Advise On Mould And Central Heating

femora

Hello all - Just discovered this site and it looks really helpful. I have a 2 bed flat which currently use electric heaters - no central heating.

Over the past few months, the flat has had a bad attach of mould and I am being advised to install central heating to overcome this issue!

I do not want to spend so much money to discover that issue was not resolved down the line - we used the mould free paint the last time this happened abt 2 yrs ago!

Can u pls advise

1) Best way of getting rid of mould forever
2) How much would be a reasonable cost to fit central heating in a 2 bedroom flat
3) Do I really need to install this?

Looking forward to your contribution pls

Many thanks

Premier_2

Lots of good information here:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1125/0011805.pdf

What you need to establish is what is causing the mould to appear in the first instance. i.e. where is the dampness coming from. Usually it's condensation that is discussed in the above, or it is coming through from outside, in which case you need to get a builder to look into what is structurally wrong.

The above gives details on how to remove mould once it has formed, no matter what the cause, but if you don't act on the cause, it will just reappear again later.


Edit: an html version of the above pdf document is available here:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/10103020/30217

Magentasue

Where is this mould? If only in bathroom and/or kitchen you could probably cure by opening windows and/or running a dehumidifier. We do this for our damp downstairs bathroom - dehumidifier in the winter only.

If rising damp or throughout the house, more drastic action may be needed.

femora

Thanks for your comments

The mould only happens during winter!!! Summer and other season are fine -
The builder that recommended the anti fungi paint said it was poor ventilation in winter and said the best soln was central heating!!!

Will this solve the issue if it is indeed condensation due to poor circulation?

Magentasue

Well, central heating will improve it because you won't get those cold, damp spots. However, we have central heating now and the bathroom is still damp if we don't use a dehumidifier. Summer is fine as the window is open more often. Winter is worse because the window is closed in the evening and overnight when we're all having baths, producing all the water vapour.

An extractor fan or dehumidifier would be cheaper than central heating.

jimexbox

Mold can be indicative of an underlying problem, do not assume its just a case of more heating. It could certaily be due to poor air circulation, and lack of heat, but you must rule out water penatration.

Where exactly is the damp showing itself? And do you have a ground, middle or top floor flat?

femora

Ground floor flat
Problem is mainly in the kitchen and a bedroom

It would certainly seem to be due to condensation as a couple years back when we got a dehumidifier, the vol of water extrcated was HUGE

Since the damp spots are close to the floor, if one were to use an extractor fan, should it be fitted close to the floor???

I am indeed concerned that i may end up installing central heating only to find that the issue is still there!!

What would be the best approach to handle this pls?

Magentasue

Do you still use a dehumidifier?

Extractor fans usually high up on outside wall.

jimexbox

I would check that you haven't got a broken/leaking down pipe, or that you DPC has been bridged causing water ingress.

bristol_pilot

How do you dry your laundry?

If you dry laundry in a flat you will get condensation and mould as this activity puts an enormous amount of moisture into the air. Dry laundry outside or use a tumble dryer or washer-dryer.