dealing with mold

[Anonymous]

I just noticed the tell tale signs of mold growing in a corner of my fish room, now unsure if this is due to the room's humidity or maybe it was some splash that got there and just left the area wet (since I Dont see it anywhere else).

I'm curious will wiping the area down with a bleach solution be sufficient? Or are there other steps I should do?

 

[Anonymous]

I have had pretty good luck with mold resistant paint.

The only problem is that I have a lot of tanks in my fishroom, and I can't get to all the areas that need painting.

 

[Anonymous]

HD sells some mold sprays. Spray it on the towel to control the spray as not to get anyin the tank.

 

[rayjay]

I have so many tanks, the ceilings were all mouldy and the windows and doors had to be replaced because of the wood rot.
I installed an HRV and that took care of things.
If you don't have cold winters like I do you can probably get by with a great ventilation fan.

 

[DKKA]

Rayjay,
What are your summers like? That is when humidity is a problem for me. (in the winter the furnace pulls all the humidity out of the air.) I've been thinking of getting an HRV for a while now. I used to have tanks in the basement, but had to pull most of them due to humidity.
Is an HRV effective in places with hot humid summers?

Dan

 

[rayjay]

An HRV is meant for wintertime use mainly.
However, I have the A/C on today and I also put on the HRV to at least get fresh air in the house.
The A/C cools the house and drys up the air a lot, and the HRV transfers the temperature of the outgoing air to the incoming air via the manifolds and, precipitates the moisture out of the incoming air as it is being cooled down.
As for temps and humidity, Southwestern Ontario is known for the humidity as we are surrounded by the Great Lakes.
Temperatures for instance today were 29C and tommorrow through Wednesday are said to be 32 going down to 31, followed by high 20's again.
Probably not a lot different than what you experience.
Winter is worst for me as the condensation forms on the windows and cooler parts of the ceilings, and around doors, etc.....
Summer humidity is high, but it doesn' t show on the parts of the house; it only irritates me as I don't like heat or humidity.

 

[sailmike]

Sounds like mildew. Is it like the black stuff you see in showers? They don't like airflow. This is a common problem on sail and power boats. The problem is solved on boats by increasing airflow into the area.

What is an HRV?

Mike

 

[DKKA]

Rayjay, thanks for the reply!

When the a/c kicks on all the time, like it has this summer, then I don't have problems. But on more mild days, and especially in the spring, it gets gross in the basement.

Can it be set up to pump out the stale/humid air from the basement and deliver the fresh air up to the rest of the house?
Also, how effective is it in removing the humidity from incoming air in the summer? The outside air gets so humid here, I'd hate to be adding more humidity than I am removing.

Thanks again.
Dan


Mike,

HRV= Heat Recovery Ventilator. It's an air exchanger for adding fresh air to your house, but without removing the heat.

Dan

 

[rayjay]

Dan, I have mine set up so that the outgoing air is taken at the ceiling level where temps are the hottest, and the incoming air is plumbed to the cold air duct at the furnace. I leave the furnace fan running 24/7/52 so the incoming air is always being drawn through the furnace and distributed throughout the house.
I don't know the efficiency of water removal from the incoming air as too many factors apply, like temperature difference and actual humidity level just to name two.
IMO, just the fact you are replacing stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air should be an inprovement.
Even before the HRV installation, I always ran the furnace fan year round just to keep the air circulating throughout the house.
When your A/C is not on in summer, your windows and doors are probably open, so concern about adding more outdoor humidity is a moot point.

 

[DKKA]

IMO, just the fact you are replacing stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air should be an inprovement.

That makes sense, especially if I add more tanks in the basement and then set it up to pump out the warm humid basement air.
Thanks Rayjay.