Understanding Mould & Condensation

[Smurf]

I get quite a few enquiries from landlords, tenants, homeowners regarding mould/damp in properties so they want to get there guttering checked & cleared which could be a contributing factor if the guttering and/or downspouts are blocked and water tracks back inside the building,

However here is an interesting vid to understand why mould grows inside a building that maybe of interest as most of the time it's actually caused by the occupants in the property.

[media]

[/media]

Hope this helps?

 

[Smurf]

I often get asked why they have black mould... now for any of you to that gets asked and have watched the vid you now have a better understanding of the reason why this can happen in some properties and not others.

 

[Jimroot]

Useful vid

 

[Smurf]

Seems very basic I know but may help to find out the root cause of the problem when asked.

I have also seen rising damp, leaking roofs, broken roof tiles, bad lead flashing etc and many gutters with the roofing membrain disitegrated in them but I always advise them to get it checked out and fixed by someone else as I'm just a cleaner.

 

[cheapncheerful]

no one want to mention...

the karcher window vac.....brilliant...

well...

until its battery goes flat../emoticons/biggrin.png

plenty of mold around here...lots of cobwebs too..

good vid though.

 

[TolishAPurd]

'Understanding mould and condensation'

I've saved this thread all day for my bedtime. This should see me off nicely, cheers Smurf. :thumbsup:/emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Jimroot]

My interest in damp got me into my interest in gutter clearing, as when I moved house last year, the bank wanted us to have a damp proof course installed at first to satisfy the survey.

I thought it was fishy and did some looking into types of damp, and basically it's a ventilation issue and condensation, not rising damp which is a made up thing. I wonder how many poor sods get damp proof done which is a shyster scam when all it needs is a few open windows and awareness of water vapour etc. or deal with penetrating damp issues like blocked gutters, overflowing drains, leaking pipes or high exterior levels.

I put my foot down and said I'd pull out if they insisted and I negotiated a price reduction instead.

They wanted to rip the plaster off the walls to 100cm, drill holes every 50cm or so around the whole house including the interior walls, inject a water based chem, for, I can't remember the cost exactly, £3k - £5k decorating and moving furniture etc of course extra.

 

[Smurf]

So how did the surveyor reach the conclusion that the house had rising damp?

Was it a full or part survey you had done?

 

[Smurf]

These are interesting vid to confirm your suspicions

[media]

[/media]

 

[Jimroot]

It was a sort of none invasive survey. The banks surveyor said a damp and timber survey was required. I Think our solicitor recommended a firm, they sent a guy round, he concluded there was a damp problem based on a damp meter reading from the wall. This is a known con. Based on this little device, he recommended ruining the walls, injecting ****, not to mention the massive cost and hassle of redecorating. I'll look up a site I found useful and post the link.

Interestingly, on the house we sold, the same 'issue' came up which I now firmly believe is a con. We got very lucky as the damp and timber guy that came round to the old house was the same one that was sent when WE bought that house say five years before, and he said as he couldn't see that the measures he'd recommended previously hadn't been done, he concluded it was ok, saving us thousands in the negotiation /emoticons/smile.png. I think the damp guys just like to try and get a piece of the pie come moving house time.

 

[Jimroot]

[media]

[/media]
http://www.heritage-house.org/the-fraud-of-rising-damp.html

 

[Smurf]

[media]

[/media]

 

[Smurf]

[media]

[/media]

 

[Jimroot]

My house has knappen tubes all round the exterior, some sod was conned out of their money to install in the 70's. They smashed through the brick and shoved in these thin ceramic tubes. It looks pretty ****. One day I might try to restore the look of the brickwork. There might be no easy restoration though.

There's also those little plastic plug type damp proofing round the outside. All they had to do was vent the house! It's raised above the levels outside as it is, so it's only condensation or penetration, yet they did all these works.

 

[Smurf]

After viewing all the vids I have learnt something new today that rising damp does not exist :thumbsup: