How can I get the right advice and solution re damp and mould?

[Sidebeforeself]

I need your collective advice please on which “tradesperson” I should engage with to resolve my problem.

I have mould occurring in my flat . In my bedroom and en-suite, on the walls and around the windows. I have invested in dehumidifiers and keep on top of cleaning. The room is well heated too.

I am convinced the source of the problem is that the exterior need re pointing.However, my concern is that if I say that to a builder ,they’ll just agree because its a big job and probably £££. I dont mind paying as long as its a solution.

I dont know any builders so I’d have to shop around.

What I really feel I need is someone to give me an honest assessment ,one that they wouldnt necessarily profit from.But if I go to a damp//mould specialist they all seem to want to sell damp proofing etc.

Can anyone suggest which sort of service I should be looking for. Just to be clear, I expect to pay for their service and advice..what Im saying is Im not sure a builder is the right expert.

I recently had someone come out through my insurance from a damp proofing company to do a survey. They assessed the situation and gave advice, didn't try to sell anything or force a claim

I can't help with your original question but have you looked into piv, https://www.nuaire.co.uk/residential/positive-input-ventilation
This is link to the make we have, there are plenty others on the market. We used to have wet windows in the morning and mould around them but since having one of these nothing.

I'd recommend someone who isn't invested in fixing it - maybe a buildings surveyor. Damp can be difficult to diagnose - but the cheapest place to start is with ventilation. Most people never properly ventilate their homes.
You are already using dehumidifiers, which is great. But also - never dry clothing indoors without dehumidifying. Make sure your cooker hood is working properly.
If the damp can be seen/felt on the plaster you may have pointing/render issues from outside, especially if it's concentrated in very specific areas.
We've just had a survey on a property and the Surveyor was able to pinpoint all the problematic areas and what needs to be done with them. If you do hire one, make sure they've got professional qualifications/membership of official bodies.
Hopefully it will just need a bit of tweaking rather than expensive building work.

I'd start off by joining this group to find the right person: Damp and Condensation Advice, Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2095729247274508

Not advice on who to contact but how strong is your en-suite extractor fan? We changed ours to an inline fan which has to sit in the loft due to the size of it. Ours doesn't vent through an outside wall but up into the loft and is ducted out.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/vent-axia-17104020-100mm-inline-extractor-fan-with-timer-240v/53730

Also I use a window vac, Karcher is the main brand, but from just a teeny shower cubicle it removes a lot. I think the tank holds 100ml and I have to empty that before I do the shower tray. That removes a lot of potential moisture from the air.

If you wait till it has dried out and then tape some cling film onto the wall where the damp bit is, you can see whether the wet is in the inside or the outside and that will tell you whether it is condensation or water coming in through the wall.

Contact a buildings surveyor first. In my experience some damp specialist companies are just conmen. We were told we needed thousands of pounds worth of damp repair when actually all that was needed was minor improvements.

Agree with the pp about a window vac. I get around a coffee cups worth of moisture off my windows every morning at this time of year. I got a titan one from screwfix much cheaper than a Karcher.

Another thing that might be worth trying, presuming you have upvc windows, is to make sure the concealed bits of the frame (the bits you don’t see when the window is closed) are thoroughly clean and clear of mold and black stuff. Mine were horrendous until I cleaned them a few months back, and my theory is that this hidden mold/dirt was actually spreading into the room, esp around the frames. It’s been noticeably mold free since I did this.

Some really great advice here - thanks. I am on top of clearing up water but never thought about cleaning the seals @Lonelycrab @Geneticsbunny Will definitely do the cling film test.

But it sounds like a building surveyor is the best starting point. I definitely think it’s the pointing but I need advice on where etc.

Exactly right. A good local surveyor should be able to identify the problem and draw up a schedule of works that you can use to obtain quotes.

What is the age of your building and building construction?

It will be your windows aren't properly installed

Agree- Building Surveyor will able to confirm if damp and mould is structural or lifestyle related - https://www.ricsfirms.com/

Lol you must be joking

You say you think it needs repointing.

Please post some photos showing the brickwork and point out the faults.

BTW, the most common cause of damp and mould in UK houses is wet washing draped indoors and hung over radiators, followed by steamy showers with no effective extractor. You don't do that, do you?

No it's not.

@PigletJohn Will do that tomorrow and post here - thanks.

I try to avoid drying inside as much as possible and ALWAYS use a dehumidifier. I have a new extractor fan in the bathroom and also leave the window open during the day, mop up excess water etc.
I have a dehumidifier on in the bedroom too.

Ideally I dont want to have to do this every day as I know thats only masking the problem.

@mixedcereal Building coming up to 100 years old ( its converted into flats 6 years ago)

@soreankles I suppose it could be that too but the dampness seems to be lower down. But if it is the windows would that mean completely replaced ?!

Thanks everyone

We are having one/something similar these fitted by our electrician.

We have new, high-power extraction fans, a dehumidifier, which is on in a closed room on laundry setting if we are drying indoors instead of on the outdoor line or in the dryer, keep a window open at night, even in winter, use a window vacuum, I am just fed up with the effort.

Me too! I’d rather put some money and effort into fixing the problem rather than being on mould watch all the time!

(Sorry, wrong thread)

Your building is likely to be solid wall rather than cavity wall. Solid wall buildings were meant to be able to breath, windows opened regularly and the walls would breath as lime plaster would have been used. These days solid wall buildings are often plastered with gypsum and pointed or rendered with cement. This is likely the issue if your building is solid build. If you do engage with a building surveyor make sure it’s one that has experience in old buildings, although 100 years is that old. If it’s a cavity wall construction then none of the above applies.

it’s very unlikely these issues would be caused by windows not being installed correctly, that doesn’t make sense so I’d personally ignore that advice.

Lack of air circulation and moisture is the biggest cause of condensation which then leads to mould.

Ignore that advice. Lol.

So when I had new windows put in, than it was found they weren't insulated around the windows. Hence why windows were soaking wet and mould on walls.
Instant fix. Four wingera now.

@soreankles was that in a victorian building? I can see that badly installed windows were obviously an issue for you but I assume, because the problem was just round the windows, that it was a well insulated newer house and that is why the the rest of the walls were OK? Although the op did mention it was around her windows so definitely worth checking.

@PigletJohn Ive added photos of the exterior parts to where I think the mould is inside.The ones of the roof show the damage above our neighbours property (flat above ours) I wonder if that is an issue too?

Im very upset today as last night a new strip of mould appeared in the corner of our bedroom. Not near the window but the exterior corner. I feel defeated by this.

I can't see any obvious issues with rain running down the walls, it normally leaves a stain and would be more likely to be under a gutter. Someone has put a pointless injection damp proof in (that horizontal row of small dots in between the bricks) though which suggests that there is a long standing issue with damp which hasn't been properly sorted out. Could you add pics of where the damp is internally?

It also looks like someone put the toilet pipe through the injection damp proof which would render it even more pointless.