Mold problem?

[photony]

I just moved into a new apartment/townhouse 1 month ago. For the past 2 weeks I've been sick, sore throat, coughing nonstop, etc. I think we may have a mold problem I'm not sure.

I have some pictures of stuff growing on the walls of our basement. I need someone to tell me if it's black mold or just mildew because I can't tell the difference. I'm starting to get worried because now my girlfriend is coughing nonstop too and I'm itchy. Plus I'm allergic to mold...

Here are photos of it.

Stuff on basement wall:
http ://img194.imageshack.us/img194/7080/wall1an.jpg
http ://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5558/wall2e.jpg
http ://img807.imageshack.us/img807/7779/wall3.jpg

Around the furnace upstairs in the wall:
http ://img257.imageshack.us/img257/7039/furnacefloor.jpg
http ://img718.imageshack.us/img718/8813/furnacewall.jpg

Pipes in the basement. Is this just rust or is it mold:
http ://img5.imageshack.us/img5/5717/pipesr.jpg

I put a space after the http cause it won't let me post links, so you'll have to paste in your browser.


What's the verdict? The stuff on the wall in the first 3 pictures is mold of some sort and I'm still going to get it taken care of and get a dehumidifier but I'm trying to figure out the extend of the problem.

I rent and feel like my landlord should have to fix the problem but I'm being told they won't do anything since a friend of mine had the same problem and she had to pay her own pocket to have professionals come in and remove all the mold.

[Drywall DIY Guy]

Mold

I would get a bucket of water and bleach and clean it myself. Then put in a dehumidifier, making sure all doors and windows going into the basement are closed.

The other option is to call in the authorities. You may want to do that in addition to cleaning up things yourself.

Do you have central AC? If so I guess the mold spores could be spread to all the units.

[pushkins]

It looks to me from your pictures that you really have a humidity problem. The marks on the steel piping is spot rust (coming through the paint) The mold on the wall does look like black mold, but it could be any number of moisture related molds, you would need to test the mold to determine exactly but this can be cleaned fairly easy with bleach and a soft cloth (4:1 mix with water would be good and try to wear at least a dust mask while cleaning the area) you could put the mix in a little spray bottle and apply it by spray then wipe off or just apply with a cloth.
The moisture around the furnace, is that from a condensation overflow that is blocked or is it transition from the ducting to the flooring material?
A dehumidifier will go a loooong way to solving your issues.

As far as being a renter, when it comes to mold your landlord is responsible and has a duty of care to provide you with a safe environment to live in.

[photony]

I do have central air. I tried to look inside the registers upstairs since I can take those out and I don't see any mold but they are very dirty.

The moisture around the furnace, is that from a condensation overflow that is blocked or is it transition from the ducting to the flooring material?
in.

Not sure, it has something to do with condensation though and something is leaking because that plywood underneath the furnace is all wet and it leaks down in the basement, have a bucket down there right now to catch the water.

What size dehumidifier is adequate for a medium to large basement?

[mikeylikesit5805]

go to homedepot and look up this model Model # LD450EAL
That is the one I bought and it seems to work very well.