Under eaves mold

[jayboyjayboy75]

Hi

Thanks in advance for any help. I’ve got terrible mold inside cupboards under the eaves upstairs and not sure how to resolve. Someone has said I should take the boards out and better insulate and someone else has said I should drill holes in the wood board to improve ventilation.

Anyone able to guide me to the best solution?

Thanks
Jason

 

[foxhole]

If it’s enclosed then it needs ventilation .If it’s cold then in needs insulation.

 

[jayboyjayboy75]

Great, thank you. Do you know if I can insulate by adding insulation board to the inside of the cupboard or would I need to remove the wooden board and insulate between the roof and board?
Thanks

 

[Rodango]

Given that level of deterioration, I would suspect super high moisture. I think you need to seal the area behind the board, throw it away, and build out the structure with something new. Maybe you could glue in some very thick plastic sheeting and seal at the top and bottom? Then build out structure in front of that. Just insulating it is not enough. Good luck.

 

[robinbanks]

Clean it up with bleach, insulate the area well, put no things that will restrict air movement, ensure the space is heated, modify your behaviour so that your life activities aren't loading so much moisture into the air (don't dry washing on rads, use extractors when cooking and showering, ensure fresh air supply to bedrooms, check vented dryer hose properly exhausts to world), consider a dehumidifier if you can't change behaviour

Ventilation alone doesn't necessarily help if the incoming air is so cold it cools surfaces promoting condensation

 

[jayboyjayboy75]

Clean it up with bleach, insulate the area well, put no things that will restrict air movement, ensure the space is heated, modify your behaviour so that your life activities aren't loading so much moisture into the air (don't dry washing on rads, use extractors when cooking and showering, ensure fresh air supply to bedrooms, check vented dryer hose properly exhausts to world), consider a dehumidifier if you can't change behaviour

Ventilation alone doesn't necessarily help if the incoming air is so cold it cools surfaces promoting condensation

Thank you. Unfortunately we live in a highly humid area so outside air is an issue.

 

[ericmark]

Ventilation alone doesn't necessarily help if the incoming air is so cold it cools surfaces promoting condensation

I found this with my utility room. We left the window open with the vent pipe for the tumble drier. And we got black mould, new heat pump tumble drier and problem gone.

And our old house in Mold, the bathroom always had a problem, the bathroom likely coldest room in the house, and shower over the bath, so the shower doors acted like a chimney getting the room full of moisture, and blowing air outside resulted in damp air being drawn in from the rest of the house.

Sometimes one has to sit back and consider why that area is cold, and where any replacement air comes from. Gas stoves are a massive source of water, so any gas cooker needs a vented cooker hood.

Better to stop moisture getting in the home, to trying to extract it. The best dehumidifier I have seen is old single glazed windows, with a catchment tray below them with hole to the outside, new double-glazed windows come with vents, but the older once lack ventilation.