Mould creeping along bedroom wall

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Charley

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We have had an issue with mould on the gable end wall in a boxroom. It would reoccur frequently and I tried the anti-condensation paint but it didn't eradicate it. A couple of years ago we put wardrobe covering the space and now after pulling them out the mould has spread all along the wall behind and started to warp and rot parts of the back of the wardrobe.

We are thinking about calling one of the companies out that deal with mould but from their website they are selling own eco product to treat mould. From what I've read online a lot of people seem to say that there is no cure for mould and you just have to keep cleaning it off and ventilate. Has anyone tried any of these companies and are they worth the inspection fee or are they just going to say the same things i.e. ventilate more (there is already an air vent over that space so I don't think that will help plus we'd freezing all day) and try to sell their own product?

Or better still has anyone had this problem and managed to fix it?
 
From my own personal experience of this, it was a combination of heating, insulation & ventilation that sorted the issue for me. It wasn't as bad as what you describe it, but as it was always visible, I would have cleaned the wall on a regular basis, only time it was noticeable was during the colder months of the years.

Used a dehumdifier initially to remove excess moisture, but the issue only really cleared up after I got the walls pumped, attic insulation topped up, heating upgraded & introduced a vent.

The specifics of possible solutions have been discussed on a few threads (search for "mould"). It does affect quality of life, inhaling such is bad & will affect you in the long term. I'm sure others on this site will be able to make recommendations on who to call to get proper diagnosis of the issue. What part of the country are you located in?
 
I know we had mould/damp growing/spreading out along the ceiling in the corner of the walk in wardrobe (corner end of house) and only seen when moving christmas tree. Outside bit of black cement under tiles had somehow worn away or fallen off. Easily fixed, anti-damp paint, left for a few weeks and fresh coat of white paint, gone.

Fix the problem (maybe roof, gutters etc) and the the mould can't grow.
 
Yes that's what I'm hoping to be able to do but there doesn't seem to be any any obvious damage to the exterior that we can fix.

That's interesting that the problem resolved after having the walls pumped, can I ask how much it cost to have that done? We are located in Dublin.

We did put insulation in attic last year and if anything, it seems to have added other random spots of mould around the rest of the rooms that we didn't have before. Although the mould in the boxroom has been reoccurring for many years.
 
Hi Charley,

I got the walls pumped & attic insulation top up which cost me around €1800'ish (before seai grant). I'm in a detached dormer bungalow. A few years ago now, but in and around that.

The heating system was upgraded also - so new oil boiler & new radiators in the specific rooms I had issues with - both upstairs rooms on each end of the bungalow. I haven't seen a return in it since thankfully... BUT there maybe something else that is affecting your room(s)...
 
Our boxroom use to have mould grow in the colder months - we never used the room and only discovered it, when moving the bed.

We got the room dry lined and had a vent put in.

The room now is toasty warm and we had no issues with damp/mould this winter.

Do you have condensation on the windows? This was also an issue - but that is also gone now.
 
Thanks Sulo. Someone else mentioned dry lining to me as a neighbour did that but I'm wondering, would that not be just hiding the mould behind the lining wall though?? I don't like the idea of it still being there behind and spreading where I can't see it.

Interestingly I did notice a bit of condensation on all the bedroom windows this winter which we've never had before cos the windows are double glazed. It only seemed to happen after the insulation went into the attic.

What about adding an extra radiator on the wall where the mould is starting? - would this be a good idea or is dry lining a better option?
 
I think the issue is the moisture filled air hitting cold surface that is contributing to your issue. Historically this air had ceiling to escape through, but thats now insulated, so it's been concentrating on the cold wall & window.

Assuming it's not damp coming from the outside in, I would think dry lining would be an option for you, but you need to tackle the ventilation of that moist air also... Unfortunately, I don't think any one solution would fix the problem. Have you a dehundifier that you use to see how many water is taken in?
 
Yes we tried using a dehumidifer in that room without much success really. We're now using it in the bathroom to clear condensation.
 
deal with your mould issues in this order
>clean mould
>check mechanical fans are adequate and wall vents have sealed internal pipe sloped outwards
>reduce internal moisture levels
>check that the wall is not damp (ie thath you dont have a leak as opposed to surface condensation)
>leave windows open a little any-time your in the room or moisture is being generated
>keep heating the space to a reasonable level, dont leave the temperature drop to low (note below say 17deg)
>consider insulating walls and assess window/thermal bridges/air-leakage - but first ensure that the ventiatlion is adequate and the internal RH remains between 50-70% and definitely stays below circa 80%

see here for some similar threads on the subject

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=161601
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=162123
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=162163
http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=162770
 
Charley said:
Yes we tried using a dehumidifer in that room without much success really. We're now using it in the bathroom to clear condensation.
Click to expand...

I suspect your problem is humid air and condensation (if you are reasonably sure there's no other sources of damp).

It's unbelieveable the amount of moisture that can get into the air from showers, washing machines, dishwashers, irons and even the moisture you exhale from your breath as you sleep.

If the house is a constant temperature and the humidity is well dispersed there is usually no problem.

High humidity will be exascerbated, however, where moist air hits cold surfaces. So if your gable is north facing, it will be constantly colder than the rest of the house and so condendation will accumulate there causing the mould.

Heating the house in short bursts (first thing in the morning and after coming home from work) also exascerbates the problem as will not airing out the house by opening windows regularly. In short modern lifestyles & airtight houses.

We solved our problem completely with two major factors:
1) we now have low constant heat in the winter rather than short intense bursts
2) we installed a positive ventilation system (cost €2k)[broken link removed].

I personally think it's necessary to do something as your health could suffer in an environment that mould is thriving in. Young children would be particularly susceptible to this.
 
Thanks for all the advice. Yes, we have a little toddler so am particularly worried about the health implications.

There isn't anyone sleeping in that room but the gable end does face north-easterly. It is across the landing from the bathroom and we do try to keep the bathroom door closed when showering to minimise the steam escaping to the other rooms but I guess you can't eliminate it altogether.

When you say you have a low constant heat do you mean something like solar power or underfloor heating? I would consider adding another small radiator or some sort of heater to that wall if I thought it would help. It's just hard to know what the best option is. Have kept the window open for a few hours this morning but I'm blue with the cold & the toddler isn't happy about being confined to one not-so-cold room downstairs!
 
Charley said:
There isn't anyone sleeping in that room but the gable end does face north-easterly.
Click to expand...
its orentation is not the issue its merely a sign that the walls/window are not adequately insulated and so the surface is cold and moisture condenses on it
It is across the landing from the bathroom and we do try to keep the bathroom door closed when showering to minimise the steam escaping to the other rooms but I guess you can't eliminate it altogether.
Click to expand...
is there a mechanical extract fan in the bathroom? solve the ventilation issue, then insulate the building fabric - otherwise your just adding a heating element without dealing with the actual issue.
 
Thanks for all the advice on insulation & ventilation options recommended here

In answer to your question, no there is no mechanical extract fan in the bathroom.

From reading the SEAI website re wall insulation;
'The internal insulation would cost approx. €7,000 - €10,000 (excluding grant), while the external insulation solution would cost him €10,000 - €20,000 (excluding grant)'

Jazz01, when you say you got the walls pumped for €1,800 a few years ago was this done under the Wall Insulation grant? It couldn't have increased in cost that much could it..
 
type of house?
size of house?
year of house?

whatever you decide to do, go get a mechanical extract vent in the bathroom - no plumber should install a shower/bath without insisting on one..
 
The types of insulation you are talking about there "external" - would be adding insulation boards to the external walls & rendering over them. "internal" insulation would be dry lining the internal of the house (open to correct interpretations here).

What I gone done for €1800 was for the pumping of the cavity wall full with insulation beads & the attic insulation topped up to then standards (300mm / 1 foot) - the one company did both.
 
DerKaiser said:
We solved our problem completely with two major factors:
1) we now have low constant heat in the winter rather than short intense bursts
2) we installed a positive ventilation system (cost €2k)[broken link removed].
Click to expand...
DerKaiser, Would you mind telling us some more about how you have found the demand control positive input ventilation?
questions I'm often asked include:

  1. is it noisy?
  2. is it draughty?
  3. is it expensive to run?
  4. did you see you heating bills rise?
  5. what was your RH before and after?
  6. did you do an air-tightness test (as in how leaky is your house)?
thanks
 

Hi LowCO2.

It's not noisy or draughty. The main unit draws in air from the attic. The other units are where passive vents previously were in the kitchen and bathrooms.

When you have a shower or are cooking (and forget to turn on the oven vent) the system immediately kics into action and you can hear it whirr, it's pretty silent all other times.

Not sure of the RH, I think a rate of 40 quoted before by the installation guys?

Installation guys advisd that the house was fairly airtight - cant remember the detail.

Unfortunately there are far too many variables for me to quantify whether electricity or gas costs went up as a result (new baby so a lot more usage anyway). I'd expect the heating costs would be higher from the "active" ventilation.

The factors causing the condensation made sense and I do believe the combination of steady heat and better airflow are what's resolved our problem.
 
Charley said:
we do try to keep the bathroom door closed when showering to minimise the steam escaping to the other rooms but I guess you can't eliminate it altogether
Click to expand...
Worth keeping the window open as well

Charley said:
When you say you have a low constant heat do you mean something like solar power or underfloor heating?
Click to expand...

No. Just pointing out that if you're at home during the day and have the heat kicking in regularly it's better than just heating the house for an hour before you leave for work and a a few hours before going to bed.

I personally think people go overboard with insulation (a decent attic job is the most useful and cheapest), a €20k wall job sounds like madness.

If you're in a 3/4 bedroom house the most you'll spend on heat is €2k p.a.
So long as you deal with the mould and can heat the house adequately at that cost, where is the benefit in paying €20k for wall insulation to knock €500 p.a. off heating bills?
 
Yeah that's definitely not in the budget right now, I take your point, but we do need to get something sorted cos the wardrobes are too heavy to be moving regularly to get in behind cleaning mould off the walls, plus any clothes in them will be ruined.

The house is a small 3-bed semi. I think it was built around 1950 and the size is around 950 square feet.

and yes we do try to have the window open for showering too. Does a mechanical extract fan expel air into the attic?
 
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