Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Nov 25, 2015 7:52 pm Hi All, Black patches of mold have been found near the wall edges and corners of internal ceilings. They do not appear to be localized in just one room or area, but are found in almost all parts of the house (kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, family room, laundry). Whats puzzling is that we cannot identify what has been causing them. Some spots appear to have been painted over and then re-appeared. Some spots are nowhere near sources of condensation. There were some traces of previous leaks found on the ceiling but these were in the middle of the ceiling and far from the molds. What could be causing these mold patches and how can this be fixed? Do these pose a serious safety issue? Any ideas on repair and remedial costs? Thanks in advance for your inputs. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 2Nov 25, 2015 10:30 pm Condensation frequently occurs on edges of ceilings, particularly external walls. Warm damp air tends to rise and then condense against cooler areas that have limited circulation such as corners. There is some more advice at this link: http://anewhouse.com.au/2013/08/condensation/ The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 3Nov 26, 2015 1:12 am Thanks for the information bashworth. What bothers me is that the mold patches are distributed around the house, even in areas away from sources of moisture. Could it be that the house is inherently poorly ventilated? I did not see any vents (not sure if this is the correct term) on the ceilings. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 4Nov 26, 2015 6:49 am Sources of moisture include you, but removing moisture laden air by ventilation and/or extraction is important. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 5Nov 26, 2015 8:29 am What kind or should I say what is the R-rating of your insulation in your walls and ceiling ? As Brians excellent article points out, condensation occurs when warm air meets a cold surface. Well insulated walls and/or ceilings help prevent this. Stewie Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 6Nov 28, 2015 2:39 pm Hi freeman, The age of the house may matter as per Stewie D's comment. Drift occurs in houses with good old wall vents (pre-1983?) for instance and many a house I inspected had black mould towards the south side of rooms on the south side of the house usually, but also on the walls lower down, not just the ceilings. Another cause of ceiling stains (often brownish) is from long-term condensation dripping from roof tiles older than 40 years and usually more like 55+ years old situations, but these stains are invariably not black. A few photos might help hone in on the reason. Good Luck. Also pure bleach on a damp rag can sometimes remove such (sounds like mildew) stains, but as Bashworth said there is nothing like good exhaust systems (including the Kitchen often forgotten or re-circulating type installation over the hot-plates)... or sometimes more heat. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 7Nov 29, 2015 8:22 pm Thanks everyone for your very informative responses. @Stewie D: I am not sure about the insulation rating. Not even sure what it is. Below are some pics. Note that on some areas around downlights, the insulation is missing. Would it make a difference if insulation is reinstalled at a proper distance from the downlights? <a href="http://s109.photobucket.com/user/bien94e/media/padbury/roof%20insulation_zps93qrpsgr.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n60/bien94e/padbury/roof%20insulation_zps93qrpsgr.png" border="0" alt=" photo roof insulation_zps93qrpsgr.png"/></a> Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 8Nov 29, 2015 8:25 pm @Leonardo. Below are some pics of the mold patches. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ What do you guys think? Nothing to worry about? I really appreciate all the time you have given in providing your inputs on this issue. As my kids have asthma, I want to make sure that the house is safe for them to live in and that the mold won't be a problem in the long run. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 9Nov 29, 2015 9:06 pm Mould is an asthma trigger. You need to fix the problem or you will start to notice increasing symptoms in your kids. Creator of superduperonium, expert at expert things, nobel laureate, can hold my breath for 10 minutes. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 10Dec 09, 2015 5:13 pm Is the mould primarily on the outside perimeter of your house? Eg where the gutters are? I had a look through your photobucket, it looks as though have or have had an issue with your gutters. It looks to me like this issue could be a symptom of inadequate gutter drainage. Check they are clear, and if they are filling up put some overflow relief holes in the front side of the gutters under the level of the rear of the gutter. If they are not filling, the issue may be the water is getting behind the gutter from the tile (capillary action, or just poor design. Suggestion here would be to install drip trays under the bottom course of tiles. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 11Dec 12, 2015 1:09 pm Hi HurraKaneJones, Thanks for your inputs. Yes, the walls are along the perimeters of the house. Gutter and draining issues are also possible since this house was a previous rental and was not properly maintained. Gutters had leaves on them and some eave sheets also show some previous water stains. Re: Black patches of mold near edges and corner of ceiling 12Dec 22, 2015 3:02 am I'd highly recommend having the gutters worked on for this issue then. Ask about overflow relief, and also drip trays. I find drip trays are the most common solution that I end up doing. All the best Kane Our standard double-glazed window is tested to achieve, Rw 34, and can be glazed to suit Rw 39. The price is good too... 3 1451 The gap can be adjusted so it's tighter. You can definitely set up corner cabinets to have the same gap as standard doors. 2 8594 4 9407 |