PLEASE HELP bathroom mould ADVICE NEEDED

wizard3891

Hi, me and gf moved into our new build shared ownership flat just over a year ago. It has an internal bathroom so no window at all. It has a small extrater fan though.

The problem began a while back when a section of the coving by the fan in the bathroom began to come away from the wall, so had the the builder back who filled the gaps etc and touched up paint and it looked ok. Now its worse than ever and the coving by the fan is really bad. Now the fan seems to do nothing and we have mouldy walls and ceiling which is getting worse every day. we have the fan on all the time now but when ever we shower the room just fills up with steam and doesnt goo for ages. The ceiling has loads of mould spots and patches and the walls have mainly just spots of mould but its just getting worse. The fan looks abit dirty but it was a new flat in aug 05 so it was a new fan then I assume.

My queston is what do I do?
Will it be down to us to sort or would the housing association sort it?
The coving need replacing as its so bad and im sure the fan isnt working although its quite loud when on.

HELP BEFORE THE MOULD TAKES OVER PLEASE

greyteam1959

If its a new build then it is still under warranty get in touch with your housing association ASAP cos the longer you leave it then the worse it will get.
Is the fan working properly ?????
Put your hand near it when it is on....can you feel the air being sucked out ??
Is it blocked up or is the shutter on the outside jammed shut ???
Sounds like it not working right to me cos it should shift all the steam in about 10 minutes after finishing having a shower.

stuartjp_2

not sure about fixing problems but from a painting point of view i would use a good name stain block I USE ZINNSER stain block,
this will hold back the mould and is then paintable, if your whole bathroom suffers from the damp i would recomend a coat of ZINNSER on all walls and ceiling,
this product isent avalible from b&q only from paint merchants, "well i think so you wouldent catch me in b&q buying paint" so i dont really know.
but its a great product

wizard3891

Are we within our rights to make them sort it all out or is it our responsiblity?

thriftymiss_2

i used watered down pva glue to size a wall where condensation was staining my walls , then painted ontop - this sealed the walls and is easier to wipe - an since this i have not had any black spores or staining. you colud always try the silica gel stuff you get in those little bags to aid the drying out process. or buy a dehumidifier.

wizard3891

Yeah im looking into the de humidifiers but in the short term ive got to get the coving etc fixed and possibly a new fan but Im not sure if the HO will do it or do I have to???

Tustastic

If you've got shared ownership with a housing association, won't the small print of your lease say anything about repairs and maintenance?
In your position, I would take plenty of photos of the bathroom showing up the mould then write to the housing association explaining when the problem started, what's been done etc and asking what can be done next.
Also in your position, I would be keen to get a new extractor fan before any more damage was done to my home - whether or not someone else is going to pay for it in the end.

wizard3891

are these fans easy to do a straight swap or are there alot of size differences?

missile

Just get a like for like replacement. Alternatively take the old one into shop "I want one to replace this". With a new build I would ask the builder to sort it out.

However, I am surprised that a new extractor does not work. Check pipework from extractor to the outside is not blocked. They, sometimes they forget to connect it and you "vent" into the roof space.

Meanwhile try leaving shower room door open to air the room.

handyman.

thriftymiss wrote: »

i used watered down pva glue to size a wall where condensation was staining my walls , then painted ontop - this sealed the walls and is easier to wipe - an since this i have not had any black spores or staining. you colud always try the silica gel stuff you get in those little bags to aid the drying out process. or buy a dehumidifier.

Pva, on painted walls:eek: