Occupied-home field sampling

What indoor-air sampling found—and how to read it.

Mold-spore sampling in two occupied homes and separate TVOC/TMVOC sampling in another residence produced encouraging field observations. The comparisons, terminology, and limits are separated below.

3 residencestwo mold-sampled homes + one separate chemistry-sampled home

Representative completed ThermaTech project set among mature trees; this is not presented as a sampled residence — Indoor-air observationsRepresentative ThermaTech project image

First, separate the tests

Two mold-sampled homes. One separate chemistry-sampled home.

The mold-spore and chemical-emissions observations answer different questions and use different comparison points. They should not be blended into one score.

How to read a mold-air sample

Outdoor mold is normal. The question is whether indoor air points to a stronger source inside the building.

Spores / m³: Microscopic airborne mold spores counted in one cubic meter of air.
Outdoor sample: A same-day comparison point because outdoor spores can enter a home.
No amplification: The sampled air did not show a stronger indoor source at that moment. It does not mean mold-free.

01 / Mold-spore observations

Indoor counts stayed below the same-day outdoor comparisons.

Each chart uses that residence’s outdoor air as its comparison point. The residences are not compared with each other.

Residence A

High outdoor spore conditions

98–99% lower indoors

Outdoor air>10,000 spores/m³

Indoor samples27–173 spores/m³

The outdoor count was above 10,000 spores/m³. Indoor samples ranged from 27 to 173—about 98–99% lower than outside.

The bar uses 10,000 as the outdoor baseline; the reported outdoor result was greater than that amount.

Residence B

Lower outdoor spore conditions

No reported amplification

Outdoor air≈120 spores/m³

Indoor samples13–40 spores/m³

Indoor samples ranged from 13 to 40 spores/m³ versus about 120 outdoors. The opinion reported no indoor amplification or water-damage indicator molds.

The bar uses the highest indoor result for scale; the exact indoor range is shown above.

Plain-language meaning: the sampled indoor air did not show a stronger mold source inside either home at that moment. It does not make the homes “mold-proof,” rule out hidden moisture, or predict every project.

02 / Chemical emissions · one separate residence

Low TVOC and TMVOC measurements relative to the cited reference data.

These are airborne chemical-emissions screening signals. They are not additional mold-spore counts.

Report comparison distribution≈45,000residential samples; this is a sample count, not a count of unique residences

Residential reference context

How the chemical-emissions result compared

The professional opinion placed the sampled residence near the bottom of a distribution of approximately 45,000 residential samples. That describes an unusually low measured result relative to the cited reference set; no exact percentile was reported.

ATVOC / same residence

Total volatile organic compounds

≈10 ng/L

A combined screening measurement for many airborne volatile compounds.

Observed≈10 ng/L

Report benchmark200 ng/L

Dataset average≈1,900 ng/L

The 200 ng/L figure is a benchmark cited in the opinion, not a product-certification threshold.

BTMVOC / same residence

Total microbial volatile organic compounds

<3 ng/L

A screening signal associated with compounds that may come from microbial activity.

Observed<3 ng/L

Dataset average≈10 ng/L

TMVOC adds context; it is not a stand-alone diagnosis of hidden mold.

Important distinction: the approximately 45,000-sample distribution applies only to this chemical-emissions result. It does not apply to the mold-spore comparisons above.

Keep the scope attached

Encouraging observations, not a product guarantee.

The results describe one-time field sampling in a small number of occupied homes.

Small sample

Two homes were sampled for mold spores and one separate home for TVOC/TMVOC.

One-time observations

Indoor conditions vary with moisture, ventilation, finishes, furnishings, cleaning, activities, and sampling date.

No typical-framing control group

The work was not a controlled comparison of ThermaTech and conventionally framed homes.

No causal or certification claim

The observations do not prove the panels alone caused the results, certify the product, or guarantee future conditions.

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