White Mould in Cellar - Advice

Euripides19

Hi all,

This is my first post on here :j so thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this and offer some advice! It is hugely appreciated

I went to visit my mother recently. She's not one for sharing when things go wrong because she's very 'private' and thinks that asking for help is intruding Anyway, I found out second-hand that she's got mould growing in the cellar. I'd love to help her to get this sorted, so I'm looking for some advice on the best course of action to get this rectified (tests, what to do DIY if possible, who to call in if not etc).

The cellar had DPC installed prior to purchase 6 years ago and, judging by the walls, was done relatively recently. However, the mould is thriving. It's been cleaned away and grows back within a few months. In an area in the far corner, the plaster on the ceiling has decayed and so have some of the timbers underneath it have rotted (the ceiling of the cellar is the floor of the living room). In that corner is an old coal shoot (also in one of the pics). The house is a Victorian terrace. The coal shoot has a piece of steel with a brick put over the top to weight it down (definitely not the most secure of fixes) and water definitely finds its way down there when its raining.

I'd love to upload photos to show you, but I can't, as I'm a new user

I'd like to get this under control before it gets any worse, but I've never had to deal with something like this, so I'm a little lost on where to start. Are there any tests that I could do myself (e.g, dehumidifier and heater, clean, cover coal shoot etc etc) or is it better to just call in the experts first? I'm a little concerned that I could be told anything, so any information to pre-arm myself with would be amazing!

Any info or opinions greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Doozergirl

Host the pictures elsewhere a post us a broken link to those pictures.

Inside and out and of whole walls where possible, not just affected areas. We need context please.

If there is mould, it needs ventilation for a start.

It sounds like someone has attempted to convert it, badly.

Cellars are damp and they are supposed to be damp, but they are also supposed to be draughty so that the house can breathe. Unless someone has spent an absolute fortune on tanking etc, they will be doing more harm than good.

The ceiling should not be plastered, the joists should be open to air or condensation will build up and the joists will rot.

Pull the 'ceiling' down for a start.

How many air bricks are there and where?

Euripides19

Hi,

Hopefully this works:

https /imgur.com/h7g5HnH
https: //imgur.com/29kLXOW
https: //imgur.com/y5AYw7w
https: //imgur.com/JCK5CLr

I'll take some from the outside tomorrow, although, as it's a cellar, there will only be the top entrance of the coal shoot.

Hope it helps!

Euripides19

I'll need to get some info to answer the rest of the questions when I visit her tomorrow. I'll respond to those Q's as soon as I have

Doozergirl

https://m.imgur.com/h7g5HnH
https://m.imgur.com/29kLXOW
https://m.imgur.com/y5AYw7w
https://m.imgur.com/JCK5CLr

daveyjp

Its dry rot and needs sorting asap, especially as it is already in the floor timbers.

First job is to remove the moisture by introducing air movement.

Euripides19

Hi,

Thank you for your response. Could the dry rot be sorted DIY and if so, how? Or does this require a specialist?

Sorry to ask such simple questions.

Much appreciated.

Doozergirl

I have only encountered dry rot once and it was years ago, on our second project but that looks like it to me .

You need to urgently strip all of that ridiculous ceiling, find the ventilation, reinstate it and then work out exactly where is affected for a start. It looks like the floor will have to come up above and replace a load of joists and flooring.

Is that coal shute leaking onto the joists? Dry rot will very happily follow the path of moisture - it needs water, it isn't dry at all.

I don't know who the hell 'damp proofed it' before but they've either failed to deal with this or have actually caused it. I suspect they're caused it.

If you've read any of the thread around here on damp, you have to avoid people who will sell you 'solutions' without finding and addressing the root (literally in this case) cause.

Your aim is not to cover the place in chemicals or any modern materials and it is definitely not to stop damp getting into the cellar. Cellars are supposed to be damp, but they HAVE to breathe!

Your aim is to return the equilibrium that existed down there before someone royally screwed it up. This doesn't just happen, it has a cause.

You want to return that cellar to the way it was when built. No leaks into it from the coal shute, plenty of air bricks, and clean joists bedded into the wall but on slate to prevent damp transfer.

Maybe the walls do need spraying chemically to kill what is there, but I'm out of my depth on that one as my experience was above ground and dry rot cannot thrive without a water source. It's always going to be a bit wet down there, but not soaking like it is now, iyswim. It spreads with the leak.

keith969

Had dry rot in a previous house, due to a leaking flat roof that was not obvious when we moved in. Noticed the characteristic smell (sort of mushroomy) and pulled down a section of ceiling to find the growth, similar to yours.

You need to take urgent action as it can spread very quickly. First thing is to stop the water which is necessary for it to grow, also get good ventilation as it likes still damp conditions.

You can do it yourself but it's not trivial - you need to remove all affected material (wood, plaster, tanking etc) and to a distance of a metre from the visible growth. Then treat affected areas with a suitable fungicide for dry rot. Affected wood should be burnt.

From the look of the ceiling, the floor of the room above may have to come up.