Mould/condensation/damp HELP Please!

Beansbeansbeans_2

We've been in our house nearly a year now and for the last couple of weeks we seem to have a major problem with condensation on the windows (they are constantly wet and water running down). This has also affected our bathroom which had a rapid growth of mould on the ceiling which I managed to remove and paint over with anti fungal paint.

Yesterday I was tidying my daughter's room and found all her teddy bears and soft toys had furry mould growing on them . Today I noticed my blind are all getting black mould spots on too.

I open the windows as much as possible but this does not seem to make much difference.

We got our wall cavitys insulated earlier this year and I'm now wondering if this has something to do with the current problem...could this be causing the excess moisture in the house? We didn't have this problem last winter.

Any ideas on where to start on sorting out this problem would be very much appreciated. A dehumidifier??

I'm really worried about everything in the house going mouldy and would love to be able to sort it asap. No idea who to ring or contact about this so you guys are my first port of call - thanks in anticipation

Beans x

WestonDave

The usual basics are:-

1. Sleep with windows open even in the depth of winter - you need at least a crack open otherwise the humidity from your breath builds up.
2. Ensure the house is adequately heated - at this time of year the air is cooling which means that the warm wet air from the late summer is becoming less able to hold as much moisture and will deposit it when it hits a cold surface like a window. Holding out from putting the heating on just because "its not November yet" will exacerbate this. Get a proper thermostat fitted and let it control the heating so that on early autumn days when it is really cold it does come on (and conversely if you get warmer days later in the winter it doesn't or works less so you save money that way).
3. Don't dry clothes on radiators in the house or hang wet washing up around the house.
4. Shower/bathe with the door closed, the window open and an extractor fan on. When you get out close the bathroom door and leave the window open and fan running so that the moist air goes outside not into the rest of the room.
5 If possible vent the kitchen whilst cooking.

Alongside those it might be worth running a dehumidifier for a while now to see if you can dry it down, but you'll still need to maintain the above. Its unlikely that the cavity wall insulation has caused higher humidity but its possible so if having tried everything else get it checked as a last resort. You need to make sure there is good airflow so that for example the soft toys aren't all stuffed in a cold corner where they create a cold spot like the windows for moist air to condensate and then form mould. Check your loft insulation - the moulding on the bathroom ceiling suggests that isn't properly insulated - we used to get a bit of mould on the last inch near the wall where there was no insulation above, but the rest stayed clear.

More radically you might want to think about positive input ventilation like Drimaster systems - these push fresh air into your house, lowering the relative humidity. If you search on Drimaster on here you'll find some good advice from a couple of damp experts on the more general matters.

My instinct is that its not the cavity wall insulation as such - it has been noticeably damp and cold in parts of September - we've noticed the windows running if we forget to open them at nights.

mrtobs

Hi there, it could be partly the cavity wall insulation - we noticed a difference after we'd had ours done. I rang up the company who had done it & they told me that it can make condensation worse. I guess that it could be because condensation collects on the coldest parts - cavity wall insulation should make the walls warmer, so it'll be more concentrated on windows/tiles etc. I'd agree with WestonDave - try to ventilate as much as possible/put extrator fans in (you can get ones that automatically come on when humidity reaches a certain level but they seem to be very pricey so we just put standard ones in). Good luck!

savemoney

Ventilation, heat when possible

It sounds like you got condensation most houses get it at varying degrees. Years ago it wasnt all that common but as we insulation, have CH and cut draughts its now a issue, the draughts helped

Best advice is open windows slightly when you have showered, bathed or cook. Dont hang washing on radiators when possible. Even breathing can cause condensation. The warmer the house the more it can retain moisture, this moisture condenses on surfaces like outside walls and under windows, or windows for that matter

A dehumidifier will help

I always have windows and even doors open when I can and we also open wardrobe doors that are in built because we had mould in them so I insulated the wall a little put new paper on and put bathroom emulsion paint

ariba10

This article should help you.

http://www.harfordsonline.com/downloads/condensation%20info.pdf

Beansbeansbeans_2

Thanks for thhe advice everyone. I do open the windows as much as possible and this is not seeming to help. Am so fed up of bleaching the house to keep on top of the mould

I got a man round who suggested fitting a ventilation system in the roof which would circulate the air.... costing £600-700. Anyone heard of this solution before? Any advice?

andy208833

Beansbeansbeans wrote: »

Thanks for thhe advice everyone. I do open the windows as much as possible and this is not seeming to help. Am so fed up of bleaching the house to keep on top of the mould

I got a man round who suggested fitting a ventilation system in the roof which would circulate the air.... costing £600-700. Anyone heard of this solution before? Any advice?

I have very similar problems to you which got worse after having the cavity walls done. I have been told that poor air circulation in the roof plus not enough insulation in the roof voids all contributes to this. The price you have been quoted sounds about right to me.

dampdaveski

Hi Beans,
sounds like you have a substantial condensation problem. fitting cavity insulation will make the house more thermally efficient, which in turn if you don't have the right blend of ventilation you can end up with the type of problems you are experiencing.
The ventilation system in the roof sounds like it will be a system like the Nuaire Drimaster or envirovent loft units.
this is a link to a thread on this forum from last year https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/581442
You can buy them and get them fitted yourself for a lot less than £700. The place where I buy mine from is on the above link
if you want anymore info just pm me,

good luck
DD

Beansbeansbeans_2

Thanks DD.

Do you suggest that the way forward is defo to get a ventilation system rather than try with a dehumidifier first? My cautious side says to see if a dehumidifier works first before spending a large amount of money getting a ventilation system fitted. However, I don't want to end up wasting money on a dehumidifier if the only way to solve the problem is with one of these ventilation systems. If we do decide to get one fitted should I shop around for someone who will do it cheaper?

Your advice is much appreciated :beer:

2Sheds

Beansbeansbeans wrote: »

Thanks for thhe advice everyone. I do open the windows as much as possible and this is not seeming to help. Am so fed up of bleaching the house to keep on top of the mould

I got a man round who suggested fitting a ventilation system in the roof which would circulate the air.... costing £600-700. Anyone heard of this solution before? Any advice?

Don't pay that much

We've got one and it helps but not as good I was hoping for, still wiping windows.

It also blows cold air into the house, unless you pay extra for the 1kW heater, try and find out if a similar house has had success