Markio Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Bare (or is it bear) with me here, there is a point to all this... We have a small wardrobe built upstairs in between the brick lined chimney and the outside walls, well it's really a wooden door placed between the three walls of this small recess. It of single wardrobe size if that make any sense. Anyway, we used it for general storage and it ended up being rammed full of all sort, old clothes, big duvet etc.. then we had a clear out there was bucket loads of black mould on the walls. Speaking to my landlord and my dad the general consensus is with the lack of airflow condensation has built up against the wall and the toot stored and allowed to fester (the land lord is sending someone over to check if it's an issue with the walls). Anyway so what i really want to know is this.... is there an easy numbnuts way to check the moisture levels? It's now empty and i'd like to check if the moisture is still building up for the airflow theory is correct. If it is dry i'm considering moving my gun cabinet to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poontang Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 (edited) Mark, it sounds like mould due to condensation/lack of airflow. I had a similar problem some time ago. Has the plaster blown? If so you may have a damp problem, but if it hasn't my guess is that if you wash the walls down and don't stack stuff against it you should be ok. Decent ventilation/airflow and you should'nt have anymore problems. If it's a solid door you've got fitted you could easily fit an air vent in it, should do the trick. Edited May 10, 2009 by poontang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markio Posted May 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 (edited) Cool, cheers. No plaster is fine. Any DIY type kits you can get to check moisture? Edited May 10, 2009 by Markio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 There are electric moisture testers that you can buy, http://www.moisturemeterstore.com/ , but I don't think you need to waste your money. poontang's suggestion should work, or I would suggest you take down the "fitted" wardrobe and put a free standing unit in the alcove, problem solved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markio Posted May 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 There are electric moisture testers that you can buy, http://www.moisturemeterstore.com/ , but I don't think you need to waste your money. I was thinking more like yoghurt pots and a clever arrangement of plastic spoons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC45 Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 It most definately is caused by condensation. The mould tends to grow on cold surfaces, if you are getting it on the ceiling, check the loft insulation. The best way to get rid of condensation is ventilation. The best way to stop mould growth is to cure the condensation. To get rid of the mould, use mould cleaner, then paint the surface with an anti mould paint. I will PM you our website, it has lots of info on damp problems. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC45 Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 sorry that website was .com not .co.uk sorry for the confusion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Had similar problems - air brick is the answer. Or moving, but it is worth bearing in mind that an air brick would be considerably cheaper than moving; unless it was made of say gold, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markio Posted May 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Cheers all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 this is all assuming the chimney flashing hasn't failed and you've got a leak etc, but without knowing whether the house has cavity walls, or its close to a bathroom with insufficient ventilation then its hard to say. Best option is empty the cupboard and let it dry out over the summer, no point buying a moisture meter it'll only tell you you've got damp there which you already know as you have the signs. Other options are check the guttering is ok and if its a rental house you could take the shleves out of the cupboard batten it and just dry line with foil backed plasterboard and odds are you'd never see the problem again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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