Condensation and mould

By Luke Smith, managing director of Build Test Solutions

VORTICE which has been based in the UK since 1977 and is part of the VORTICE Group, has seen a restructure of the UK division with newly appointed General Manager Stephen Smith. During this exciting time VORTICE has implemented a brand new management system and complete service solution aimed at the private landlord to help combat issues with mould and damp.

The Problem
Armed with the latest U-value testing equipment, and excited by the improved thermal performance data shown by the next generation SprayCork material in the lab, Corksol set out to assess the product’s thermal insulation performance as a Thin Internal Wall Insulation in a real-life situation.

The background to the testing was the UK Government’s March 2021 report on Thin Internal Wall Insulation (TIWI), which highlighted the potentially very large nationwide benefits for both energy efficiency and fuel poverty from high performance TIWI systems. The chosen test property was an 1890’s solid walled Yorkshire stone detached cottage in Halifax.

The founders of Cornerstone have a significant history dealing with fire and flood incidents and, our clear knowledge of structural and atmospheric moisture behaviour in affected buildings alongside a transparent reporting process was soon noticed by clients including NHBC, Private Surveyors and Social Housing landlords seeking to determine root causes for a reported damp, condensation and mould problem.

With these prevailing issues every winter period, Cornerstone are conscious of the need for a uniform approach that will serve to deliver credible diagnosis alongside specific guidance for building occupants and structural owners/landlords/managers with particular emphasis on the safety of those who use and occupy the buildings.

Leading British ventilation manufacturer, Vent-Axia, will showcase its latest continuous ventilation solutions at this year’s InstallerSHOW at the NEC, Birmingham (27-29 June 2023). Located in the BEAMA1 Village, visitors to Vent-Axia’s stand will be able to discover simple solutions designed to remove the risk to installers when retrofitting ventilation by ensuring compliance with the latest Part F (Means of Ventilation) of the Building Regulations. On show will be a range of continuous ventilation including Vent-Axia’s app-controlled Lo-Carbon Svara, its highly efficient Lo-Carbon NBR dMEV C, and the Vent-Axia PureAir Sense with odour sense technology.

Today’s homes are built to a set of standards, but that wasn’t aways the case with older homes. And as the UK has one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe it means that many houses don’t perform at their best. This could be due to poor insulation leading to drafts. Or it could be that solid walls are cold, leading to damp and black spot mould. Another reason could be a build-up of moisture caused by poor ventilation. Moisture is always present in the air – typically from everyday activities such as cooking and breathing – and without suitable ventilation it is attracted to the colder walls, providing a perfect environment for mould spores to grow.

To many working in social housing - and those living in these properties - it will be evident that there is a problem with a lot of the current housing stock, which is one of the oldest in Europe. Many of these problems relate to damp, condensation and mould, with The English Housing Survey for Housing Quality and Condition¹ claiming that 3.5 million occupied homes were not suitable and did not meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2020, with 4% having serious damp issues.