Mould and condensation- what should i try?

Cyclamen

Hello

We live in a 2 bed bungalow (1975) and the corners of our rooms suffer from black mould. We also have condensation on the inside of windows some mornings. It is a constant battle so I am wondering if anyone here could please suggest some ideas to try?

Things we have tried or do so far.

• We have a cooker extractor over hob.
• All windows are new and have trickle vents.
• The heating never drops below 15-17degrees.
• We have an extractor in the shower and leave it running after showers with window open.
• Clothes are tumble dried or put on airer in conservatory with dehumidifier, we use the line in nice weather.
• We open windows regularly to 'blow through'.
• We rarely come in with wet coats/wheelchair etc and if we do they go in conservatory with dehumidifier to dry out.
• We use a window vac to remove condensation off windows on cold mornings.
• Periodically the dehumidifer is run in each room.
• The wetroom is squeegee'd after a shower.

When i first moved in this wasn't a problem? There were more of us in the house 3 adults and a dog who often came in damp. It's now just me and my husband. I am trying to think what has changed and what might be the trigger.

The windows have slowly all been changed but they all have trickle vents and are often on vent or open as i love fresh air. The old windows had leaks or didn't close properly so i thought this would be an improvement.

I had a grant to insulate the loft and I've been told its quite thick up there. I noticed it really helped keep the house warmer but is it possible its effecting mould growth/condensation by limiting air flow?

Please can anyone suggest what to try next or what might be the problem?

Thank you

garybarlowsbeard

I can indeed! Try a dri-master. Worked a treat for us. Assuming your roof is ventilated and it's installed correctly it should really help.

http://www.nuaire.co.uk/our-products/Residential/products?pt=1685

Wookey

Mould is usually found where condensation is occuring, if it's on the ceiling then there is probably a cold spot just above it in the roofspace, check in these areas that any insulation is down tight onto the plasterboard, condensation occurs where a warm surface meets a cold surface. If it's on the walls then there maybe inadequate cavity insulation in place forming cold spots or cold bridging, at the very worst rainwater could be penetrating the exterior wall and crossing the cavity, this can happen from several things like dirty wall ties or brick/block debris jammed between the exterior/interior wall.

phil24_7

Have a look at what Wookey suggest but also look at the extraction.

Does the kitchen extraction vent outside? If not it will not be removing moisture laden air. Make sure it is running sufficiently well to remove all steam and cooking vapour from the cooking area.

Check the bathroom fan is up to the task. This fan needs to either be right above the bath/shower or the opposite side/corner from the door to aid airflow. Opening a window with the fan going may serve little to no benefit and could even be causing problems, as it could mean that air is sucked in the window and straight out of the fan instead of the moist air, though this will depend on the room layout.

Cyclamen

Thank you for the replies.
Gary
An interesting link, i'll have a proper look but initially it seems to be for homes with poor airflow. I don't think that is us we have windows open on three sides of house and can feel a breeze through the building.

Wookey

The mould is on the ceiling around the edges of room so perhaps the insulation is part of the problem.. hmm will look for a handyman to go and check it out for us.

I had two roofers out to quote for new roof liner and tiles when it started happening..they both had a look round and told me it wasn't the roof and i should open the windows.

Phil

The kitchen extractor is reasonably new (early last year), it goes out through a hole in the wall and you can feel the updraft. We use it for all hob cooking. So I think its okay.

The bathroom extractor fan was fitted by the council when they fitted my wetroom.. we have wondered about its location and if its strong enough before but as it was done by 'pro's' and in 2012 I hoped it would be ok. I think I need to look at this more after all they fitted a wetroom floor that didn't drain to plug.

The bathroom extractor is diagonally opposite the door with the window underneath..so i take your point on closing window. The shower is to the left as you go in and there is a continual problem with mouldy ceiling and walls that we battle.

We recently removed the shower enclosure, half height privacy panels mostly for my safety as i couldn't open them and when i fell they were a danger but this has improved air flow and helped reduce mould a bit.

Is there an easy way to calculate how big an extractor fan should be? this is all really out of my comfort zone.

Thanks again

thebaldwindowfitter

do you turn the heating off overnight

phil24_7

Cyclamen wrote: »

Thank you for the replies.
Wookey

The mould is on the ceiling around the edges of room This points to poor insulation a the eaves. You may need to put some pir insulation around the edges to increase insulation levels without the problem the thickness of the current loft insulation

Phil

The kitchen extractor is reasonably new (early last year), it goes out through a hole in the wall and you can feel the updraft. We use it for all hob cooking. So I think its okay. Good news.

The bathroom extractor fan was fitted by the council when they fitted my wetroom.. we have wondered about its location and if its strong enough before but as it was done by 'pro's' and in 2012 I hoped it would be ok. I think I need to look at this more after all they fitted a wetroom floor that didn't drain to plug. Never trust the council! The fan will likely have been bought in bulk and fitted wherever needed with no consideration for what size should be fitted! You will also want to check the ducting to make sure there are no sags or kinks restricting airflow.

The bathroom extractor is diagonally opposite the door with the window underneath..so i take your point on closing window. The shower is to the left as you go in and there is a continual problem with mouldy ceiling and walls that we battle. Closing the window and leaving the door ajar, or making sure there is a decent gap under the door, will be your best course of action here.

Is there an easy way to calculate how big an extractor fan should be? this is all really out of my comfort zone.

Thanks again

You need to figure out the volume of the room and then makes sure the fan is powerful enough for 10 air changes and hour in a bathroom and 15-20 air changes an hour in a bathroom that has a shower or a shower room.

There are plenty of calculators online.

Cyclamen

Hello Again

Windowfitter..
The heating goes down over night to 15-17 degrees on the thermostat. I did wonder if this was too low and am forever trying to choose the best temperature to set the timer at. We leave it at this and turn it up during the day when we need a boost.

Phil
Ok i have just googled pir insulation and am almost certain that isn't up there..so I will work on that.

bathroom extractor - oh how i wish i hadn't been so naive when the bathroom was converted. I was very poorly at the time and took social workers recommendations for a project manager and well it didn't run smoothly. I'll add checking the ducting to the 'please -do' list for a handyman.

On a good note i shut bathroom window this morning and this did make a difference as could see steam moving a little.. obvious now i think about it but well i needed help..so thanks.

It's a sliding door so there is a bit of a gap underneath hopefully that will help a bit.

I'll get a tape out and do some sums and check the power of the extractor.

Thank you for helping with this.

phil24_7

Regarding the insulation. You often find that loft insulation is fitted poorly when it is done free. It can be fitted poorly at the eves (where the roof meets the wall) or due to limited access and lazy workers it is omitted completely. It may also be that they fitted as much as the could but due to the need for an air gap between the insulation and the roof this is significantly different to the rest of the roof to cause you problems.

It can be remedied by fitting PIR/PUR/Polystyrene, basically anything solid with a similar rating to the insulation already present in the loft, around the edges of the roof.

Davesnave

A long shot, but many small 1970s bungalows in the countryside were of Woolaway (concrete panel) construction.

It's not one of those, is it?

Cyclamen

Hello Dave

It's brick built not concrete panels.