Pesky mould. Please help!

ELM327

....... wrote: »

The Fire Brigade recommend you dont run appliances such as mentioned at night as they are fire risks.

Har dee har har.
That gave me a laugh. Why would they come inbuilt with timers so??


Care to give any link to substantiate such ridiculous notions.

punisher5112

ELM327 wrote: »

Har dee har har.
That gave me a laugh. Why would they come inbuilt with timers so??


Care to give any link to substantiate such ridiculous notions.

Appliances are known to go up.

Look what happened across the water, a fridge killed nearly 80 people and destroyed a whole high rise building.

There is a risk with any appliances and especially dryers.

LotharIngum

punisher5112 wrote: »

Appliances are known to go up.

Look what happened across the water, a fridge killed nearly 80 people and destroyed a whole high rise building.

There is a risk with any appliances and especially dryers.

So now are we to turn off our fridges at night?

Life is a 24/7 thing these days you know. We don't all keep the same hours.

punisher5112

LotharIngum wrote: »

So now are we to turn off our fridges at night?

Where did I say that.

It is recommended not to use other appliances when sleeping to cut the risk, dishwasher also known to go up.

These things happen but obviously not every day but still there is a risk.

I would recommend plenty of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms too.

LotharIngum

punisher5112 wrote: »

Where did I say that.

It is recommended not to use other appliances when sleeping to cut the risk, dishwasher also known to go up.

These things happen but obviously not every day but still there is a risk.

I would recommend plenty of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms too.

The example you gave was of a fridge going up and killing 80 people.


SMoke detectors and co detectors go without saying.

punisher5112

LotharIngum wrote: »

The example you gave was of a fridge going up and killing 80 people.


SMoke detectors and co detectors go without saying.

It was just to highlight that appliances do catch fire and of course this risk is higher if used at night and one is asleep, they may never wake.

Another thing people never do is vacuum the rear of their appliances such as fridges especially as dust and dirt building up can cause it to over heat.

ELM327

punisher5112 wrote: »

Appliances are known to go up.

Look what happened across the water, a fridge killed nearly 80 people and destroyed a whole high rise building.

There is a risk with any appliances and especially dryers.

He claimed there was a fire brigade references to not run devices at night.


I have not yet seen proof of this, so therefore will deem it hogwash until shown otherwise. What nonsense, should I turn off everything at night? Even my sky box that is recording american football? My car charging at night? Preposterous.

listermint

ELM327 wrote: »

Har dee har har.
That gave me a laugh. Why would they come inbuilt with timers so??


Care to give any link to substantiate such ridiculous notions.

Erm,

Its a known thing not to run them at night time.

Have you ever done a fire course in your place of employment. The bulk of house fires are caused by white goods such as Washing Machines.

These are facts.

Im glad though you are so glib about it, This is where you / your family sleep.


Make sure you have fire extinguishers throughout the house and test them often not just a button test , test them with a bit of smoke and if you can get connected alarms (new smart ones) that all go off when one goes off.


And have a fire evac plan that the kids know especially if you live in a 2 story or an apartment.

listermint

ELM327 wrote: »

He claimed there was a fire brigade references to not run devices at night.


I have not yet seen proof of this, so therefore will deem it hogwash until shown otherwise. What nonsense, should I turn off everything at night? Even my sky box that is recording american football? My car charging at night? Preposterous.

For example, in the UK Tumble Dryers and Fridges cause around 60-70 fires per week.

This occurs due to bad maintenance and bad installation where people push the units up against the socket behind it and the plug is melted over time which leads to the plug being degraded and overheating allowing electrical fires.

Im actually surprised someone would dispute this advice

Perplexing!!!!

Furthermore the fire brigade advise against over night running of washing machines and tumbledryers because you are ASLEEP in bed and reactions are next to zero.

I believe the dishwasher is top 3 in Ireland of Fire sources.

Yes the actual Dishwasher Surprising aint it?!

punisher5112

ELM327 wrote: »

He claimed there was a fire brigade references to not run devices at night.


I have not yet seen proof of this, so therefore will deem it hogwash until shown otherwise. What nonsense, should I turn off everything at night? Even my sky box that is recording american football? My car charging at night? Preposterous.

Fire safety is all about switching off anything not needed and it also does save electricity.

What you could do to cut this is put in timers and then have it that it's off when not needed.

LotharIngum

listermint wrote: »

Erm,

Its a known thing not to run them at night time.

Have you ever done a fire course in your place of employment. The bulk of house fires are caused by white goods such as Washing Machines.

These are facts.

Im glad though you are so glib about it, This is where you / your family sleep.


Make sure you have fire extinguishers throughout the house and test them often not just a button test , test them with a bit of smoke and if you can get connected alarms (new smart ones) that all go off when one goes off.


And have a fire evac plan that the kids know especially if you live in a 2 story or an apartment.

You are told to plug out all appliances at night. TVs, phone chargers etc

Nobody does this. And saying at night is overkill. Im asleep in the day for every second week. They say this for the sake of saying it. Simply if its plugged in it might catch fire. Same as if you drive a car you might crash.

You don't need to plug out appliances at night. The risk is there that youll die from an electrical fire, but its small. Probably smaller than dying while driving a car.

LotharIngum

punisher5112 wrote: »

Fire safety is all about switching off anything not needed and it also does save electricity.

What you could do to cut this is put in timers and then have it that it's off when not needed.

I had a timer catch fire once. Well it melted. It was the timer that was faulty not the lamp plugged into it

punisher5112

Isn't it better though to cut down on that risk.

listermint

LotharIngum wrote: »

You are told to plug out all appliances at night. TVs, phone chargers etc

Nobody does this. And saying at night is overkill. Im asleep in the day for every second week. They say this for the sake of saying it. Simply if its plugged in it might catch fire. Same as if you drive a car you might crash.

You don't need to plug out appliances at night. The risk is there that youll die from an electrical fire, but its small. Probably smaller than dying while driving a car.

Did you read anything i wrote.

If you are asleep your reactions are next to zero and most people are dead before the fire gets to them. (they never wake up)

and no one is counting on your personal shift work.

Its not that the appliances themselves are more dangerous at night. Its the fact the house is full of people and they are all asleep!

Basic logic....

LotharIngum

punisher5112 wrote: »

Isn't it better though to cut down on that risk.

It is, but lets be honest about it. If it was dangerous it would be illegal.
It is riskier, but riskier relative to a very tiny risk.

As I said, more risk in you dying or getting injusred in your car driving to work than there is dying when an appliance goes up. But we don't ban driving because of this risk.

Lets use our heads and not over dramatize these risks.
Im going to continue using my dehumidifier at night. If you don't want to then up to you, but I wont lose sleep worrying about you dying because of it.

punisher5112

LotharIngum wrote: »

It is, but lets be honest about it. If it was dangerous it would be illegal.
It is riskier, but riskier relative to a very tiny risk.

As I said, more risk in you dying or getting injusred in your car driving to work than there is dying when an appliance goes up. But we don't ban driving because of this risk.

Lets use our heads and not over dramatize these risks.
Im going to continue using my dehumidifier at night. If you don't want to then up to you, but I wont lose sleep worrying about you dying because of it.

Jaysus lad, I'm not having a pop at you and of course we all leave things on.

You asked was this true and we have told you it is.

There are risks everywhere but funnily enough the house is actually one of the most dangerous place to be.

.......

ELM327 wrote: »

He claimed there was a fire brigade references to not run devices at night.


I have not yet seen proof of this, so therefore will deem it hogwash until shown otherwise. What nonsense, should I turn off everything at night? Even my sky box that is recording american football? My car charging at night? Preposterous.

Loads of proof - its mostly common sense though.

https://www.housing.gov.ie/community/fire-and-emergency-management/fire-safety/kitchen

The above link tells us:

Electrical Appliances
Electrical appliances cause a number of domestic fires every year.
Make sure that all electrical appliances are properly maintained and installed by a qualified person.
Never overload electric sockets as it is a major fire hazard.
Contact an electrician if cables are worn or damaged or simply replace the item.
Avoid leaving them operating overnight. If you intend to leave them operating overnight then they should be in rooms separated from the main escape route by a closed door.
In the event of a fire which is in an electrical appliance or socket/wiring, turn off the power at the main isolation switch but only if this can be done safely without delaying the escape.

That is advice issued by:
National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management
The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government

The very briefest of a google throws up:

http://www.familyfriendlyhq.ie/family-blog/dublin-fire-brigade-share-terrifying-warning-reminding-people-not-to-charge-phones-while-asleep

https://www.housing.gov.ie/community/fire-and-emergency-management/fire-safety/fire-safety-your-home

http://firesafetyweek.ie/fire_safety_tips/en

Ive no idea why you have such an attitude when its mentioned? Hogwash? I mean - this is really basic stuff. Please do some research yourself if you think that basic fire safety in the home is nonsense and hogwash. Dublin Fire Brigades twitter is constantly warning people about appliances.

I lost both of my parents in a house fire so I am very fire safety aware. I only hope you never have to suffer the effects of a house fire.

.......

LotharIngum wrote: »

If it was dangerous it would be illegal.

Thats not true at all.

If dangerous stuff was illegal we wouldnt have cars, alcohol, smoking, sport etc...

LotharIngum

punisher5112 wrote: »

Jaysus lad, I'm not having a pop at you and of course we all leave things on.

You asked was this true and we have told you it is.

There are risks everywhere but funnily enough the house is actually one of the most dangerous place to be.

Good. We are all on the same page so. You are unlikely to die by dehumidification.

ELM327

....... wrote: »

Loads of proof - its mostly common sense though.

https://www.housing.gov.ie/community/fire-and-emergency-management/fire-safety/kitchen

The above link tells us:


That is advice issued by:
National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management
The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government

The very briefest of a google throws up:

http://www.familyfriendlyhq.ie/family-blog/dublin-fire-brigade-share-terrifying-warning-reminding-people-not-to-charge-phones-while-asleep

https://www.housing.gov.ie/community/fire-and-emergency-management/fire-safety/fire-safety-your-home

http://firesafetyweek.ie/fire_safety_tips/en

Ive no idea why you have such an attitude when its mentioned? Hogwash? I mean - this is really basic stuff. Please do some research yourself if you think that basic fire safety in the home is nonsense and hogwash. Dublin Fire Brigades twitter is constantly warning people about appliances.

I lost both of my parents in a house fire so I am very fire safety aware. I only hope you never have to suffer the effects of a house fire.

Using the link you posted it states "If you intend to leave them operating overnight then they should be in rooms separated from the main escape route by a closed door." Which of course they are, as they are in the closed off kitchen/utility area. Or in the case of the car charger, outside.

Fire safety is not hogwash but expecting people to turn off appliances overnight very much is. I'm sorry about your parents, genuinely that must have been an horrific experience, but it does explain your inherent bias.


I think given that sensitive context I'll agree to disagree and leave you with that to be honest.

Kissy Lips

This thread has gone off the rails. I don't think that the mould is due to your clothes drying since you have a good dehumidifier and keep the windows open occasionally. I would look at the wall outside for damp. Is there a flat roof connected? Is the downpipe broken, letting all of the rainwater straight onto the wall? Is something connected to the wall outside where the mould grows?

.......

ELM327 wrote: »

Using the link you posted it states "If you intend to leave them operating overnight then they should be in rooms separated from the main escape route by a closed door." Which of course they are, as they are in the closed off kitchen/utility area. Or in the case of the car charger, outside.

It says that right after it says to avoid operating them at night. Which is the context being discussed.

ELM327 wrote: »

Fire safety is not hogwash but expecting people to turn off appliances overnight very much is.

You quite explicitly claimed that my post stating the advice was not to run appliances at night was hogwash and nonsense and you didnt believe it until you saw proof.

I have given you proof. No hogwash.

ELM327 wrote: »

I'm sorry about your parents, genuinely that must have been an horrific experience, but it does explain your inherent bias.

I think given that sensitive context I'll agree to disagree and leave you with that to be honest.

Its not about bias and it is so long ago now that you can dispense with worrying about being insensitive about it.

Its simply common sense. I switch off appliances at night. I switch off and unplug as much as I can going to bed. This is what everyone should be doing.

Its genuinely not hogwash - its just being smart and taking the steps you can to mitigate against the risks of fire at night.

loyatemu

ELM327 wrote: »

You can only wear so many clothes, I wouldn't stand for running any of those devices more than once a day!

5 people can wear a lot of clothes.

boyoutofhell

OK, so seeing how this got off track, here is the anti-mould protocol I've put in place for the past weeks.

1. Use the dryer on its highest settings for all things not silk or delicate fabrics. That gets them only about 80% dry because my washer/dryer is sh*t and I'm never ever buying Hoover appliances again.
2. Dry the rest of the 20% + delicate fabrics in the bathroom with the door closed. My bathroom barely fits a standard drying rack if I open the shower door so it's perfect. Plus it has an electric fan radiator mounted on the wall which helps with drying. Cannot use the toilet while this is going on but, oh well, sacrifices must be made.
3. Use the dehumidifier and ceiling fan in the bathroom while clothes are drying so it absorbs the excess moisture.
4. Dry iron. Steam iron only if needed and only with a window open and dehumidifier nearby.
5. Always use the extractor even if I'm boiling water to brew tea.
6. Air the house as much as possible in the morning and night right before bed. When possible, leave one ore more windows open vertically.
7. Wipe condensation off all the windows EVERY morning with dry paper towels.
8. Take showers only with the ceiling fan on and the dehumidifier blasting nearby.
9. Use the dehumidifier pretty much non-stop throughout the day (I personally don't like to run it overnight since it makes noise and I'm a light sleeper).
10. Use dehumidifier mostly near the bedroom wall which seems to be where most humidity is coming from. Since the closet is affixed to it, open closet doors wide and let the dehumidifier to its thing so I don't get mould on my clean clothes anymore.

And that pretty much takes care of the mould problem. I've seen some small spots appear here and there on the ceiling but nothing too menacing. All in all, if someone had told me I would have to have a protocol in order to keep mould at bay before moving to Ireland, I would've laughed. Now I kinda want to cry a little tbh...

ELM327

I find with using a dehumidifier that I have no more condensation on the windows.
I ran it non stop for 4 days (day and night) and it took in 4 litres in each 24 hour period.

Now I'm just running it at night. Humidity has gone from a shocking 80% down to ~40% in dry weather and 50-60% in wet weather. I can strongly reccomend using an antibacterial dehumidifier.

fash

boyoutofhell wrote: »

10. Use dehumidifier mostly near the bedroom wall which seems to be where most humidity is coming from. Since the closet is affixed to it, open closet doors wide and let the dehumidifier to its thing so I don't get mould on my clean clothes anymore.

And that pretty much takes care of the mould problem. I've seen some small spots appear here and there on the ceiling but nothing too menacing. All in all, if someone had told me I would have to have a protocol in order to keep mould at bay before moving to Ireland, I would've laughed. Now I kinda want to cry a little tbh...

Frankly that sounds more like something worse than “normal Irish weather” - it sounds like there is a permanent leak somewhere - is there a flat roof or balcony somewhere? You should probably talk to your landlord.

spectre

OP, are you sure your dehumidifier is working properly? How many litres of water are you extracting per day?

bilbot79

ELM327 wrote: »

I can vouch drastically for this product too,
Works a treat, but make sure to ventilate the area well as it's very damaging to your airway (speaking from experience!)

Is that bleach based?

katiek102010

That’s not normal to have to do that, I have never had to use a dehumidifier in any flat or apartment I have ever rented.

The only place I have ever had a mould issue in was an old cottage that wasn’t renovated properly, had no damp proof course in extension and no insulation