Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ok, we've been here two years now. Our first house was in West Asheville next to a creek bed and we lived there for 18 months. After about a year there, we started noticing mold on many things, including furniture and clothes. We had to throw a lot of stuff out. We got dehumidifiers, and it helped.
Five months ago we moved to Fairview, where we now live. We are most of the way up a small mountain, altitude about 2500 ft. Feels dryer here, but not trusting it. Is there any reason to think we won't have a problem with mold here? Or should we just expect it and turn on the dehumidifiers? We don't use A/C, just fans and open windows.
Ok, we've been here two years now. Our first house was in West Asheville next to a creek bed and we lived there for 18 months. After about a year there, we started noticing mold on many things, including furniture and clothes. We had to throw a lot of stuff out. We got dehumidifiers, and it helped.
Five months ago we moved to Fairview, where we now live. We are most of the way up a small mountain, altitude about 2500 ft. Feels dryer here, but not trusting it. Is there any reason to think we won't have a problem with mold here? Or should we just expect it and turn on the dehumidifiers? We don't use A/C, just fans and open windows.
Bilbono, maybe give a call to a local mold inspector. I believe their inspections are reasonable $, and you can get some tips from him. I'm not sure a dehumidifier would be the answer, but running the a/c would be less $ than running several dehumidifiers. This unusual heat wave is supposed to break this weekend, and temps in the high 70's coming for Sunday.
You could always spot check the humidity level in your house with one dehumidifier, moving it from room to room.
We are at 3,800 ft but have a lot of trees around us and are situated just above the headwaters of the Watauga River. We have one room in our house that gets no direct sun and is more humid than any other area of our home. In the summer, we run a dehumidifier in that room for a few hours most days.
P.S. We never turned on our central AC last year, and haven't used it so far this year.... been tempted over the past week.
Bilbono, maybe give a call to a local mold inspector. I believe their inspections are reasonable $, and you can get some tips from him. I'm not sure a dehumidifier would be the answer, but running the a/c would be less $ than running several dehumidifiers. This unusual heat wave is supposed to break this weekend, and temps in the high 70's coming for Sunday.
Looking forward to those 70s! This heat wave is killing us, but still not as bad as Texas. When we bought this old farmhouse in January, it was a complete remodel and we decided not to put in A/C because we only used A/C five times last year, and that was down in a valley in west Asheville where it's (slightly) warmer. We used convection heat for the winter, the kind of heaters they use in Canada and Europe, and they worked great. But we may need to rethink this A/C thing!
You could always spot check the humidity level in your house with one dehumidifier, moving it from room to room.
We are at 3,800 ft but have a lot of trees around us and are situated just above the headwaters of the Watauga River. We have one room in our house that gets no direct sun and is more humid than any other area of our home. In the summer, we run a dehumidifier in that room for a a few hours most days.
P.S. We never turned on our central AC last year, and haven't used it so far this year.... been tempted over the past week.
I will buy a hygrometer then, thanks for the suggestion. I read if humidity stays below 60%, you probably don't need one.
Good to know you don't need a dehumidifier in most rooms that get sun. Our main room of concern gets good sun. Our last house with the problem got little sun.
We don't seem to have mold but on our lower level can get mildew on many things, back of the doors, in the closet where there is no air circulation. When it is like this with heat and humidity we turn on the air for that level. Normally don't use it in the rest of the house unless temps. get over 90 then I start to wilt. We have noticed the dehumidifier cranks up the electric bill as much as the AC with no cooling benefit. Humidity is the price for all the green foliage, just wish it would rain. Air wet, ground dry.
As you seem well aware, interior humidity is the biggest factor for the type of mold you have experienced and have concerns about. There are many things you can do to help bring interior humidity down. I would suggest investing in a high quality hygrometer (humidity meter). Dont fall for a cheap version as they can be inaccurate. Only by measuring stuff can you truly begin to improve it.
In the big picture, think of your home as a system. The foundation and ground around it can play a heavy influence. If you have a vented crawlspace, check out the recent encapsulation thread if you havent already. If you have an older basement, you might want to take measures to mitigate ground moisture from the interior but absolutely make sure your gutters and downspouts are in working order and you have positive slope away from your walls.
Source control of interior humidity generating activities is important. Use your vent fan or window when showering, and keep the bath door closed. Keep it closed till most of the moisture has dissipated. Use your kitchen vent hood when cooking, but it has to be vented outdoors. If it's not, consider this upgrade when renovating and pay close attention to CFM rates and vent hood capture efficiency.
In my keeping cool in the summertime blog, I touch on the night-time flushing techniques to reduce using AC. I avoided the issue of mold with this technique. It depends on the weather but when you are flushing less humid air from indoors with more humid air from outside, you arent helping the situation if having these problems.
Unfortunately, I think mechanical cooling/de-humidification is necessary in most of our climate. De-humidifiers can help with mold problems but they dont do much for comfort. AC can help with both. Basements are the place that can benefit most from the extra de-humidification. Its possible a dehumidifier down there wont affect comfort, allow you to night-time flush, and still avoid mold/mildew on finishes.
Another great option is a heat pump water heater. They help cool and de-humidify the air while being one of the most efficient ways to heat water (better than tankless NG). Basements make the most sense for them but its possible they will work well in other locations too. There is an energy penalty in the winter, but reasearch suggests a year round net benefit in our climate. The de-humidification benefits are often overlooked.
There are other more insidious forms of mold. Like those hidden behind the finishes. Proper flashing and international code minimum (or better) levels of insulation and air-sealing are the best way to deal with more hidden mold issues.
As you seem well aware, interior humidity is the biggest factor for the type of mold you have experienced and have concerns about. There are many things you can do to help bring interior humidity down. I would suggest investing in a high quality hygrometer (humidity meter). Dont fall for a cheap version as they can be inaccurate. Only by measuring stuff can you truly begin to improve it.
In the big picture, think of your home as a system. The foundation and ground around it can play a heavy influence. If you have a vented crawlspace, check out the recent encapsulation thread if you havent already. If you have an older basement, you might want to take measures to mitigate ground moisture from the interior but absolutely make sure your gutters and downspouts are in working order and you have positive slope away from your walls.
Source control of interior humidity generating activities is important. Use your vent fan or window when showering, and keep the bath door closed. Keep it closed till most of the moisture has dissipated. Use your kitchen vent hood when cooking, but it has to be vented outdoors. If it's not, consider this upgrade when renovating and pay close attention to CFM rates and vent hood capture efficiency.
In my keeping cool in the summertime blog, I touch on the night-time flushing techniques to reduce using AC. I avoided the issue of mold with this technique. It depends on the weather but when you are flushing less humid air from indoors with more humid air from outside, you arent helping the situation if having these problems.
Unfortunately, I think mechanical cooling/de-humidification is necessary in most of our climate. De-humidifiers can help with mold problems but they dont do much for comfort. AC can help with both. Basements are the place that can benefit most from the extra de-humidification. Its possible a dehumidifier down there wont affect comfort, allow you to night-time flush, and still avoid mold/mildew on finishes.
Another great option is a heat pump water heater. They help cool and de-humidify the air while being one of the most efficient ways to heat water (better than tankless NG). Basements make the most sense for them but its possible they will work well in other locations too. There is an energy penalty in the winter, but reasearch suggests a year round net benefit in our climate. The de-humidification benefits are often overlooked.
There are other more insidious forms of mold. Like those hidden behind the finishes. Proper flashing and international code minimum (or better) levels of insulation and air-sealing are the best way to deal with more hidden mold issues.
Thanks Brian. We will try the night time flushing, that sounds like a great idea. As for our basement, well, it's just a hole dug out, with dirt walls. Many holes -- it would be very hard to make it air-tight. We just noticed lots of condensation on our new water line down there, too -- don't know if that's a problem or not.
Have a professional come out and look at your basement. I suggest: Home Energy Partners or Conservation Pros. It won't cost you to have them come out and look.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
