Higher Elevation = Mildew? (Hilo, Honokaa, Pahoa: house, tenant, live)

[crash1122]

Is it true that on the Big Island, the mildew is worse the higher up you go? We are looking at a property that is about 2600 Ft elevation, on the Hamakua Coast. It seems there will always be mildew on the rainy side, regardless of the elevation, but I seem to recall reading a post in here stating you should never go higher than 1500 Ft?


Any thoughts?

[leilaniguy]

My house in Leilani was at about 900' and black and green mold were thick everywhere, same with all my neighbors. I should own stock in Clorox.

[crash1122]

Thanks for the response, Leilaniguy. Looks like the mold is unavoidable, no matter where you live! You would think the mold would be worse, at the lowest elevation, closer to the ocean!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

I think there are a number of factors. Where we live near South Point, we receive less rain than Puna or the Hamkua coast. Also, we get a steady trade wind, so air circulates well through the house. We are at 1400 foot elevation and receive more rain than our neighbors at 900 foot elevation.

All that being said, we have no problems with mildew. Last year was particularly wet, so we did see a little mildew, but easily wiped off and didn't come back.

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

I think there are a number of factors. Where we live near South Point, we receive less rain than Puna or the Hamkua coast. Also, we get a steady trade wind, so air circulates well through the house. We are at 1400 foot elevation and receive more rain than our neighbors at 900 foot elevation.

All that being said, we have no problems with mildew. Last year was particularly wet, so we did see a little mildew, but easily wiped off and didn't come back.

I live up the road from Dreaming and at a bit higher an elevation, 2200'. When it's particularly wet I get a bit of mildew on anything suede leather, but that's about it. I just wipe off the vest and chaps and I'm ready to party.
No mold on the walls or anything like that.

[hotzcatz]

The house we were in before is pretty much as the same elevation as the one we're in now. They're only about a mile and a half from each other and at the same elevation. The first house is an older Hicks Home and the walls are unpainted fir, oak floor, canec ceilings, nice ventilation and no mildew. It was built in 1972. When we moved in, it had been untenanted by less than six months.

The current house was built in 1952, it has the same vertical T & G fir walls, but they're painted, currently no ceilings but we're working on that, ventilation but vegetation up close to the house and a high hedge on several sides. and a huge mildew problem. The house was vacant for several decades and it had a lot of mildew before we moved in. We've been knocking it back, it may become much less after all the walls are cleaned and repainted. There was mildew on the screens, I think. Cleaning those helped a lot.

In any case, there was huge differences in mildew and none of it was from elevation.

Clorox slows it down but doesn't stop it. We've had much better luck with painting things with paint that has mildewcide in it. Clean with Clorox then paint and no more mildew.

[smarino]

A lot depends on air flow and which direction things are facing. If something isn't getting any direct sun or breeze there's a higher risk. Having lived mostly in the South on the mainland (where many places, especially Florida, have much higher humidity), I didn't think this would be a problem in Hawaii because generally the humidity is lower. That turned out to be wrong. Not sure why, unless it was because I lived mostly in Hilo, which gets a lot more rain than anyplace else. Things don't really get much chance to really dry out, which will stop mold but not kill it. We get it on the side of our home in St Pete, but only on the side that doesn't catch the sun. One would think that at higher elevations (on the Hilo side anyway) you might get more mold problems because upslope gets more rain.

I remember throwing a leather belt into a top closet shelf in Pahoa. When it was pulled it out a month later it was green! Vinegar will kill it. Bleach just makes the outside look better, unless you're using chlorine bleach. Make sure you have good ventilation and/or a respirator w/ that though.

[arleigh]

There is a paint called Killz that takes care of the mold problem I lived in Big bear Lake California 7,000 ft elevation, and mold can grow any where almost .
I have painted rooms that typically would get mold and after painting no more mold.

[smarino]

Killz is a great product. Just make sure you kill the mold/mildew and let it dry out properly before you use it, as it's mold resistant and not a mold killer.

[Arktikos]

Depending on how far up the coast you would be at that location, it could be extremely wet. The higher you go on the windward coasts, typically the wetter it gets due to the orographic affect of rising air cooling and losing its moisture. The wettest areas are around the elevation you're looking at.

Closer to Hilo, that elevation would see 200+ inches a year. Way further north, near Honokaa, it may be a bit drier. So, mold and mildew would be difficult to avoid. Air circulation and sun exposure, as previously mentioned will help.

From my own personal experience, Kilz helps, but doesn't entirely prevent mold on painted surfaces in windward Big Island locations. My spot averages about 145-150 inches at 600 ft.