Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Vacant House

I have a vacant house that I went into today for the first time in probably a few months and noticed some white areas on the kitchen wooden cabinets. It wipes off, but I think it's more than dust. I should have taken pictures and maybe I will go back and get some. Could it be the start of mold growth? I had a humidity meter in a bedroom that showed 55%, and I moved it into the kitchen to see if it is the same. Should I get a dehumidifier? The house is probably no more than 1300 square feet. Will 1 dehumidifier in a central location work? What's your advice?

There’s another white material that looks like mold but it’s not. Learned this with my basement. If it dissolves in water it’s NOT mold

i would get two dehumids

Well I went back and took pictures. It's worse than I thought. Humidity still at 55%. How do I stop it?


https://postimg.cc/gallery/K36RxNL

you either need to keep the air set on a lower temp or run a couple of dehumidifiers.

Yeah that doesn’t look good. I’d spray everything down with mold killer and start running dehumidifiers

You need to get the ones that you can attach a hose to and run in the drain

My grandmothers house had this when my parents moved in. They sprayed everything with a mold treatment spray and run the fan on the a/c to help dehumidify the house. It went away as far as I know. But they’re living in it now.

Thats aspergillis (sp) its where penicillin comes from. You need to crank the a/c down to nearly painful cold and run the dehumidifier. The a/c will dry the air and the cooler temps will help the dehumidifier work better. But the real problem is figuring out how to keep the moisture out so you can stop running the a/c hard and dehumidifier. The stuff you can see needs to be cleaned up obviously.

What temperature should I set the AC to? Is currently off. I'll run it until I get dehumidifiers. I'm guessing they will be cheaper to run.



I was just looking at them online and saw that option. I have no idea how much water a dehumidifier will produce. It's there a chance of algae stopping up the line and causing water to get in the house?

I’m assuming since it’s vacant you haven’t been running A/C. A house will sweat and mold if not temperature controlled. Set the a/c at 72ish maybe 74 clean it all with bleach. It’ll be fine.
Probably don’t have a good vapor barrier either.

My cabin was starting to do this during hot rainy summers. I cleaned it up good and started leaving a window unit on eco, auto, and 78 degrees.....also leave a few ceiling fans on low. I haven't had any issues since.

I’m not schooled up on the algae piece but mine usually runs for a day to day and a half tops before needing dumped. You get a hose on there and it can run all the time

That’s definitely your problem if the AC is off. If it was my place, I’d crank the AC down to around 69-70 for a day or so to really all the humidity out, then I’d keep it at 74-76 max, maybe bump up a little higher when the heat really kicks in this summer.

Needs airflow. Right now it's basically a petri dish

As stated, you need to control temp and humidity. Address the source of moisture first. For non-porous surfaces, use a moldicide such concrobium to kill it. Bleach is not recommended.

Well I ordered a dehumidifier. Went to turn the AC on and the digital thermostat batteries were dead. Went to town and picked up batteries and mold killer. Installed batteries in thermostat and it still didn't even come on. Just my luck! Not going back to town, so I ordered a thermostat. Also spent this afternoon spraying mild and wiping clean.

Most of y'all seem to recommend running AC/ HEAT year round? Will the dehumidifier alone not prevent mold? Would running ceiling fans help without AC? I have limited income. Not looking to increase my monthly power bill ~$250 if I can help it.

Maybe I should consider renting it, but I'm afraid I would find somebody that trashes the house instead of caring for it. Idk

A properly sized AC that is functioning well in a properly insulated house will prevent mold without a dehumidifier.

So you have a house that's livable, and you're not making cash on it? Just find a good renter. You're leaving $1,000/mo+ on the table. Seems like an easy decision to me, especially with the vacant house issues you're having.

Well until my thermostat and dehumidifier come in, should I open windows and turn on ceiling fans?