Will an air vent help?

[disinfo]

Hi All,

Firstly, Great forum.

My question is, we moved into our house last November (2 up 2 down terrace) and during the colder months we started getting some black spot mold on the walls, specifically the corners. I initially put this down to a missing end cap on the neighbours guttering but i've since corrected this and the mold is creeping back. i'm thinking now that this is probably condensation related and was wondering if installing air vents would be worthwhile?

Any other suggestions would be gratefully received!


Matt

 

[noseall]

yes ventillation will help. lots.

 

[Softus]

Do you have rendered walls?

If so, and water got behind it in freezing conditions, then the render has probably blown and the wall may well stay damp for a long time.

 

[foxhole]

Ventilation is the only cure for condensation related problems.

 

[Space cat]

There's a simple test you can do that will tell you whether it's condensation or penetrating damp. Dry a small area of suspect wall thoroughly - a hair dryer helps - then stick a piece of glass (or clear plastic) on it with a ring of something like blu-tack. You have to seal some air into the space behind the glass. If water appears inside the glass it must be coming out of the wall. If it's on the outside it's condensation.

 

[disinfo]

Do you have rendered walls?

If so, and water got behind it in freezing conditions, then the render has probably blown and the wall may well stay damp for a long time.

Nope, not rendered.

There's a simple test you can do that will tell you whether it's condensation or penetrating damp. Dry a small area of suspect wall thoroughly - a hair dryer helps - then stick a piece of glass (or clear plastic) on it with a ring of something like blu-tack. You have to seal some air into the space behind the glass. If water appears inside the glass it must be coming out of the wall. If it's on the outside it's condensation.

Sounds like a plan, i'll try this tonight.