too much rain responsible for mould issue?
Discussion
I rent out a cottage built of red brick around 1870 with solid walls. The tenant has just recently reported mould/mildew around certain high level areas where I've never seen it before.
How likely is it that this could be caused by non stop bloody rain for months on end? Can the brickwork end up so damp and saturated to cause this? The tenant assures me she regularly keeps windows open on trickle etc.
Any ideas appreciated. Cheers
How likely is it that this could be caused by non stop bloody rain for months on end? Can the brickwork end up so damp and saturated to cause this? The tenant assures me she regularly keeps windows open on trickle etc.
Any ideas appreciated. Cheers
I'm waiting for every single landlord to pile in and blame the tenant for not opening windows and drying laundry on radiators, but before they do, can you / have you checked:
- External pointing is all in order, and in materials of equivalent porosity to the original, ie. lime mortar + lime mortar; not lime mortar + cement
- Are gutters free from blockages / cracks so water isn't running down outside walls
- Are wooden fascias and soffits in good nick and not rotten
- Are there any missing / cracked roof tiles which could allow gradual water ingress, perhaps not in an immediately obvious place
- Are all roof flashings intact
- Are window frames in good condition and surrounding pointing in good nick
...for starters.
- External pointing is all in order, and in materials of equivalent porosity to the original, ie. lime mortar + lime mortar; not lime mortar + cement
- Are gutters free from blockages / cracks so water isn't running down outside walls
- Are wooden fascias and soffits in good nick and not rotten
- Are there any missing / cracked roof tiles which could allow gradual water ingress, perhaps not in an immediately obvious place
- Are all roof flashings intact
- Are window frames in good condition and surrounding pointing in good nick
...for starters.
bernhund said:
I rent out a cottage built of red brick around 1870 with solid walls. The tenant has just recently reported mould/mildew around certain high level areas where I've never seen it before.
How likely is it that this could be caused by non stop bloody rain for months on end? Can the brickwork end up so damp and saturated to cause this? The tenant assures me she regularly keeps windows open on trickle etc.
Any ideas appreciated. Cheers
High level damp require two essentials. Still cold air and high humidity. Ventilation is the biggest general cure for mould growth followed by heat (raises dew point) and then dehumidifiers etc. Could well be exacerbated by the very wet weather but ventilation (open top lights) and raising the temperature will cure this generally. Cheap dehumidifiers help and certain paints which are antifungal are useful,How likely is it that this could be caused by non stop bloody rain for months on end? Can the brickwork end up so damp and saturated to cause this? The tenant assures me she regularly keeps windows open on trickle etc.
Any ideas appreciated. Cheers
Mobile Chicane said:
I'm waiting for every single landlord to pile in and blame the tenant for not opening windows and drying laundry on radiators, but before they do, can you / have you checked:
- External pointing is all in order, and in materials of equivalent porosity to the original, ie. lime mortar + lime mortar; not lime mortar + cement
- Are gutters free from blockages / cracks so water isn't running down outside walls
- Are wooden fascias and soffits in good nick and not rotten
- Are there any missing / cracked roof tiles which could allow gradual water ingress, perhaps not in an immediately obvious place
- Are all roof flashings intact
- Are window frames in good condition and surrounding pointing in good nick
...for starters.
Windows should be o.k. Brickwork is painted and has been for 20 years or more, but not necessarily a good thing I suppose. There are some slates that have been damaged by the winds for which I left a message on a roofers phone about today. I suppose I start by getting those sorted and see if there's an improvement, though I kind of expect a damp patch rather than mould with that?- External pointing is all in order, and in materials of equivalent porosity to the original, ie. lime mortar + lime mortar; not lime mortar + cement
- Are gutters free from blockages / cracks so water isn't running down outside walls
- Are wooden fascias and soffits in good nick and not rotten
- Are there any missing / cracked roof tiles which could allow gradual water ingress, perhaps not in an immediately obvious place
- Are all roof flashings intact
- Are window frames in good condition and surrounding pointing in good nick
...for starters.
Ah. Painted. Right.
Not only could this 'paint' be hiding a multitude of sins in terms of crappy cement pointing, if it's impermeable masonry paint, then moisture rising or descending through the brickwork will have nowhere else to go but in.
There's no easy answer to remedying this, but make sure the exterior of the building is watertight, using appropriate materials. Cement pointing is a common cause of damp.
Not only could this 'paint' be hiding a multitude of sins in terms of crappy cement pointing, if it's impermeable masonry paint, then moisture rising or descending through the brickwork will have nowhere else to go but in.
There's no easy answer to remedying this, but make sure the exterior of the building is watertight, using appropriate materials. Cement pointing is a common cause of damp.
Mobile Chicane said:
Ah. Painted. Right.
Not only could this 'paint' be hiding a multitude of sins in terms of crappy cement pointing, if it's impermeable masonry paint, then moisture rising or descending through the brickwork will have nowhere else to go but in.
There's no easy answer to remedying this, but make sure the exterior of the building is watertight, using appropriate materials. Cement pointing is a common cause of damp.
Noted. Thank you.Not only could this 'paint' be hiding a multitude of sins in terms of crappy cement pointing, if it's impermeable masonry paint, then moisture rising or descending through the brickwork will have nowhere else to go but in.
There's no easy answer to remedying this, but make sure the exterior of the building is watertight, using appropriate materials. Cement pointing is a common cause of damp.
Mobile Chicane said:
I'm waiting for every single landlord to pile in and blame the tenant for not opening windows and drying laundry on radiators, but before they do, can you / have you checked:
.
But in 99% of cases, it is the case. Either that or 99% of houses for LET, only become damp after tenants move in. .
Yep, another scummy landlord here! 
Our rental suffered from a sudden damp patch last year (due to a blocked gutted, which was quickly fixed) a bright yellow/brown patch appeared on the wall, with no mould. Dried up once the gutter was fixed and didnt even need repainting.
However this year (with an even wetter/damper winter) we havent had any damp patches at all, however every time we have visited or driven past the house the windows have all been shut. Unsurprisingly their have been complaints of "damp" ie, black mould around windows and in corners.
I think we are getting through with regards to encouraging them to open the windows, and unsurprisingly the "damp" has gone away.
Obviously we cant diagnose your damp/mould issue over the internet, but I would be surprised if it is caused by a problem with the building fabric. Obviously there is no harm in checking it carefully, as you may find something that needs getting on top of anyway.
Our rental suffered from a sudden damp patch last year (due to a blocked gutted, which was quickly fixed) a bright yellow/brown patch appeared on the wall, with no mould. Dried up once the gutter was fixed and didnt even need repainting.However this year (with an even wetter/damper winter) we havent had any damp patches at all, however every time we have visited or driven past the house the windows have all been shut. Unsurprisingly their have been complaints of "damp" ie, black mould around windows and in corners.
I think we are getting through with regards to encouraging them to open the windows, and unsurprisingly the "damp" has gone away.
Obviously we cant diagnose your damp/mould issue over the internet, but I would be surprised if it is caused by a problem with the building fabric. Obviously there is no harm in checking it carefully, as you may find something that needs getting on top of anyway.
king wet.Only today I've been to quote for some internal decorating on a let property.
Tenants have moved out and the landlord was pointing out several mould patches on walls - you could see by the marks on the carpets that wardrobes and chests had been right up against the external walls.
No airflow behind them, thus lovely mould forming.
Tenants have moved out and the landlord was pointing out several mould patches on walls - you could see by the marks on the carpets that wardrobes and chests had been right up against the external walls.
No airflow behind them, thus lovely mould forming.
Our old landlord started to complain about the big mould patch in our bedroom when we moved out. I was humoring him until he said 'but as you were here when it happened you'll have to pay for the re-decoration'.
Politley showed him the flat roof outside (which is the roof to their shop downstairs), which was flooded over the damp course level, and the missing pointing right where the damp patch started... and mentioned that I had mentioned it to his odd job man when he replaced the flat roof in the summer, who did nothing.
He stopped complaining then!
We used to get mouldy windows too in the winter, I jsut threw all the windows open when SWMBO went out and it went away very quickly.
Politley showed him the flat roof outside (which is the roof to their shop downstairs), which was flooded over the damp course level, and the missing pointing right where the damp patch started... and mentioned that I had mentioned it to his odd job man when he replaced the flat roof in the summer, who did nothing.
He stopped complaining then!
We used to get mouldy windows too in the winter, I jsut threw all the windows open when SWMBO went out and it went away very quickly.
Mobile Chicane said:
I'm waiting for every single landlord to pile in and blame the tenant for not opening windows and drying laundry on radiators, but before they do, can you / have you checked:
- External pointing is all in order, and in materials of equivalent porosity to the original, ie. lime mortar + lime mortar; not lime mortar + cement
- Are gutters free from blockages / cracks so water isn't running down outside walls
- Are wooden fascias and soffits in good nick and not rotten
- Are there any missing / cracked roof tiles which could allow gradual water ingress, perhaps not in an immediately obvious place
- Are all roof flashings intact
- Are window frames in good condition and surrounding pointing in good nick
...for starters.
^^^As a LL myself, and whilst I agree with you on all of the above, there is still no substitute for ventilation, air flow, particularly in bathrooms, laundry rooms, kitchens etc. on and around windows etc. I believe most homes have mould issues, black spots on wallpaper, roof space, under baths, kitchen sinks etc., and once spotted mould should be treated and the area dried off. - External pointing is all in order, and in materials of equivalent porosity to the original, ie. lime mortar + lime mortar; not lime mortar + cement
- Are gutters free from blockages / cracks so water isn't running down outside walls
- Are wooden fascias and soffits in good nick and not rotten
- Are there any missing / cracked roof tiles which could allow gradual water ingress, perhaps not in an immediately obvious place
- Are all roof flashings intact
- Are window frames in good condition and surrounding pointing in good nick
...for starters.
Is it on a south facing wall? I, and a number of others I know, are faced with water coming in where it never has before because we don't generally experience southerly winds beating the rain in this direction. I have a south facing bay window leaking which i think is down to the mortar above the flashing. It has not deteriorated recently but has probably never been put to the test before. Re-mortared now so time will tell.
richie99 said:
Is it on a south facing wall? I, and a number of others I know, are faced with water coming in where it never has before because we don't generally experience southerly winds beating the rain in this direction. I have a south facing bay window leaking which i think is down to the mortar above the flashing. It has not deteriorated recently but has probably never been put to the test before. Re-mortared now so time will tell.
We're getting exactly this on our 1899 red brick semi. It was probably waterproof 115 years ago, but needs a bit of repointing and sealing ever so often!
The amount of water entering a property from penetrating damp is usually insignificant in relation to the amount of moisture generated by people living in a house, it does not significantly contribute to condensation.
So whilst you'd obviously want repair any areas allowing water in - it won't stop the mould.
If you want some bedtime reading try BS5250 by the Building Research Establishment.
Don't get too hung up on the cement pointing issue, most old houses cope perfectly well with lime or cement (or both), as with most things of this nature their effectiveness depends upon the interaction of numerous factors.
So whilst you'd obviously want repair any areas allowing water in - it won't stop the mould.
If you want some bedtime reading try BS5250 by the Building Research Establishment.
Don't get too hung up on the cement pointing issue, most old houses cope perfectly well with lime or cement (or both), as with most things of this nature their effectiveness depends upon the interaction of numerous factors.
C Lee Farquar said:
Don't get too hung up on the cement pointing issue, most old houses cope perfectly well with lime or cement (or both), as with most things of this nature their effectiveness depends upon the interaction of numerous factors.
Sorry but I really have to disagree with this. In my experience (I'm a property developer specialising in listed buildings) the use of cement and other impervious materials (masonry paints etc) on the exterior of a traditional solid wall construction property will almost always cause problems. Old buildings were designed to 'breathe' and allowing this to happen will save a lot of grief. It's often the case that people don't own or live in old buildings long enough to appreciate the damage gradually being caused by use of impervious materials.
Typically where cement pointing has been used you will after 20+ years (sometimes much less!) see rotten window/door frames, floor/ceiling joist ends, wall plates and roof purlins etc. Wherever you have timber set into a solid wall with inappropriate cement pointing and or render it will rot.
Mould usually grows in damp, warm conditions without much airflow. It is caused due to humid conditions and lack of ventilation. Hence you should clean the existing mould from best mould removal available in market and try to keep that place as much ventilated as you can.
Edited by jaydendonnelly on Tuesday 23 September 13:04
jaydendonnelly said:
Mould usually grows in damp, warm conditions without much airflow. It is caused due to humid conditions and lack of ventilation. Hence you should clean the existing mould from best mould removal available in market and try to keep that place as much ventilated as you can.
You joined up specifically to post the most obvious advice ever on a six-month plus old thread? Amazing.
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