Ghosting on ceiling - mould in loft - what to do?

Josh1994

Hi everyone 

I am having some problems relating to loft /ceiling. 
I live in a coach house so only one floor. As it's been very cold recently I've noticed some dark lines and patches appearing on my ceiling, generally around the edges of the room and along where I assume the joists would be. The dark patches are most evident where its warmest, I.e above the storage heater in the living room.

I then went up in the loft and noticed what I think is mould on top of the insulation? It's not boarded at all and I can't see where the joists are due to the insulation so I can't go up there at all. 

The roof is felted, but I don't think there are any vents. I understand that the felt should be ventilated to stop the condensation. 





I don't really know where to start with any of this. Will I need to get this insulation removed? I guess the loft would need to be boarded to fit the vents but what order would it need to be done in? And I guess would need to repaint the ceiling once it's warmer and the ventilation in the loft has been sorted? 

Thanks in advance! 

Doozergirl

Is the insulation tucked right into the eaves? Can you see daylight at the edges? You should be able to!  You're trying to insulate the box of your house, not the loft itself.  

Pull any insulation away from the eaves whilst keeping your ceilings covered.  

I think that stuff needs replacing as it looks really unhealthy.    

The membrane is almost certainly breathable in a newer home, that isn't really the issue.  

Josh1994

Thanks. It looks like the insulation goes right to the edges. It's very thick and I can't see any daylight. Just for info this property was built in 2003. 

coffeehound

Hiya, do the dark lines on the ceiling rub off?  I wonder if it's just due to dust being circulated by the heater (like the dark patch on the wall just above the heater as always happens).  If the joists are cooling the ceiling enough to attract a bit of condensation then this could trap dust more than where the ceiling is dry

Josh1994

coffeehound said:

Hiya, do the dark lines on the ceiling rub off?  I wonder if it's just due to dust being circulated by the heater (like the dark patch on the wall just above the heater as always happens).  If the joists are cooling the ceiling enough to attract a bit of condensation then this could trap dust more than where the ceiling is dry

Thanks for responding - if you wet your finger it rubs away (it smudges and looks horrible but it does come off). 

coffeehound

Josh1994 said:
Thanks for responding - if you wet your finger it rubs away (it smudges and looks horrible but it does come off). 

There could be some mould in with the dust, so cleaning it off using a cloth wetted with white vinegar should kill any mould.  This would just be dealing with the symptoms though; the advice on improving insulation should cure the root cause

Bendy_House

Almost certainly as said above - someone has added insulation without being aware of keeping the eaves clear to allow ventilation from the soffits.

A 2003 build should have adequate loft ventilation built in. Could you take some photos of the outside, Josh, of the fascias and soffits around the property. Can you see a grill vent along the soffits? Or a series of round vents? If so, almost certainly the 'build' is correct, but someone has gorn a bit crazy with the loft insulation afterwards!

And what a fine example of this issue!

(Personally, being a lazy cost-cutting Scot, should the issue turn out to be as thought, and therefore easily solvable, I might give the insulation a spray of mould killer once it's dried out, but I doubt I'd replace it all - what a palaver :-)  Many mould-killers also contain bleach, so should literally clean up the joint in the process)

Phil4432

You need additional ventilation in the loft, so as Bendy said look for grill vents in the soffits.  If there aren't any, that's the issue. The problem with sealing up a loft without adequate ventilation, is that moisture condenses and mold forms.

Ventilation (vents in soffits, without obstruction from insulation) will help to solve that problem.