Mold Mildew and Ventilation
Help and information on all topics relating to your central heating, air conditioning and ventilation issues.

JonnyAlpha
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Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 1:51 pm

Mold Mildew and Ventilation

by JonnyAlpha » Sat Nov 14, 2009 1:52 pm

Hi;

We are starting to get a very depressing mold / mildew problem in our house.
Its a 1930 cavity brick building with what appears to be a slate DPC on stone. The only hung floor is in the front room, the remainder is solid.
The roof is slate with no membrane.

Shortly after buying the house, about 7 years ago, we had central heating and a combi boiler fitted so no water tanks as well as double glazing throughout.
I also insulated the loft space and hopefully left the cavity clear but I'll check. I have just refitted the kitchen with new extractor fan above the kitchen window and an extractor hood above the cooker.

Up until this year whilst the house has been constantly lived in we don't seem to have had a problem unless our sone left a wet coat in a cupboard, but no one is now living in it regularly apart from the odd weekend or infrequent short 2 week breaks.

We first noticed a white mold spread over the fabric sofa in the front room and inside wooden and behind cupboards and on wooden carvings and leather products. Also now we have noticed a similiar problem has moved up into the front bedroom, my wife described in places seeing a moving white spourous substance on the top of a cupboard.

I have read that this is probably caused by several factors:
Damp in the walls, front garden concreted many years there are airbricks but they are above the hung floor. A neighbour has alos build a couple of sheds against another wall but has left a gap which is constantly filled with DIY Building leftovers, plastic pipework boards etc so the are is constanly wet (can I get a court order as its my wall, have asked hime several times to clear it)?
Damp in the roof space - just had several damaged tiles replaced but have been told that the roof will only last this winter?
And a lack of passive ventilation.

Can anyone point me to a decent graphical display and info on house passive ventilation E.G. showing where air bricks entry points and exit points should be installed, I believe if I get a decent flow of air throughout the house the mold will not come back (once cleaned up), am i correct.
Unless I need something else?

Many thanks