Condsation & mould in bathroom, help!

[Courtney10891]

I moved in to a property in August. We rent from a housing association. The bathroom in the property does not have a window, I didn’t see this as a problem because our last property didn’t have a window either and it was fine. Anyways whenever we have a bath or shower the walls are literally drenched and even got to the point where the paint is bubbling and crumbling off. I I’ve also noticed parts of the walls turning black which I know it mould. There is an extractor fan in the but to be honest it doesn’t feel very powerful at all. I’m at my wits end. I’ve been bathing and showering with the door open and constantly cleaning but nothing seems to help. I know you can but special paint and things like that etc. It that won’t stop it from happening. Anybody got any advice? What can I do?

get an extractor that works.

please post a pic of your current one, with something to show scale.

Do you know where the duct goes?

Do you know anyone that smokes?

I’ve attached a photo of the extractor fan and I’ve also attached photos of the wall so you can see how bad it is.

OK/ The fan yoiu've got is a centrifugal model, been around a long time and isstillmade. Not bad, and fairly quiet. The brand name will come to me...

Is the fan in the ceiling or in the wall? Do you know where the duct goes?

When does the fan run?

Peer through the grill with a torch (fan turned off). Are the fan blades encrusted in grey dust?

Do you know a smoker?

Hmm, tricky. If it was me I would be tempted to remove the existing paint (especially if it's bubbling/flaking off) and then repaint with a bathroom specific paint, obviously a primer or something first. It might be worth getting a dehumidifier and setting it going after a bath or shower, although I'm wondering whether it would also try dehumidifying the water in the toilet as well so maybe keep the seat down. Another alternative would be to ask permission to tile the room instead of having it part painted. I suppose it depends how long you see yourselves renting it.

I think it might be one of these. Do the moulded lines on the front cover look the same?

It is a bit more powerful than a typical bathroom fan, but a budget brand and is noisier than some newer models.

When we know when it runs, and more about the duct, there may be a better one that could go in.

There might be a problem with the duct, or it might not be running often enough/long enough, or it might be clogged with dust.

Some models have an adjustable run-on timer, and when the bathroom is damp, I advise setting that to max (usually about 20 minutes) or leaving it running continuously until the problem improves. Electricity usage is trivial, but an old, worn-out fan can be irritatingly noisy.

Looking at your side-of-the-bath pic, I think there is a problem with water leaking where it meets the wall. Is there a shower over that end? This will cause a lot of water.

one of these

It is in the wall near the toilet not near the bath. I’m not sure where it leads on to but it’s not outside. My sister is a smoker, she doesn’t live with me though I live with my partner and one year old. Yes the shower is over by the end where you can see in the photo. There is quite a large hole there that looks like it has been covered with expanding foam. Would it help if I cut a bit of the bottom of the bathroom door so some air could pass through?

no need. Provided the fan is working, sufficient air will enter through the gap under the door.

Ask a smoker to stand under the fan. You should see the rising smoke being sucked out. If you hold the cigarette close to the fan grille all the smoke should be whisked away. You should not smell smoke re-entering the room, or the adjacent one, from the ceiling or duct.

When the fan is running on a frosty morning, during or after a shower, you should be able to see the steam blowing outside the house through the duct.

Please answer my other questions.

Hi, it doesn’t have an adjustable timer so I can’t change the setting. When I turn the light off it stays on for around ten mins and then automatically turns off. When I moved in in September the bathroom was newly put in but the fan looks pretty old. I’ve looked and it is pretty dusty. I don’t think bathroom paint was used would it be beneficial if I cleaned the walls and painted it with a bathroom paint? I’m not sure about the duct.

I'd suggest you turn on the light and leave it on (with the fan running) night and day.

If the fan actually works, this will reduce humidity in the room. Testing this with a cigarette will be informative.

From the look of the wet marks, I think water is collecting on the rim of the bath during showers, and either soaking through into the wall, or running off the edge. If you can remove the bath panel you will be able to see if it is running down the wall. As you're in a rented home you could ask the maintenance team to look at that. It's quite common for sealant round the bath to leak so they should not be surprised. If the person is familiar with the building they may know where the duct goes, but it will be helpful if you have done the cigarette test first so you can confidently say if it sucks or not.

I had similar issue with condensation, I was actually pretty bad. I invested in proper extractor fan (£100) and the problem went away.