I recently went into the loft to do some additional wiring to the lighting circuit and discovered a lot of mould spores on the roof timbers. The last time I went up there was in about september last year, when I had just finished topping up the insulation, and all was fine. But let me take you back . . .
Just after I moved in, in August 2010 I had the fascias and soffits covered over with PVC, and a dry verge fitted to the gable end. The loft was insulated when I moved in, but only a thin layer and it had been "trodden down" by plumbers etc.
In February 2012, I had the water tanks in the loft decommisioned. There were two main heating pipes running across the loft floor from the boiler (front bedroom) to the cylinder cupboard (back bedroom). These were also removed at this time. The tanks remain in the loft, left to dry out. I dont know if they have dried out.
Anyway, given the lack of heat requirement to the water tanks, I decided to totally insulated the whole loft (B&Q had some rolls on offer at £3 each). This was done in September 2012. I bought a roll wrapped in plastic to roll over the loft hatch neatly.
When I insulated I tried to leave a gap between the insulation and the roof. I thought I had mostly achieved this, at least to promote some circulation.
As I said when I finished the insulation the roof and loft were dry.
Last week as well as the mould spores covering the roof timbers, the gable wall also had signs of condensation.
So, what can I do? I dont believe my insulation has been the sole cause of this problem. The fascias have no ventilation, and there is now no heat entering the loft (boiler pipes and under the tanks).
Next door has roof vent tiles, 3 front and 3 back. Would these help this problem? I do intend to get a professional roofer in. Will they be able to do some sort of mould treatment for the timbers?
Just after I moved in, in August 2010 I had the fascias and soffits covered over with PVC, and a dry verge fitted to the gable end. The loft was insulated when I moved in, but only a thin layer and it had been "trodden down" by plumbers etc.
In February 2012, I had the water tanks in the loft decommisioned. There were two main heating pipes running across the loft floor from the boiler (front bedroom) to the cylinder cupboard (back bedroom). These were also removed at this time. The tanks remain in the loft, left to dry out. I dont know if they have dried out.
Anyway, given the lack of heat requirement to the water tanks, I decided to totally insulated the whole loft (B&Q had some rolls on offer at £3 each). This was done in September 2012. I bought a roll wrapped in plastic to roll over the loft hatch neatly.
When I insulated I tried to leave a gap between the insulation and the roof. I thought I had mostly achieved this, at least to promote some circulation.
As I said when I finished the insulation the roof and loft were dry.
Last week as well as the mould spores covering the roof timbers, the gable wall also had signs of condensation.
So, what can I do? I dont believe my insulation has been the sole cause of this problem. The fascias have no ventilation, and there is now no heat entering the loft (boiler pipes and under the tanks).
Next door has roof vent tiles, 3 front and 3 back. Would these help this problem? I do intend to get a professional roofer in. Will they be able to do some sort of mould treatment for the timbers?
