what's making us sick." Jeremy's mother Mary showed us leaks throughout her new manufactured home. There were a number of problems, gaps in windows, leaks that allowed mold to grow in her daughter's room. "And she is deathly afraid and I won't even let her sleep in her bedroom because the mold is so bad in this window."

There was also a crushed vent that wasn't allowing air to flow. Mary complained repeatedly to Fleetwood Homes, which responded with a letter, blaming the problem on condensation. Something the 2-year warranty doesn't cover.

Then we contacted Fleetwood's legal department, the corporate attorney said the problems would be fixed. â€œThe office in Texas found out that you guys were coming out the first time, she called me back and she told me that they still didn't feel that it was their problem. They said that they were going to fix it as a customer courtesy favor."

Local subcontractors are replacing all of Mary's windows. New rain gutters will divert water away from the house. They've already replaced that crushed vent. Mary says she's satisfied with the work, but she doesn't understand what took so long. "I even feel like asking Fleetwood, 'well you wanna come and live in a product of your own and that's defective and maybe causing somebody to get sick."

Mary saw our series "Breaking the Mold" last year, that's where she learned some molds are linked to serious health problems, her family had been suffering symptoms like: nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, sinus infections, wheezing/shortness of breath and headaches. "I'm gonna see how everything turns out."

Mary hopes the repairs to her home will restore her family's health. Molds, mildew, and fungi thrive in warm, moist, and poorly lit areas and can be found anywhere in the home.

Basements and bathrooms are prime breeding areas, but kitchens, dens, and bedrooms can also harbor mold spores by the millions.