I could do without this - damp loft

[janeyo]

Our old house was bigger than this one so as a result our loft is pretty much full. It's got suitcases full of clothes as we don't have wardrobe space, baby toys, bigger toys (waiting for re-use), baby things (pram, 2 car seats, bouncer, swing chair etc...) an egyptian carved table.....

It's all mouldy.

I cried yesterday. (OH said there was no point crying as it wouldn't help!)I know it's just 'stuff' but most of the baby things are sentimental and (bloody dear to replace) and the table is irreplaceable as it was grandma's.

Apparantly the loft has a type of insulation that isn't used anymore as it causes damp problems.

OH is going to see if we can claim off the insurance for the things, total damage found so far over £400. And that's not including 6 suitcases full of clothes and 6 bin bags of baby clothes and baby bedding.

I can really do without this at the moment

Need virtual hugs - janeyo

[jackie j]

You have my hugs janeyo can any of it be washed I dont know if this will help or not.
Hope you get it sorted.
huge hug in fact bear hug

[Flummery]

Some kinds of mould will wash out - hope you can salvage something - and don't forget to add the value of the clothes to your insurance claim.
Thinking of you.

[zazen999]

Big bear hug from me too.

I lost all the stuff from my childhood [including stuff we brought back from Canada, loads of photos etc] when my ex decided to batter me and I had to leave in a hurry. It's not nice losing 'stuff' - and I do still get upset 15 years later.

[janeyo]

Insurance co says we aren't covered for this as it comes under ' maintenance' or something should have been something we knew about. Despite only beeing here 10 months and this being our first winter in the house.

Might have another little cry!

Good news thought, the pram isn't mouldy! Saved!

janeyo (I LOVE my babies pram)

[PAULW]

JANEYO
I would be very tempted to change my insurance company if I was you, with a snotty attitude like that I would spend my money else where and let them know why I was changing companies.

[SarzWix]

Oh Janey You have my sympathies

My mum lost a load of stuff in a barn fire, lots of family history papers, stuff from our childhood etc. It was only stored there temporarily while they were getting some work done in the loft. The insurance refused to pay out because the stuff shouldn't have been in the barn Although none of it would have been replaceable anyway.

If I was you, I'd carefully go through everything, washing/cleaning whatever you can, perhaps you'll be able to salvage some of it?

big ((((HUGS)))) for you, glad the pram is ok

[Hilary B]

Is it TYPE of insulation or that it is so placed as to prevent ventilation? Did you get a survey done? If so, was there any mention of inadequate ventilation/risk of condensation? If you paid for someone to inspect the house (other than just a mortgage valuation) and no mention was made of any such thing, the survey was not properly done.
A lot of the stuff is probably not as badly off as its appearance might suggest. Mould always looks worse than it really is.
The other important point is, if the loft is that damp, it needs sorted before the roof timbers start to suffer....
Check that any tanks up there are lidded as well, and if there are extractors to bathroom etc, make sure they don't end in the loft.

[Two_Sheds]

My stuff used to go mouldy just inside my flat(s) ...

[Flummery]

Our first flat was like that Two-Sheds. Even in winter we used to go outside for a warm!

[Johnny Appleseed]

Very good advice from Hilary B

Is it TYPE of insulation or that it is so placed as to prevent ventilation? Did you get a survey done? If so, was there any mention of inadequate ventilation/risk of condensation? If you paid for someone to inspect the house (other than just a mortgage valuation) and no mention was made of any such thing, the survey was not properly done.
A lot of the stuff is probably not as badly off as its appearance might suggest. Mould always looks worse than it really is.
The other important point is, if the loft is that damp, it needs sorted before the roof timbers start to suffer....
Check that any tanks up there are lidded as well, and if there are extractors to bathroom etc, make sure they don't end in the loft.

You really must identify the cause of the mould and eradicate it jayneyo.

Mould spores can get into the lungs and cause all sorts of breathing problems both in the short and long term. Anyone with asthma or breathing problems could be at risk.

Mould usually indicates a lack of ventilation and excessive moisture content in the roof space. There is also the possibility of a roof leak. The roof timbers will suffer if allowed to be damp for too long - they start to get white mould on them - and then early signs of rot appear.

Please don't delay in having this checked out - it could be expensive to ignore. I know it's a worry - but please don't leave this too long in having it checked out.

Sorry, rant over - it's the day job you see...... :-)

[SarzWix]

Our first flat was like that Two-Sheds. Even in winter we used to go outside for a warm!

Our caravan was like that too (the thing we lived in, not what we went on holiday in ), all our books and spare clothes lived at the M-i-L's for a while til we got a flat sorted out.

[janeyo]

Thanks all, it has been a stressful weekend.

The loft has been checked and all the vents are open as they should be. The insulation is only half the current recommended depth so we have ordered some more. Half price at the mo so only £110 for it (eeek, shame it's so near xmas and it's such an expensive time of year). The stuff that goes under the roof tiles is the stuff they don't use anymore as it's not breathable.

OH has been doing a lot of investigating and we found out that there was a passage from the utility to the loft with all the hot air from the condenser tumble drier going straight up, so OH has boarded it up. He has also sealed all the holes in the loft from the airing cupboard etc to stop the warm air going up, and is investigating a new loft hatch. He is also going to see if the soil pipes are vented wrongly through the loft as that could be a problem too. So been busy!

The survey didn't show anything amiss in the loft, and the house is only 25 yrs old so we think it's a recent problem.

Good job we found it now so we can sort it and stop the prob and save some of the things up there! We are also having extractors fitted in the bathrooms as there aren't any. And we gonna try and winch the dehumidfier from OH's old damp flat up there to see if we can dry it out quicker - god knows how we will get it up there!

Funny thing is both my boys and OH have had really chesty coughs for about a month that they can't shift and now I think it's due to the damp so so glad we found it.

janeyo

[Hilary B]

You really must identify the cause of the mould and eradicate it jayneyo.

Mould spores can get into the lungs and cause all sorts of breathing problems both in the short and long term. Anyone with asthma or breathing problems could be at risk.

Mould usually indicates a lack of ventilation and excessive moisture content in the roof space. There is also the possibility of a roof leak. The roof timbers will suffer if allowed to be damp for too long - they start to get white mould on them - and then early signs of rot appear.

Please don't delay in having this checked out - it could be expensive to ignore. I know it's a worry - but please don't leave this too long in having it checked out.

Sorry, rant over - it's the day job you see...... :-)

Yeah, mine too<g>. OH is FRICS, and does surveys for purchasers, and I assist. The commonest problems are to do with inadequate ventilation. Over half the houses we look at have insulation blocking ventilation to the roof, and quite a lot also have unlidded tanks, or extractors that end in the roofspace etc.
While looking in the roof, also check that any water tanks up there (especially plastic ones) have a PROPER base, so that the whole of the bottom of the tank has something under it (strong plywood is the easiest of the good options) No overhangs, no gaps underneath.
You probably remember story about the tank that gave way and spilled loads of hot water over a baby several months back. If it had had the right sort of base, it would not have collapsed so suddenly and completely, whatever the faults in the heating system.

[Hilary B]

Thanks all, it has been a stressful weekend.

The loft has been checked and all the vents are open as they should be. The insulation is only half the current recommended depth so we have ordered some more. Half price at the mo so only £110 for it (eeek, shame it's so near xmas and it's such an expensive time of year). The stuff that goes under the roof tiles is the stuff they don't use anymore as it's not breathable.

OH has been doing a lot of investigating and we found out that there was a passage from the utility to the loft with all the hot air from the condenser tumble drier going straight up, so OH has boarded it up. He has also sealed all the holes in the loft from the airing cupboard etc to stop the warm air going up, and is investigating a new loft hatch. He is also going to see if the soil pipes are vented wrongly through the loft as that could be a problem too. So been busy!

The survey didn't show anything amiss in the loft, and the house is only 25 yrs old so we think it's a recent problem.

Good job we found it now so we can sort it and stop the prob and save some of the things up there! We are also having extractors fitted in the bathrooms as there aren't any. And we gonna try and winch the dehumidfier from OH's old damp flat up there to see if we can dry it out quicker - god knows how we will get it up there!

Funny thing is both my boys and OH have had really chesty coughs for about a month that they can't shift and now I think it's due to the damp so so glad we found it.

janeyo

A couple of years ago now we did a survey on a house then 14 years old, which someone had misguidedly put boards on the underside of the rafters, and there were other ventilation/condensation problems as well. We advised that the boards were removed to allow proper inspection of the timbers, and went back a week later to see. The timbers were just starting to rot, and if it had gone on uncorrected another 5-10 years, the rot could have become a serious structural problem (as it was, things improved immedately our suggestions were implemanted). Ventilation is VERY important!