Mould creeping along bedroom wall

Charley said:

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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I think it draws in air from the attic (warmer than outside air)

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And combines with the wall units to circulate air around the house

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I'm not an expert and can't vouch for the science, but the basic principle makes sense and the results for us have been zero mould growth following 3 winters of rampant mould growth (reducing air quality and leaving massive amounts of condensation on the windows in our main bedroom and destroying two sets of curtains). As I've said above though it's not a controlled experiment, so maybe the milder winter or more constant heating have played a significant part also.

DerKaiser said:

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.

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no worries Derk and thanks for the reply. some people find it hard to come to terms with the installation of the positive input, both those who have are generally very happy with the results, I hadn't used your manufacturer before but its sounds like its another one to put on the tender list - although i do like to have a control/ monitor with the system that allows for checking its performance (RH, CO2, temp etc), and highlights when the filter changing is required..

DerKaiser said:

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?

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lets not get carried away a typical semi-d with ewi which takes care of all the main thermal bridges and cold spots (except for the windows, which aere best done at the same time), will cost in the region of 12g including grant (priced in Cork during the week) and there area lot of homes that are suitable for this work and can justify it when you consider occupant comfort especially where UFH systems are installed but of course this depends on your annual heating spend.

do you know if the walls are solid or cavity? is it double glazed? and has it got a radiator?


you can put a vent in the window.


noah

I think the walls are cavity but I'm not 100% sure on that. The room does have a radiator although it is always much colder than the rest of the house even when the heat is on.

How would you put a vent in a double glazed window?

bleed the rad, put window on trickle if you can, and yes you can fit a vent to double glazed windows.

check the cavity as well.


google for the vent

noah

Charley said:

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?

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Our neighbours got rooms dry-lined for that purpose (mould) but reckon it didn't do the job.