Damp Cold Bedroom - What Can I do?

kinger101

Jackieboy wrote: »

I disagree - if people are trying to solve the problem by the wrong means, it isn't going to be effective.

(But thank you for your comment anyway.):D

You didn't really provide any solutions. You just implied it's somehow the OP's fault.

fairy_lights

If the radiator isn't very effective I wonder if a portable fan heater could help to circulate some warmer air? And if it's so cold in bed maybe an electric blanket would be a better option than piles of blankets.

barbiedoll

Is the mould coming from the top of the wall (cracks in the brickwork, broken downpipe etc?) or creeping up from the bottom (drains?)

Jeyes do a mould treatment, with a "smart brush", I've found it really effective in my freezing cold bathroom, which is riddled with mould. It's quite expensive (£3.50 in Morrisons) but a little goes a long way and it does get rid of the mould stains that I could never remove with bleach alone.

I do think that your GP is quite useless, with your (and your sons') health issues, you should all be getting more help, even if just an upgrading on your housing banding. Who sleeps in the cold room, is it you?

TheGardener

If you can clean the mould off - try wallrock products. http://www.wallpaperdirect.com/products/wallrock/wallrock-fibreliner-100-double-roll/68662
I used it in an old Victorian Villa and it was phenomenal. A very smooth surface (almost looked like the wall had been plaster skimmed) and was easy to put up and paint. It looks expensive for wallpaper but the roll is 20meters long and a meter wide. Amazing stuff.
I would suspect the mould is a condensation problem caused or aggravated by the construction. I've seen a lot of damp/mould in post war/mid century council flats . Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation...

I too grew up in a house with no CH or DG and never saw any mould on the walls.

Bossypants

For the heat situation I would strongly recommend investing in an electric oil-filled radiator. They're cheaper to run than electric fan heaters because they're only on for long enough to heat the oil to max temperature, and then they turn themselves off and let the heat-retaining oil do the work. They're also much better at heating entire rooms than fan heaters, and safe to leave on at night if necessary. My house is currently freezing due to ancient, unmaintained double-glazing, and my oil heater makes all the difference.

Cakeguts

The cheapest way to stay warm is to wear lots of layers of clothes. In bed you will want something on your head there was a reason that people wore hats in bed. You lose a lot of heat through your head. Bed socks people used to wear bed socks. I would suggest thermal underwear in the house during the day if it is cold. You could also wear it in bed if you are still cold.

Even now not everyone lives in houses with lots of heating. When you think about it you can't heat a room to body temperature but you can heat your clothes to this if you are well insulated.

kinger101

If the fitted radiator has isolation values on, fitting a new one to the existing CH system wouldn't be that expensive, as the system wouldn't need to be drained down. I think B&Q has a radiator size calculator somewhere on their site....you might want to go just a bit bigger with having a narrow room with a higher surface area of (non-insulated?) external wall.

[Deleted User]

Thank you for all your comments. They are all worth considering.

Hi, I do have a duvet below me on the bed. Me and my ten year old sleep in the double bed (its a two bed maisonette, three people). I do remember shivering all night in my bed as a child (literally), did survive but it didn't make for a good sleep. Thank god for duvets nowadays. We did have damp walls too (this was up to the 80's). I am normally rather careful with putting central heating on but its been so cold recently, I've had to even though the benefit is limited in the bedrooms. Still have to use three duvets as I said.

Both sons have ASD as well so I try to reduce stressors, like being too cold. Had enough problems with school refusal with both of them (although older boy is 20, he still gets stressed).

None of the other walls in the maisonette are cold like the two in the main bedroom. I'm pretty sure this is a reason for the mould.., which I'd like to alleviate if I could. It is an end maisonette, with a big connecting stairwell next to it. I suspect this doesn't help but I can't get the council to come and look at it. Its all I wanted, someone to come and look at it but it was just dismissed out of hand as being down to condensation and me. Instead of a fault in the walls.

I can assure you, we are well into layered clothing principles lol. My son has a fleece onesie, I have cardigans and thick dressing gowns I wear, my older son does the same. And I move around a lot. But it is annoying when you have to dress like this even when the central heating is on.

I have avoided using vinegar to wipe down the walls as when I did this in the bathroom (got rid of the ceiling mould for good though) I quickly got an incredibly bad chest infection that affected me for weeks. I have to walk my son 2 miles from school (I take him on the bus, walk back myself) going up and down the hills is hard when my breathing is bad. Was a struggle on Friday for example and wipes me out (this is a school he's happy in, but because I've moved him its not the closest school although only ten mins further away than his original one, I've been refused a bus pass for him), and this is without a chest infection lol. But I've decided I've got to do it, got a face mask (general one) and will do it on Monday.

I will definitely look into the wallpaper, thank you very much. I'm quite good at DIY but not sure about replacing an isolator valve on a radiator. The radiators have been bled, there are no 'cold' patches, it just doesn't heat up much (in the bedroom, the living room one was replaced and works very well indeed - it was almost rusted through).

It looks like this http://www.wallpaperdirect.com/products/wallrock/insulating-lining-graphite-4mm/97025 might be even more useful perhaps. As said though, its a long wall that's most badly effected so will cost a fair bit.

PeterPanic

First thing I would do is to find out if the walls are damp. A simple damp meter from B&Q will tell you if the walls are damp. If the walls are damp then you need to find out why this is happening, it will either be an issue with the damp course, the gutters being clogged with leaves or an issue with the drains. Do not underestimate the amount of damage water can do to a property due to something as simple as a blocked gutter.

That would be the first thing I would check and then go from there.

FBaby

We had issue with mould in our house and got a professional to come. He said that most houses of that age in our area (by the sea) have the same issues. There are no miracles that will stop the issue, because you can't stop the humidity conditions nor the fabric of the walls and it all comes down to management.

He said that the key tool is ventilation. He added that most customers tell him that they do so but the reality is that it is not enough. It is normal customs in mainland Europe for people to open all their windows for up to an hour every day. Yes, the house gets very cold then, but cold is part of life. The problem is that our society believes that we should never experience cold, so we do everything to never get the temperature down and that is exactly what makes mould unmanageable.

He said that the ideal way to deal with it would be to open all windows for about 15 minutes to 1/2 hour every day. During that time, stay in one room that you keep warm, then the following day, do the same in another room etc.... Then clean the areas more prone to mould every day with appropriate cleaning products.

We've done that as best as we can, which is not easy as we are all out of the house after 8am, but we have now decided to leave the bathroom window, which is on the top floor, slightly ajar all the time. Yes, not great to go and shower in a cold room, but somehow, we got used to it and we are in and out quickly. It certainly has made a massive difference so we know that it is about ventilation.

In relation to keeping warm, I live with my hot water bottles! I now like it much better at a lower temperature, but with the warmth that comes from the hot water. I even take it with me when I drive to use until the heating kicks in!