Landlord mould advice...

mmunro2013

youth_leader said:

You've reminded me - as well as the positive input ventilation unit installed in the loft,  I also had two ventilation 'tiles' inserted into the concrete roof. 

I had asked the roofer to insulate the loft more when he had time, it was only 150 mm when I purchased.  He turned up this January during snowy weather and said he had time as he couldn't work outside - 28 rolls of insulation later (26?) it was done in five hours or so.  Has definitely made a difference.  

I will look into the PIV unit and ventilation tiles. Not heard of PIVs. Will discuss with my builder... thanks

WIAWSNB

A PIV unit is only needed if you have significant  condensation issues that aren't sorted by normal ventilating actions - windows on 'vent', for example.. There's no suggestion yet that this is the case.
They'll cost a fair bit too - a good few £undred - and have ongoing (tho' low) running costs. They can also make the hallway feel cool.
They basically gently pump air into the house to flush it out and remove excess moisture.

mmunro2013

Sorry late in getting back to you all... anyhow. If I summarise advise/comments so far then;

• Forced ventilation (fan that can't be turned off)?

• Dehumidifier (12L) in the affected room. Leave on most of the day 

• Likely heat/moisture coming from the open plan downstairs up stairwell 

• Superheat the bedroom to the point it keeps that moisture in suspension, so probably a constant 25oC+. Clearly not practical. Or ventilate that room thoroughly. 

• Windows should be kept at least on 'vent' setting and ideally opened a couple of inches. The radiators should be off, as it would simply waste heat. And the door kept firmly shut. 

• If they want a warm bedroom late evening, then they can close the windows and turn the rad on a half-hour before bedtime. Once under the sheets, the rad should be off, and the windows set to 'vent' again. There is no reason to be cold overnight - use a suitable duvet, and even an all-night blanket if really needed - pennies to run. 

• In the morning, jump out of bed, close the windows, turn on the rad, and jump back into bed for a half-hour. Once the bedroom is vacated, rad off, windows cracked open, door closed. 

• Consider a Hive Smart TRV on the bedroom radiator. It is set to come on a half-hour before wake-up time. In colder spells, it's supplemented with a small oil-filled radiator on a digital timer. All automatic, and it works - we wake to a cosy room. 

• Any room that suffers from excessive mould must be thoroughly ventilated. The more the better. And try and prevent the moisture getting in there in the first place - good extractors on bathrooms, doors kept closed, etc. 

• Additional loft insulation 

• Cavity wall? Hmm, proceed with caution. 

• Use condensing clothes dryer instead of drying over rads or on a clothes horse 

Check for water ingress from the loft (eaves)

So... my question still remains; IF cavity wall insulation is to be considered where in earth do i go for this? So many bad reports on bad products, rouge installers.

Merry Christmas one an all!!!!

WIAWSNB

That's pretty comprehensive! It certainly covers all the possibilities.
But, step one is to determine the cause. It still looks to me like water ingress - it's coming in from above - in which case everything said about ventilation is largely moot. 
Merry Christmas to all. 😊

Murphybear

thegreenone said:

Could you provide her with a tumble dryer or a washer dryer?  A bit more expensive on the electric but not much.  We have a washer dryer, which most people say are rubbish but they're not, so long as you know how to use them properly.   I'm sure that the vast majority of baby clothes could go in the dryer ie vests, sleepsuits, bibs, muslins, socks etc.

We had a washer-dryer for years.  It was brilliant, I would load it up before going to work so all the laundry would be washed and dried by the time I got home.  What’s not to like?  It was a Miele, more expensive but it never ever went wrong.

theartfullodger

mmunro2013 said:

As a landlord I am trying to address mould in a ....

In my experience many landlords are mouldy.  I certainly am.

Forced ventilation that can't be turned off recommended.  But you can't force tenant to permit fitting thereof.

mmunro2013

An update and further thought from me;
just before we sold our last family house (some 3 years ago) we had it assessed by a specialist organisation to get a current EPG rating... the individual the company sent seemed to be  very knowledgeable about everything to do with household energy efficiency etc. Also, he didn't try to sell anything!

I am thinking of trying to get hold of him to get him round to the rental property for his assessment and advice (happy to pay for this). In the meantime the builder has now stain blocked and repainted the walls in the rental property. He will be checking the insulation in the loft early in the new year.

WIAWSNB

You had a builder out? What did he say about the cause? 
Did he check the loft immediately above that corner?
Could you confirm, please - is that the only area of mould? 
And, do the windows in that room have condensation on them?

mmunro2013

WIAWSNB said:

You had a builder out? What did he say about the cause? 
Did he check the loft immediately above that corner?
Could you confirm, please - is that the only area of mould? 
And, do the windows in that room have condensation on them?

Builder has been out,
- thinks cause is not water ingress as mould appears at other times than wet conditions
- He will check loft insulation at next visit in the new year
- only area of mould is top corner of upper bedroom, corner of exposed edges of building
- windows don't have condensation on them

WIAWSNB

mmunro2013 said:

WIAWSNB said:

You had a builder out? What did he say about the cause? 
Did he check the loft immediately above that corner?
Could you confirm, please - is that the only area of mould? 
And, do the windows in that room have condensation on them?

Builder has been out,
- thinks cause is not water ingress as mould appears at other times than wet conditions
- He will check loft insulation at next visit in the new year
- only area of mould is top corner of upper bedroom, corner of exposed edges of building
- windows don't have condensation on them

Thanks. My money is still on a leak from above, for the BIBs above. 

However, if that particular corner is particularly cold - say an outdoor draught landing directly on it from above - then I guess it could be the coldest point in the room even compared to the windows. 

Please ask him to lift the insulation in that corner, and check the top surface of the ceiling for signs of water.