Mould on the Walls and Cracks - Please help

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Hello All

I am new to this forum and not sure if I have posted this in the correct forum, if so please accept my apology.

I have mould developing in the outside walls of my two bedrooms and bathroom, this is only on one side of the building the other side is fine.

The affected side, each room has an air vent. One of the room (pink paint) i plastered last year i used damp proof paint on the edge of the outside walls, however this has not helped and the mould has re-appeared.

I have also noticed few cracks, one in the bathroom celling (outside wall), which i filled last year and seems to be fine, however is visible. The second crack is vertical going from one corner to the other under the window sill.

The Windows in the house are very old and open on the inside (entire Window opens, not half).

I have uploaded few pictures to give a clear view of the problem.

http://photobucket.com/mould_Pics


Please advise as i am quite concerned at this stage :(

Thank You.
 
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Looks like condensation..
Check if the air brick is blocked externally.. oh and actually open the vent..
Then open the windows on a nice sunny day - all day.. and repeat a few dozen times.. let it dry out..

Also stop drying your clothes indoors..

The cracks may be related but lets deal with one problem at a time..
 
Looks like condensation..
Check if the air brick is blocked externally.. oh and actually open the vent..
Then open the windows on a nice sunny day - all day.. and repeat a few dozen times.. let it dry out..

Also stop drying your clothes indoors..

The cracks may be related but lets deal with one problem at a time..

Thanks. I am getting new Windows in the house next week, i hope these contribute. Because the current windows open on the inside and the blinds get in the way.

I am also going to decorate the affected areas, how do i go about preventing re-occurance? Can I use damp proof paint?
 
Damp proof paint wouldnt make any difference the water comes from inside the house (drying clothes, breathing, cooking etc.).. you can get mould (or mildew) resistant interior paint but i dont know how effective they are..

Best way is make sure the new window has trickle vents and one small top window you can leave open 24/7..

Then when you redecorate use some anti-mould product to get rid of the majority, let the room dry completely and then slap the paint back on..
 
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Damp proof paint wouldnt make any difference the water comes from inside the house (drying clothes, breathing, cooking etc.).. you can get mould (or mildew) resistant interior paint but i dont know how effective they are..

Best way is make sure the new window has trickle vents and one small top window you can leave open 24/7..

Then when you redecorate use some anti-mould product to get rid of the majority, let the room dry completely and then slap the paint back on..
Thanks.

The chap from the Window company advised having trickle vents makes whistling noises when its windy and to avoid?
 
The chap from the Window company advised having trickle vents makes whistling noises when its windy and to avoid?
Then close the vents.. if you have a high level window that can be left open all the time then dont worry about trickle vents as they dont allow much air flow anyways..
 
well, you are constantly creating water vapour inside the house. Either you remove it by ventilation, or it will stay there.

If it stays there, it will keep increasing, and will cause condensation, damp and mould, starting with cold surfaces like exterior walls and windows.

Your choice.

If you are having new windows fitted they will probably be more draught-proof than the old ones so accidental ventilation will be reduced. If no vents are provided it will be even worse.

If anybody in the house uses a shower without running an extractor fan to take the steam away, or drapes wet washing around, then the house will always be damp and no-one can help you.

Read this //www.diynot.com/wiki/building:condensation_in_houses
 
There is no extractor fan in the Bathroom or the Kitchen, something I will be sorting in the coming months.

I am also thinking to plaster the entire house and use paint instead of wall paper.

Looking on the forum someone has mentioned using bleech to clean the mould, what type of bleech is it?
 
I had a very similar issue at a previous flat, which I initially blamed on rising damp (I was on the 2nd floor so high unlikely), but it turned out to be condensation. I did a lot of research into it, so to explain what has been said in a bit more detail, condensation is caused by moist internal air hitting a cold outside wall and condensing. This is why you find it mainly on the external walls and why you get wet windows etc.

The solutions are:

1. Get rid of the moist, saturated air.
2. Reove the cold effect on walls.

I did a combination and it worked a treat. Understandably you can't stop breathing and showering etc, so first thing is to get some extractor fans. You need one in the bathroom and try to get one in the kitchen above your hob that will remove the air outside. This helps massively.

The other thing I did was to use a thermalite polysteren (only about 2 mm thick) on the inside of the outside walls and put lining paper over this. This made the outside walls warm to touch and I had no more condensation.

Neighbours had similar issues. Many of them used dehimidifyers. You'd be amazed at the effect they have and even more amazed at how much water they collect in a day.

Unfortunately, half of the reason you get these problems now and not for the last 50 yrs that your property may have existed is the windows. Old sash windows had gaps and used to naturally vent. New double glazed windows totally seal your property and trap all the moist air with no circulation. To be told not to have trickle vents is a mistake, they are designed for just this and believe me, there are many thousands around, so they obviously do the job.

Hope this helps.
 
bleach will kill the mildew and make it easier to clean it off, but if you do not remove the causes of condensation, the walls will continue to be damp and mould will come back and continue to grow.

putting polystyrene on walls will just mean the water condenses somewhere else. Most often on windows and their frames, but have a look in the loft, if it is felted it might be dripping.

You have got to remove the moisture.
 
Thanks for your advise.

Once the Windows are replaced and re-decorated the affected areas, I will monitor the situation.

Will have a look in the loft on a wet day to see if there are any leaks.
 
loft gets wet from condensation, since it is cold, and the warm moist air rises from the house.
 

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