anyone help me please? my bathroom ceiling keeps getting some kind of brown mould on it ,this only started last year after landlord replaced old wooden window frames with new upvc ones .I have used fungicides to get rid , and then painted with bathroom emulsion, but after a couple of weeks the brown spots start appearing again, and I am at my wits end. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.
mouldy bathroom ceiling
- Thread starter alexp1
- Start date
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Does the bathroom window open? if so you need to ventilate the area to avoid condensation.
Is the ceiling above the bathroom insulated and is there a vapour barrier in place?
To eradicate the spores, you need to clean the area down using a diluted bleach solution, this will kill the spores, then area needs to be cleaned with water and left to dry.
Then you can paint the area with anti mould paint, i don't think the application fungiside prior to painting is going to help.
Is the ceiling above the bathroom insulated and is there a vapour barrier in place?
To eradicate the spores, you need to clean the area down using a diluted bleach solution, this will kill the spores, then area needs to be cleaned with water and left to dry.
Then you can paint the area with anti mould paint, i don't think the application fungiside prior to painting is going to help.
Condensation is causing the problem. The old wooden frames were probably so ill fitting & draughty the room was self ventilating, with the new air tight frame fitted condensation isn’t escaping. You need to ventilate the bathroom by opening the window after bathing/showering or ask the landlord to fit an extractor fan.
Mould can be difficult to eradicate once you have it but scrubbing the area with white vinegar also works well.
Mould can be difficult to eradicate once you have it but scrubbing the area with white vinegar also works well.
Thanks for the replies. Ialways try to ensure that the bathroom window is open, and I have also had an extractor fan fitted,so I guess its back to scrubbing with fungicide and/or bleach etc.
Once again thank you all for the advice.
Once again thank you all for the advice.
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Does the extractor fan work with the lighting in the bathroom?
It should have a time delay of about 15mins, so it is still extracting moisture, even when the bathroom is not in use.
It should have a time delay of about 15mins, so it is still extracting moisture, even when the bathroom is not in use.
extractor fans use very little electricity (typically 25W which will run for 40 hours for 10p)
best advice is to leave the fan running during and after every bath and (especially) shower, about 20mins after you finish, remembering that if the towels and shower tray are wet, they will continue giving off water vapour until they are dry.
You don't drape wet washing around the house, do you?
best advice is to leave the fan running during and after every bath and (especially) shower, about 20mins after you finish, remembering that if the towels and shower tray are wet, they will continue giving off water vapour until they are dry.
You don't drape wet washing around the house, do you?
C
cumbriahandyman
Condensation in Houses
This is occurs when there are surfaces in the house which are cooler than the warm damp air inside. You can control it by reducing the amount of moisture in the air (by ventilation and by reducing steamy activities) or by making the surfaces less cold.
It is a nuisance when the amount of moisture generated by activities in the house exceeds the ventilation flow that gets rid of it. Moisture held in the (warm, damp) air will condense out when it reaches a cooler surface. This is very obvious on the outside of a glass will an iced drink in it, but also happens on outside walls and windows.
Double-glazing makes the inner surface of glass less cold, but it also usually reduces the amount of ventilation so that there is more moisture in the air.
Common causes of excessive moisture:
· Wet washing lying about the house or draped over radiators (this is a dreadful source of damp)
· Using a tumble-drier without venting it outside (this includes condenser driers which release quite a lot of steam)
· Using baths and showers without running the extractor long enough to dry out the room during and after
· Cooking and washing up without running extractor.
· Damp towels
· Wet outdoor coats hanging inside
To combat excessive moisture and condensation:
· Improve ventilation - if you have replacement windows, open the trickle vents.
· Open bedroom windows in morning
· Open upstairs windows during the day unless it is very cold.
· Use your extractor fans, especially in the bathroom. Some people have a mental aversion to ventilation, you can defeat this by having the fans fitted to the lighting circuit so that they come on whenever anyone turns on the bathroom light.
· Verify you have plenty of air bricks to ventilate the under-floor void, and they are not blocked with dust, rubble or cobwebs.
If you want to experiment, tape a piece of clear polythene tightly to one of the damp walls, see if you get more water forming on the wall side or the room side of the polythene.
There are other sources of moisture. Look for any signs of water getting in, especially small roofs over bay windows, or leaking radiators, downpipes or other plumbing. Sometimes it is caused by wet under the floors, perhaps due to waterlogged ground in low-lying areas or near a river, sometimes by a leaking water-main.
If you get condensation in the loft, it is probably due to warm air leaking up from the house (especially the bathroom) but it can be due to a plumbing/CH fault putting hot water into the loft tanks. Lofts should be well-ventilated to avoid the risk of rot in the timber. Sometimes loft insulation blocks the air gaps at the eaves, so it should be pulled back a few inches.
If you get condensation of the ceiling (especially noticeable in bathrooms when you get black spots where the cold nail-heads are under the surface of the plaster) then the insulation above is probably gappy, or very thin, or absent. This can easily be corrected.
This is occurs when there are surfaces in the house which are cooler than the warm damp air inside. You can control it by reducing the amount of moisture in the air (by ventilation and by reducing steamy activities) or by making the surfaces less cold.
It is a nuisance when the amount of moisture generated by activities in the house exceeds the ventilation flow that gets rid of it. Moisture held in the (warm, damp) air will condense out when it reaches a cooler surface. This is very obvious on the outside of a glass will an iced drink in it, but also happens on outside walls and windows.
Double-glazing makes the inner surface of glass less cold, but it also usually reduces the amount of ventilation so that there is more moisture in the air.
Common causes of excessive moisture:
· Wet washing lying about the house or draped over radiators (this is a dreadful source of damp)
· Using a tumble-drier without venting it outside (this includes condenser driers which release quite a lot of steam)
· Using baths and showers without running the extractor long enough to dry out the room during and after
· Cooking and washing up without running extractor.
· Damp towels
· Wet outdoor coats hanging inside
To combat excessive moisture and condensation:
· Improve ventilation - if you have replacement windows, open the trickle vents.
· Open bedroom windows in morning
· Open upstairs windows during the day unless it is very cold.
· Use your extractor fans, especially in the bathroom. Some people have a mental aversion to ventilation, you can defeat this by having the fans fitted to the lighting circuit so that they come on whenever anyone turns on the bathroom light.
· Verify you have plenty of air bricks to ventilate the under-floor void, and they are not blocked with dust, rubble or cobwebs.
If you want to experiment, tape a piece of clear polythene tightly to one of the damp walls, see if you get more water forming on the wall side or the room side of the polythene.
There are other sources of moisture. Look for any signs of water getting in, especially small roofs over bay windows, or leaking radiators, downpipes or other plumbing. Sometimes it is caused by wet under the floors, perhaps due to waterlogged ground in low-lying areas or near a river, sometimes by a leaking water-main.
If you get condensation in the loft, it is probably due to warm air leaking up from the house (especially the bathroom) but it can be due to a plumbing/CH fault putting hot water into the loft tanks. Lofts should be well-ventilated to avoid the risk of rot in the timber. Sometimes loft insulation blocks the air gaps at the eaves, so it should be pulled back a few inches.
If you get condensation of the ceiling (especially noticeable in bathrooms when you get black spots where the cold nail-heads are under the surface of the plaster) then the insulation above is probably gappy, or very thin, or absent. This can easily be corrected.
The brown spots that you refer to are often areas where the moisture on the ceiling condenses to the point at which it almost becomes a drip.
No paints will prevent them. Fungicides wont help as they are (possibly) the metals in the water oxidising (rusting) rather than mold.
As stated, extraction/airflow is key. An extractor with an inbuilt humidistat will ensure that airflow will continue until the moisture drops bellow a predefined limit.
No paints will prevent them. Fungicides wont help as they are (possibly) the metals in the water oxidising (rusting) rather than mold.
As stated, extraction/airflow is key. An extractor with an inbuilt humidistat will ensure that airflow will continue until the moisture drops bellow a predefined limit.
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