Mould in ensuite bathroom

sharpee

My partner and I are currently renting and have noticed mould growing above our shower in the ensuite bathroom.

We both use the shower everyday, we always have the extractor fan on and leave it on after the shower and leave the door open throughout the day to allow air to circulate.

We have carried ou the following;
1. Have the extractor fan on when we are in the bathroom and leave it on as long as we are in the house.
2 Leave the bathroom door open during the day to allow air to circulate as there is no window.
3. We have checked the extractor fan to see if the filter is blocked (no filter) and cleaned the air intake.

Now I know most LL will come on here and say its our (the tenants fault) and due to our life style etc etc.

But I am also a LL and know we have down everything to prevent this.

I have just rang our LL to notify him (will follow it up in writing) and he basically has said its all our fault. Now I knew he was going to say this but honestly we have done everything we would have as if it was our own house.

I would like to point out that the house is a 6yr old Barrett home and I believe the bathrooms were not painted with the correct paint as when we moved in the paint above the bath in the main bathroom was peeling off.

Anyone have any advice on what else we can to to prevent this?

BitterAndTwisted

Keep the door closed to avoid any moisture migrating to the rest of the property and leave the extractor fan on 24/7

googler

Verify that not just the intake to the fan is clear, but also the outlet to atmosphere. Tie a ribbon to the outlet if you can and verify the airflow.

Change the current extractor fan for a more powerful one.

If there's a grille over the inlet, remove it, as it will restrict airflow to a point.

Establish if there are any bends or kinks in the pipework leaving the fan, as these will restrict airflow.

sharpee

googler wrote: »

Verify that not just the intake to the fan is clear, but also the outlet to atmosphere. Tie a ribbon to the outlet if you can and verify the airflow.

Change the current extractor fan for a more powerful one.

If there's a grille over the inlet, remove it, as it will restrict airflow to a point.

Establish if there are any bends or kinks in the pipework leaving the fan, as these will restrict airflow.

I'm not quite sure where the outlet is as its on the 2nd floor (3 storey townhouse) but will have a look tonight. I would check it there were any bends/kinks in the pipework but our LL has told us not to go in the loft. Although saying this we will look tonight for our own piece of mind.

Thanks

WestonDave

The practical solution (maybe not the equitable solution) is to get a can of proper mould proof paint (e.g. Zinsser Perma White - a small 500ml can for £17 should do the job in an ensuite) and repaint the ceiling. 2 coats of that and mould problem is gone. Now I agree its probably the landlords problem to sort out, but my own personal mindset would be its easier to pay £17 and some elbow grease to sort it now, than get docked it off the deposit at the end at whatever his decorator tries to charge. You could offer to go halves - if he pays for the paint, you do the painting.

poppysarah

Is the fan the right one for the size of room?

googler

sharpee wrote: »

I'm not quite sure where the outlet is as its on the 2nd floor (3 storey townhouse) but will have a look tonight. I would check it there were any bends/kinks in the pipework but our LL has told us not to go in the loft. Although saying this we will look tonight for our own piece of mind.

Thanks

If there's no window and the extractor is on the ceiling, that probably suggests it goes in the boxwork where the SVP is, and follows the line of the SVP up to the roof, so it's basically got to pump the air around 6metres or so to reach atmosphere. Is there a boxed-in corner of your bathroom? Is the fan close to that?

If the outlet pipe is the flexible ridged stuff, that will impede airflow. If it's solid pipework that will help.

If it's on an exterior wall there should be a matching outlet grille visible from the outside. If it's on an interior wall same applies as for ceiling mounting.

Why on earth has the LL banned you from the attic? Have you never even opened the hatch and peeked inside?

sb2_2

is the fan working well?

a good test is to get a tissue and put it against the fan and see if it hold it.

If it doesn't, the fan wont be working well enough to get rid of the moisture and wouldn't be your fault. I can understand your LL thinking it could be your fault if there was mould on the grouting (due to not being cleaned after use).

WestonDave's suggestion is good. It sounds like your LL will deduct this as damage from your deposit. Even though you could go to arbitration, it would be much easier if you try to negotiate with the LL.

Test the extractor to see if that works OK and speak to your LL about the anti mould paint.

poppysarah

googler wrote: »

Why on earth has the LL banned you from the attic? Have you never even opened the hatch and peeked inside?

They might not want people to fall through,

Wouldn't stop me having a peep though.

moromir

The following seems blindingly obvious to me so I'm sure there is a reason why you're not doing this already -

If two of you are showering in the ensuite and there is a mould problem... why doesn't one of you shower in the main bathroom and one in the ensuite to see if it alleviates the problem?

sharpee

poppysarah wrote: »

Is the fan the right one for the size of room?

Yes its the opposite end of the room