Black Mould on walls and ceilings - how to get problem fixed!

Hi Jackie, I dont know anyone but have had many damp related problems in different projects over the years. i live in Vidin and know a few contractors. but would not say they are damp proofing experts. normally i investigate and they do the work. if you send me private message with photos and details, i can advise. obviously there are products to clean the mould. but damp problem needs to be resolved first

Thank you that is great.  Not too sure how to use this site but imagine that I can reply to you like this?

I'm in  the  industry   in  the   UK. Putting  damp efficiency  paint  makes  a  short difference,  however  damp  comes  from  OUTSIDE  and will only  get worse.

Investigate   on  this  site  for  the  right  advise before you  pay out..

@jackietancred i have sent you a message. please look under message symbol at top

Hi Jackie,

I have sent you a pm as may be able to guide you on the fault .

Rgds,

Ozzy

I'm not an expert on mould, but I know it's all about humidity in your house. There's a percentage which encourages mould growth, and a percentage which guarantees it'll go wild! I think the recommendation is lower than 50%. But then it gets tricky, as we don't know what's causing the high humidity. It can be caused by damp coming in, or damp being created inside. In the former case, you need to figure out how/why it's coming in (inappropriate construction, or damage to the wall/roof, or a problem with guttering taking water to the wrong place). It can come in through walls or windows or floors or roof/ceiling. If there are localized patches of damp wall, then that's easier to diagnose.

If it's being created inside, you get lots of condensation. This might be a problem with the way it was constructed, or it might be simply a consequence of you being away a lot (and probably in winter, when it's cold). Water vapour comes from kitchens (cooking), bathrooms, some forms of heating (gas, wood), and general living (breathing, drying clothes, etc.), and you might be able to improve the ventilation so it goes outside instead of inside.

Our upper floor is fine. But we had some mould on the walls in the ground floor and basement. I measured the humidity (I bought a hygrometer on Emag), and it was definitely on the high side.

I did quite a lot of work on the downstairs as we repaired/replaced walls, and then did external insulation and render. Along with new UPVC windows. Also, I replaced all the old concrete floors (thin, no rebar, no heat/water insulation) for modern standard concrete (thicker, rebar reinforcement, water and heat insulation). The percentage humidity definitely dropped significantly, and the whole space feels a lot dryer and warmer, even without any heating installed. And the upstairs became a lot easier to heat. I have not seen any new areas of damp or mould growth since then. With ground/basement floors, a lot of water vapour can pass through the concrete if there's no water barrier (as lots of older construction won't have).

But that's a lot of work. It might be that simply living in the house full-time, and having the heat on, works wonders. Or maybe you've just got a leaky or missing downpipe so that water gets pushed at the wall.

Incidentally, while I was exploring the humidity I did buy a good dehumidifier. When I parked it in the basement, it definitely made a difference. It's not a permanent solution, or a good option if there's a lot of water coming in through the walls (say). But if you've simply got a basement/lower floor with elevated humidity, it might work just to keep it in check. Similarly, I believe that an AC unit does a bit of dehumidifying too (usually while cooling/heating, but sometimes with a separate dry function too). So I have put in the ductwork for a couple of AC units, so that, if necessary, I'll have the ability to keep these rooms drier in the future.

The immediate action, to clear the mould would be a bleach solution to kill the mould. Spray it on, wipe it off. Good luck. X

If the Mould came out n an extension is almost entirely likely that there is no insulation or very poor one.

Outside humidity pour through cheap work and create the conditions for the mould to appear. It might not be cheap to properly fix it.

@MonkeyFox bleach doesn't kill black mold

can anyone help me with a serious black mold problem I am having with my 13 unit apartment building in Varna. I have a mold problem that has caused me and my family very serious health problems.  I appreciate any help!  Also, if anyone knows of a naturopath doctor that can help us cleanse our body.

Hello Angela Dimitrov,

Welcome to Expat.com

I am sorry to hear about what is happening right now in your apartment.

Have you tried addressing this issue with the owner of the building?

Perhaps the person in charge can find a solution to this issue.

Any change you can with the hospital for treatments?

Regards,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

Angela, I hope you can get the problem resolved. I can't recommend any naturopathic doctors as I haven't needed health care in Bulgaria yet. But an online search shows that there are several doctors using naturopathic and holistic methods in Varna.

@Angela Dimitrov

I don't think this is really a doctor problem, unfortunately, I'm not sure there's much they can do if you're suffering ill-health as a result of mold. This is an issue (usually) of excessive humidity in your apartment, and you have to take immediate remediation steps. And, maybe, if it's really bad (as you say), you should consider staying somewhere else until the problem is fixed.

However, it's spring already in Bulgaria, and usually the higher temperatures will help a lot. There's less temperature variation (between 20 inside, and outside temperature) so less condensation. And, as soon as you start opening the windows more, the humidity will go down.

This kind of problem is typically worse with apartments that are not insulated or don't have double-glazed windows (but it's also possible with super-modern properties with lots of insulation, if they're air-tight and don't install ventilation or air recycling). If you keep your windows closed all the time (common in winter) then more humidity gets trapped inside. So ventilation is also a big deal: opening windows (or having trickle vents), and having extractor fans in your kitchen and bathroom. If you dry your clothes indoors, that increases humidity. If you use certain types of heating (e.g. gas cylinder space heaters) they also produce a lot of water vapour. Dehumidifiers are not cheap to run, but if there's very high humidity, it might be worth having one. (And most AC units have a "dry" mode, which is, effectively, dehumidification without heating or cooling.)

@vidin high damp problem scrub with bleach domestos most will come off if it does put some damp bonding on  but if it does not reduce with bleach the plaster will have to come off to brick level and re plastered

Thank you.  We had it professionally cleaned and then plaster removed.  Problem was leaky roof which we hopefully had repaired.  Waiting for warmer weather to reapply new plaster.