Moisture / Mildew Problems: Q & A

Article by: Gil Strachan

Q: Gil, I think we have a mildew problem. It causes problems for my daughter when she comes to visit ... We think we may have to remove all the panelling and carpeting, apply something to kill the mildew on the walls , Take Smart Steps When Remodeling Your Home and floors , Reduce Noise to Reduce Stress: Sound Advice From the Rug Doctor and refinish the affected basement rooms. , How to Choose a Gas Water Heater -Helen Bates

A: It might not be necessary or advantageous to tear up the whole basement , Bathroom Taps – Choosing The One You Need at this point. At any rate, if you don't remove the conditions which are supporting the growth of mildew, you'll likely have a recurrance. It's somewhat difficult to speculate, not having seen your home, , The Pros and Cons of Hardwood Flooring - Things You Need to Know Before You Buy but here are some things to consider...

Mould and mildew can occur in a house , A to Z for Bathroom Furniture at almost any time of the year, if the moisture , Electrical Savings System; Save up to 40% on Your Electric Bill Every Month content of the building , Easy Ways to Increase Your House's Value materials is about 20 percent or greater. High relative humidity, or saturation at or below grade, can create this condition.

A good plan , Laminate Flooring Basics of attack begins with decreasing dampness and increasing ventilation. Maintain a negative grade slope away from the house; and ensure that evestroughing, down-spouts and drains are free of debris, and properly directing water , THE IMPORTANCE OF COUNTING THREADS WHEN BUYING LINENS at least two meters away from your foundation wall. , Linoleum Flooring: The Truth about Today's Linoleum Even if your house , What is an Outdoor Wood Furnace and Why You Should Own One is relatively new and has properly installed, working footing drains, excessive surface water , THE IMPORTANCE OF COUNTING THREADS WHEN BUYING LINENS can saturate the foundation wall, , Hot BBQ Grills and Items for the Summer and evaporate to the interior , A to Z for Bathroom Furniture faster than it can be drained away. Check to see if water , Powered Clock pools anywhere beside the house , How Air Conditioners work? during a downpour or period of melting.

Severe mould on inside , A to Z for Bathroom Furniture wall and ceiling.Moisture problems can originate inside , Kitchen Renovation Tips: Why Update your Countertops? or outside , Candle Making 101 the house, , Reduce Noise to Reduce Stress: Sound Advice From the Rug Doctor or both. In cooler weather, , THE IMPORTANCE OF COUNTING THREADS WHEN BUYING LINENS condensation will occur on any surface that is below the dew point of the air , Advanced Leather Rep in contact with it (temperature at which condensation will occur at the existing humidity level). This moisture , Take Smart Steps When Remodeling Your Home usually appears first on the inside , Laminate Flooring Basics surfaces of windows, , Deck the Walls with Christmas Wall Displays and may also appear around door , House Windows: The Big Energy Losers jambs and where outside , How to Carry a Ladder Correctly walls meet the floor , Construction Of Swamp Coolers or ceiling. Closets can also become damp due to reduced air , Home Improvement: Ceiling Fans circulation. In warm, humid interior , The Great American Dream conditions, foundation walls , Where To Purchase Power Tools may "sweat" profusely at any time of the year.

Dehumidifiers can remove large amounts of moisture , Advanced Leather Repair from the home, , Little Giant Ladder Review - Is it Worth Buying? and in summer, , Kitchen Renovation Tips: Why Update your Countertops? an air-conditioner is also a powerful dehumidifier;. Air , Water Powered Clock conditioners however, consume considerable amounts of energy , Water Powered Clock and may not be useful in spring , Beat the Summer Heat - What Size A/C Do I Need? and fall, , How To Clean Laminate Floors when cooling is not required.

Ventilation is an effective and inexpensive means available to you for reducing humidity, and can be obtained by opening windows , Water Powered Clock or operating an exhaust fan as soon as significant window , Reduce Noise to Reduce Stress: Sound Advice From the Rug Doctor condensation appears.

HANDY HINT

Throroughly dry a damp spot on an exposed foundation wall , Installing Solar Panels on Your Home or Business or floor , Linoleum ing: The Truth about Today's Linoleum with a hair dryer. , Where To Purchase Power Tools Tape a 12 inch square of heavy plastic , How To Clean Laminate Floors over the spot, and check it in one or two days. Seepage will cause the underside of the plastic , Candle Making 101 to be wet, but condensation will form on the top side!

Q: We have a dehumidifier, but it is in the sump pump , Eclectic Patio Furniture Shows Your Style crawl space and probably doesn't do much good. If we turn it up very high, it just runs all the time. Maybe this is because it is pretty old, I'm not sure. It seemed to work fine in our last house. , How To Clean Laminate Floors

A: The required size of dehumidifier will vary with conditions, and the size of the house , Windows: The Big Energy Losers - but in any house , An Introduction To Bathroom Furniture with a severe humidity problem such as yours, a new 60 pint (minimum size) dehumidifier with a drain hose directed to the sump or laundry , Always Beware of that Latex Glove! drain should start to produce results. If you prefer to keep the crawl space closed, you'll likely need two machines.

THE BOTTOM LINE: First things first - look for external sources of moisture, , Eclectic Patio Furniture Shows Your Style then internal; and then study ventilation followed by dehumidification, and if necessary, insulation and/or vapor barriers where required.

A FEW QUESTIONS FOR HELEN:

1. How is your lot grading? (any slope toward house?) Settlement around the perimeter of the foundation?

2. Downspouts and drains in place?

3. What type of heating/ventilating systems do you have? Same in basement?

4. Is your kitchen , Sand Filters for Swimming Pools range hood directed to the outdoors?

5. Bathroom , Trex Decking Prices – Look Beyond The Price For The Ultimate Deck exhaust fans installed and used regularly? Vented through the wall , THE IMPORTANCE OF COUNTING THREADS WHEN BUYING LINENS or roof , Refurbished Solar Panels For Your Home (not into the attic, hopefully).

6. Clothes dryer , Home Improvement: Ceiling Fans vent directed to the outdoors?

7. Is ventilation provided for the basement?

8. Are any windows , The Pros and Cons of Hardwood Flooring - Things You Need to Know Before You Buy sweating?

9. How old is your house?

10. Construction: solid brick/brick veneer/siding etc.

11. Are roof/ridge/gable vents visible?

Also, check the lowest course of bricks for the presence of "weep holes" about every fourth mortar joint. (If your home , Hot BBQ Grills and Items for the Summer is wood-framed with a brick facing, the mortar should be left out, to allow any condensation between the exterior sheathing and the brickwork to escape to the outdoors. , Home Improvement: Ceiling Fans )

Copyright Gil Strachan - All rights reserved.

Gil Strachan is a professional home , Types Of Wood Flooring inspector, representing Electrospec Home , Beat the Summer Heat - What Size A/C Do I Need? Inspection Services in east-central Ontario, Canada since 1994. Visit http://www.allaroundthehouse.com to learn more about home , Types Of Wood Flooring inspections.

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