Unstoppable Mold

[JohnD]

Our cooker backs onto an adjoining wall so a huge job to send a pipe through the other side. The last hood was just a filter, not an extractor as such.

My kitchen has wall cabinets. A duct can be run on top of wall cabinets, or inside them towards an external wall.

Though of course when planning mine, I had the cooker and boiler on external walls for ease.

 

[JohnD]

I see will be on offer View attachment 405813 from 29th,

That's good.

Parkside Infrared Thermometer

Parkside Infrared Thermometer - For fast surface temperature measurement Ideal for locating thermal bridges and mould risk areas Precise infrared

www.lidl.co.uk

 

[ericmark]

The last hood was just a filter, not an extractor as such.

So a bit pointless.

When we moved into this house, we had a vented tumble drier. My SDS drill does not have a clutch, so using a boring adaptor can take one around with the drill, so not keen on drilling a hole for the extractor, was considering replacing with a condenser type, so I simply stuck the pipe out of the window, and left the window open just enough for the pipe, since that room unheated we could leave the vent pipe out of window all the time, and the eves over hung enough to be no worry with rain. We put a bolt on the utility room door, so the intruder could only get into the utility room.

So we did, in the end, get a condenser type, that uses a heat pump, and when I came to remove the old tumble drier we had gained a lot of black mould. Washed walls with toilet cleaner, and that got rid of the mould, and now with window closed no mould, and a warmer room, at moment 13.4°C at 62% relative humidity, outside 7°C. In hindsight, I should not have left the window open.

I have considered cheap methods to remove moisture, be it the rotating disc of water absorbing crystals or a heat pump, or cold water, they all cost to run. Same with all other methods, there is some cost, either to install or run. So there is a balance between cost to install, cost to run, and other benefits or down points.

I would prefer to heat the home, to use a dehumidifier if both use the same power. So some things do seem to stand out, like get rid of an gas cooking, others not so easy.

 

[DIY67]

Ok, after a dry Summer, window cracked open pretty much all the time, including now I have found this behind the chest of drawers. This just doesn't make sense as the corner by the edge of the windowsill feels damp to the touch despite it being felt during the Summer. It doesn't make sense, especially with foam backed insulation paper which has made a difference in other rooms on outside walls.

The only thing now is scrub the mold off and re-paint as the room needs decorating as it's just beaten me. The photos lower down were much worse as these images show after some removal. Again, the window is usually cracked open most of the time and there is no water getting in from outside.

 

[amfisted]

Without going back through the entire discussion to find out whether its been suggested, presumably you've checked outside the affected wall for bridging of the dampcourse, leaks from gutters or downpipes etc? Is there any chance that there's a water supply pipe buried in that wall?

 

[JP_]

If it is caused by condensation alone, then the only way to stop it, without leaving your windows open all the tme and never boiling water or showering (some people seem to think these are bad lifestyle choices) is to insulate the walls. It is costly and time consuming (or just very costly if you pay somebody) but mould can't form on a dry wall.

I bought a 1930s solid brick construction bungalow and all external walls were mouldy, and mould also formed in cold spots (the internal walls also solid and cold - these are actually still a slight problem in the bathroom).

Solid board insulation stuck to the wall, overboarded with plasterboard and skimmed, solved the problem.

House now much nicer to live in, and much cheaper to keep warm as I'm not using heat to evaporate moisture and warm up massive thick walls.

You only need to do the external facing walls. You don't have to skim plaster it either - the first befroom I did was emergency job and I just insulated, boarded and painted. Said I would finish it properly one day, but now highlighly unlikely.

Oh, and as amfisted said, check outside, and especially air bricks - ours were all covered in several layers of concrete path and painted over with bitumen, which didn't help keep the floorboard rot or woodworm free!

 

[DIY67]

Ok, thanks. My brother in law who is very good with building work did this in his own house of the same ilk and he said it has made a difference. he has offered to do ours. What doesn't make sense is why when the insulation paper has worked on other areas of the house that it failed here. There is no visible waster ingress from outside.

 

[StephenStephen]

Ok, thanks. My brother in law who is very good with building work did this in his own house of the same ilk and he said it has made a difference. he has offered to do ours. What doesn't make sense is why when the insulation paper has worked on other areas of the house that it failed here. There is no visible waster ingress from outside.

So is it just in one room?