Condensation and Mould Specialist Service
Enjoy A Safe, Dry And Cosy Home In The Winter By Preventing Mould And Condensation. Our Specialist Condensation And Mould Surveyors Can Determine The Root Cause Of Any Problem.
What is mould & condensation?
The main thing we want you to understand is that it’s probably not your fault! It’s a myth that having mould means your house is dirty. Damp has a habit of sneaking up on us, especially in older UK properties. The good news is that there’s a lot we can do to identify the root cause of the damp, rectify the issue and prevent it from happening again in the future.
The key is catching it as early as possible, to minimise damage to your property.
Mould is a type of fungus that thrives in damp and humid environments. You can get black, green and white mould appearing in patches on walls and ceilings.
Condensation is when water droplets for as a result of warm and moist air meeting cooler surfaces. Image a cold bottle of beer during a hot summer BBQ. In your home, condensation can get trapped in:
- Windows: especially single-glazed windows where the glass is cooler, attracting more moisture.
- Walls: particularly the hard-to-reach corners behind furniture where air circulation is poor.
- Bathrooms and Kitchens: where we generate a lot of steam and rapid changes in temperature.
- Attics and Basements: where ventilation is poor, and the temperature is poorly controlled.
This in turn leads to mould, as it creates the conditions for them to grow and thrive.
How does mould impact your health and well-being?
Mould particularly affects people who have allergies like eczema or respiratory conditions like asthma.
- Lung Issues: Inhaling mould spores can irritate the lungs, leading to coughing, wheezing, throat irritation and shortness of breath.
- Allergies: Mould exposure can also trigger allergies that cause hay-fever like symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, itchy eye and skin rashes), varying from mild to severe depending on the individual.
- Fatigue: Black mould (Stachybotrys) produce mycotoxins that can cause headaches, fatigue and dizziness through prolonged exposure.
- Low Immunity: Mould exposure can also impact the immune system, making you more susceptible to viral infections.
Living in damp and mould conditions in and of itself can also take a toll on your mental health general quality of life.
What causes condensation in my home, and how do I prevent it?
High humidity is the major cause mould. It therefore follows that minimising and managing humidity will prevent mould from growing. Here are common causes of high humidity:
- Water Leaks – from a rupture in the roof or the plumbing, or some other way that water is getting where it shouldn’t.
- Poor Heating – particularly in the autumn and winter months, and in rooms that are not often used.
- Poor Ventilation – especially in kitchens and bathrooms where we generate a lot of steam.
- Condensation – in single-glazed or blown windows.
The best way to avoid mould is to have good ventilation, double-glazed windows and to keep your house warm and dry. However, the root cause of each situation is sometimes hard to detect. It might look like having furniture backed against a wall is what’s causing the mould, but the moisture may be coming from a water leak spreading from a different part of the house.
Which is why we recommend a thorough damp survey of your entire home, to identify the root cause of the problem and eliminate it once and for all.
What does a mould and condensation survey involve?
The first and most essential part of a condensation survey is examining all surfaces and areas inside the home. We measure humidity levels, and temperatures of surfaces such as walls, flooring and windows using specialist tools: hygrometers, laser thermometers and thermal imaging.
This way, we get an accurate read of where humidity is high, how it’s generated, and where it travels and settles. While the worst affected areas may show obvious symptoms, it’s important to determine its true cause. For example – there may be a patch of mould in the corner of the living room and it would be easy to assume that the damp is sourced in that spot. But actually… it could be humidity travelling from the kitchen and settling where it meets the cool wall and forms condensation.
We also check humidity levels outside the house, and in ‘hidden areas’ like the loft and in the crawl space under the floorboards using specialised tools as well as visual assessment.
FAQs on Mould and Condensation
What is the difference between condensation and other forms of damp?
Condensation is when water droplets form as a result of warm humid air making contact with a cool surface. Rising damp comes from moisture from the ground, and penetrating damp comes from water leaking into to the building from the outside.
You’ll find condensation on surfaces like windows and walls, while rising damp tends to be localised closer to the ground. Penetrating damp appears in patches or stains, while rising damp shows tide marks and salt deposits.
What should I do if I find mould caused by condensation?
We recommend getting a thorough, independent damp survey completed.
First, you’ll need to identify the true source of the condensation, and that it is in fact not another form of damp. Sometimes, a damp problem can be caused by multiple things. If you don’t address the problem at the root cause, the problem will re-occur and you may end up wasting a lot of time, money and energy on all the wrong solutions.
Once the true source is identified, then you can eliminate it. With condensation, improving ventilation, using dehumidifiers and adding insulation to walls are good solutions. Depending on the size of the area affected by mould, and the material, you may need professional help to remove the existing mould safely as well.
Our thorough survey will give you everything you need to know to:
- Identify the true cause of the damp
- Take action to stop it from recurring in the future
- Hire the right contractors to do the job safely, or
- Careful instructions for you to fix the problem yourself if this is advisable.
Get a FREE quote today.
Can poor insulation contribute to condensation?
Yes, in several ways:
- Poor insulation creates colder surfaces, particularly in the colder months. When this meets with warm humid air generated by every-day activities like showering and cooking, it creates condensation very easily.
- It also creates localised humid environments as colder areas attract moisture in the air.
- Structures with poor insulation are also more susceptible to penetrating damp.
- Homes with poor insulation are also less energy-efficient allowing heat to escape more readily. In the winter, we turn the heat up when we’re home, and leave it off when we’re out at work. This creates temperature fluctuations that create lots of warm moist air meeting with cold surfaces leading to condensation and mould.
Do double-glazed windows eliminate condensation?
(Not entirely, but they help a lot!
Double-glazed windows consists of two panes of glass separated by a layer of air, which acts as an insulating barrier so heat doesn’t escape as easily. The temperature of the inner class remains closer to the ambient temperature inside the home which means condensation is less likely to happen.
However, other factors can still cause condensation. For example:
- In high humidity environments (from cooking or showering) and poor ventilatiion, even double-glazed windows will show condensation especially around the edges.
- Extremely cold winters can cause condensation on the outer pane of the window, harbouring mould that can penetrate the wood of window sills.
When should I consider professional help for condensation and mould issues?
At any point when:
- You discover a large area of mould, which would be difficult for you to remove safely.
- When mould growth is persistent, and keeps returning despite your efforts to clean and prevent it. This indicates that you’re not addressing the root cause of the issue.
- Your health is affected, or you are susceptible to allergies and/or have an underlying respiratory condition.
- There is visible structure damage.
- You are about to sell, buy or let the home.
A thorough damp survey will give you the peace of mind knowing that you’re implementing the right solutions for the right problems.
Get a FREE quote today.
Don’t take our word for it…
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David was very helpful, knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions I threw at him last week, and there were a lot!
His feedback has saved the need for unrequired damp proof course work and will no doubt have saved our house sale from stalling. Thank you, I would have no hesitations in recommending or using David again.
Russell G. Handsworth
(Birmingham)
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With thanks for the report and your work. We will be speaking to the builder about action to try and resolve the problem.
We appreciated your warm approachable manner and your willingness to listen and are grateful that you identified condensation to be the problem after various other attempts to try and identify the damp patch had not been successful.
Rev K
(Tewkesbury)
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Thank you so much for doing our survey. I can’t get over how detailed it is, definitely worth the money. I’m glad to see there isn’t too much wrong and appreciate how thorough you were.
Elecia, whose house it was, said she was so impressed that she will try to hire you herself and you can’t get a better recommendation than that.
Elizabeth and Dennis
(Birmingham)