Update to my mold question

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 12-01-2009, 02:42 PM

So last night when Mr. Husband arrived home we inspected the master bathroom. Turns out the exhaust fan leads to nowhere! That would explain why there is mold on the shower walls. So tonight we are headed to Lowe's and purchasing a very nice, heavy-duty exhaust fan for each of the bathrooms, a dehumidifier for each of the bedrooms (those will come in handy year-round for us), a space heater for the master bathroom to help after showers and we are re-carpeting the bedrooms and the hallway. The carpeting would sometimes feel damp after somebody took a shower, and better to take care of this mold problem before Baby Q arrives.

We had planned to re-carpet soon (and yes, we were saving for it), this was just the final kick in the booty we needed. Oh the joys of owning a home.

I really want to thank each of you for your suggestions! We're going to do our best to keep our home mold-free.

**fixer** · 12-01-2009, 02:56 PM

Make sure you properly size the fans for your bathrooms. Calculate cubic feet for each and decide how they will be vented. The length of the duct will matter in determining the correct size of fan needed. They should be vented to the outside, not just in the attic.

**Surilda** · 12-01-2009, 03:39 PM

I don't have anything to add. I just wanted to say that you
and Mr. Husband look pretty spiffy in your avatar picture.....

**miss_thrifty** · 12-01-2009, 08:43 PM

I agree love your avatar. I know some place when u buy or rent u think their hooked up their not at all. I glad u found out in time.I agree with fixer, need certain size plus when its put in try and see how good the suction is by putting up a kleenex and see how well it stick to the lid when its on.

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 12-01-2009, 10:08 PM

We bought the biggest/baddest/best exhaust fan they make. A bit bigger than what we need, but since there is no windows and no other ventilation in the bathroom, hopefully it works.

And thanks about the avatar. It was for the Marine Corps Ball this year - I was 6 months pregnant in the photo.

I have to update about the dehumidifier. Once again bought the biggest/baddest/best one they had. The humidity in our master BEDROOM was 70% and it has dropped to 57% in the few hours we've had the dehumidifier.

ETA: I figure if we spend the extra $50 now, we can potentially save ourselves a lot of money redoing the walls and ceiling of the bathroom.

**Libby** · 12-03-2009, 12:57 AM

Seeing that you mentioned you were going to redo the carpets....if your floor is 'pretty' enough...why bother with carpeting at all? Maybe an area rug here and there instead? Just thinking of potential mold again.

**miss_thrifty** · 12-03-2009, 09:03 AM

sixof diamonds- thats great that u got what u needed. this should solve the problem and no more mold.

**Russ** · 12-03-2009, 09:32 AM

be wary of running those dehumidifiers too much. The compressors in them are energy hogs and will increase your electricity use as much as a refrigerator.

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 12-03-2009, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by rcannon

be wary of running those dehumidifiers too much. The compressors in them are energy hogs and will increase your electricity use as much as a refrigerator.

Our electric isn't too bad here, we only pay about $100/month and we have electric heat/AC. However, the dehumidifier puts out heat and because it's in our master bathroom we can drop the thermostat!

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 12-03-2009, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by Libby

Seeing that you mentioned you were going to redo the carpets....if your floor is 'pretty' enough...why bother with carpeting at all? Maybe an area rug here and there instead? Just thinking of potential mold again.

I don't know quite what you're meaning by this. If our carpet is pretty enough or the under-flooring is?

We're taking the carpet out because it's quite probable that mold spores are in it. I don't think we'll have a mold problem in the future because we know now how to prevent it. We have never lived in an area that could potentially grow mold before. We're replacing the carpeting because we will have a baby here in March of 2010 and eventually crawling on the floors. Only half of the house is carpet, the other half is hardwood and tile.

ETA: Also - because of my husband's job, we have to have the house in constant sell-able mode in case he gets stationed elsewhere and we simply have a month or two to sell the house.