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RambleOn2
  1/27/2019 14:50 EST

One might assume construction quality improves the newer the building, I'm not one to assume, and not real friendly with mold.

What proven options have been discovered for improving older structures? Of course there are dehumidifiers, (but you're still suffering until they are finally able to make a notable difference,) painting over concrete walls. What other options?

Morell
  1/27/2019 14:59 EST

Friends of ours had the interior walls lined with some kind of product that absorbs the moisture. They said it worked well but was expensive. The closest I could find on Mercadolibre was
https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-453992085-placas-anti-humedad-garantia-10-anos-firma-escrita-_JM?quantity=1

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Expat91364
  1/27/2019 18:51 EST

If you don’t want mold n your house it is fairly simple.

Deny it a food source (anything organic which includes dust unfortunately) and humidiy.

Now considering it is often 60% humidity outside or more just opening a window or door invites mold in and it will grow on most things, brick is not an organic food source but painted brick is, as are your clothes,shoes furniture etc,

So how do you stop mold inside? Run an air conditioner or dehumidifier and stop sources of moisture inside. Hot steamy showers, mopping the floors, cooking, gas stoves and heaters, breathing, perspiring etc etc. And of cours stop all water and air leaks from outside.

If you are getting mold on walls and ceiling in the summer let me know but if you are getting it in the cooler months that is condensate from interior humidity condensing on the cold exterior surfaces since the houses aren’t insulated well.

Heating your home can reduce the condensate but again you must reduce interior moisture or insulate the home to not let the interior walls get cold.

Construction projects to insulate a home and reduce moisture migration from the outside and vent moisture from the inside will be very expensive and still might not work. Did you know that many houses here have no vapor barrier below the floor? That damp sand will always migrate moisture into the inside. You can create Sheetrock walls with an air gap and insulation but really the exterior of the house needs a breathable Tyvek or equivalent skin, or apply mold free panels which will be very expensive and depending upon your humidity levels may not help you. Far cheaper in the short term is to use a dehumidifier or your split heat pump if you have them and get on the doble ta tarifa program UTE has then run the units only at the really cheap rate but run them every day and get a humidistat to monitor your humidity levels. Of course a good kitchen stove hood and a bath exhaust fan are a great idea too.

On really dry days outside open everything up and vent the house too.

Realistically you have to look at what makes the most economic sens pe for your particular home.

And no, new construction here may not help you as they don’t really understand how to control air migration or insulate properly...

RambleOn2
  1/28/2019 14:44 EST

Thankyou. I appreciate the info!

@Morell, how long ago did your friends have that done? I'm wondering about longevity and upkeep. Also, thanks for the link :)

Morell
  1/28/2019 14:51 EST

Only a year or so but they plan to have more installed when they can afford it.

focus
  1/30/2019 08:27 EST

Hi RambleOn2. You could also consider an inch of spray foam on the exterior walls. They can make it look just like stucco and it insulates as well as retards infiltration. Costs about $25/sqm. last time I checked.

There is almost nothing you can do to completely seal an older house barring putting vapor barrier on the inside wall, insulation and drywall because the walls are not cement, they are "field brick" which is about the crappiest building product known to man. Very porous, hence a magnet for moisture and practically impossible to truly seal.

Newer construction from products other than field brick and cement is much more comfortable than the traditional bone-chilling, damp caves Uruguayans admire so much.

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Morell
  1/30/2019 09:22 EST

Our house is brick - unpainted inside and we never get mold. When we bought it, we had an architect look at it and they told us never to paint inside as the walls allow the moisture from inside to evaporate through the walls. We were very careful to use a breathable exterior paint when we painted it for this reason.
Right now the humidy indoors is 76% and temp 79F/ 26.6C but with a small fan and the windows open it feels fine.
Unless you have a way to remove the moisture produced by humans, I don't think you want to seal up the house.
Many houses have uninsulated concrete roofs and are tiled or painted inside, so there is nowhere for the moisture to go.

papajohn
  1/30/2019 09:49 EST

A 76% relative humidity level is very high. Sure, you've become accustomed to the high RH levels because you've been here for so long hence you've become acclimated. A humidity level that high does cause damage over a relatively short period of time. The place for the humidity to go is into a dehumidifier as mentioned by one of the resident sages Vortice who runs them constantly. Mitigating humidity is the name of the game here and it's a year-round effort. Ask your architect.

login2
  1/30/2019 11:00 EST

... ALL such 'issues' can be avoided IF one builds sensibly ... WHAT IS 'sensibly'(?) -- a COB structure with Lime Stucco and LIME replacing 'Portland' in all applications ...
(don't forget that Portland did NOT exist a hundred years ago, and there are buildings from 'way back when' ...
MUCH lower cost too ... (!!) and sleeping like a bay ... !!

Morell
  1/30/2019 11:04 EST

Damage to what?

We have paper items,books, leather goods, clothing etc stored in cupboards with no mold all year.

papajohn
  1/30/2019 12:15 EST

High humidity damages on clothes, food and other stored items. Dry foods can draw in moisture and quickly go stale if humidity exceeds 60 percent. High humidity can have a variety of negative effects on common integrated circuits. Continual operation in humid environments can decrease the insulation resistance in electrolytic capacitors, for example. Transistors can also experience increased leakage current and reduced gain, as well. However, the most problematic exposure of electronics to humid environments involves the formation of condensation on internal components. If a device is moved from a cool environment to one that is warm and humid, circuit boards may become coated in moisture. If the device is powered before this condensation can evaporate, short circuits between component interconnects can lead to device failure. High humidity levels can also affect allergies and complicate respiratory diseases brought on by certain biological agents such as mites and mildew. Mold, mildew, and mites all thrive in environments that are high in humidity. So Morell, if you have a relative humidity level in your house of 76% like you claim and you don't have any damage, then either your hygrometer needs calibrating or ??? but there is absolutely no way that it is not causing any damage such as that listed above at that level of high humidity. Ask your architect.

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login2
  1/30/2019 12:51 EST

.... AMEN!! --- TOTALLY CORRECT ---
other than your last sentence ...
(such is like asking your White-coated 'EXPERT' about Health ... !!!

Morell
  1/30/2019 15:06 EST

If we ever have any problems I will look into it. So far we have not.

Thanks for your concern.

RambleOn2
  1/31/2019 04:25 EST

As always I appreciate the information, and thank everybody for putting forth the effort!

Vortice
  12/30/2020 08:21 EST

The all too common lack of a vapor barrier under the floor can be addressed by applying an adhesive membrane (like Sika) on the existing floor and putting new tile over top. Not exactly cheap and easy, but it is effective.

carlitos
  12/30/2020 08:24 EST

There is a need to put on the walls too.

Vortice
  12/30/2020 17:42 EST

I have wondered about using an elastomeric paint on the inside as a vapor barrier on walls. It was suggested to me to paint the exterior with this which would be a huge no-no. Hs anyone tried this and been happy?

Expat91364
  12/30/2020 18:02 EST

Moisture migration from the outside in may cause the paint on the interior to fail.

Why were you told that the elastomeric on the outside was such a no-no?

Vortice
  12/31/2020 05:11 EST

A career in construction tells me no-no. Assuming that the roof does not leak, most moisture comes from inside the house and condenses on cold surfaces such as walls. As long as this condensation is on the surface and does not penetrate the walls all is good. This is why we put up a continuos sheet of plastic over studs and just under the drywall, to keep the inside of the wall dry (insulation, wood etc. This vapor barrier differs from the floor vapor barrier only in that the floor moisture comes mainly from outside the building. A converted shipping container is a perfect example; the steel exterior is a 100% vapor barrier causing condensation and mold inside the walls/insulation. We hope to insulate the outside of our container, possibly using wire mesh and 3" thick aircrete, covered by stucco. It would do wonders for alleviating the "container blight" on the farm as well.

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