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Old 11-28-2018, 03:27 PM   #1
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Mould problem

Just moved to a very rainy/moist climate with my bus 2 months ago. We have a wood fire place but I'm still having mould issues. Mostly in front of the drivers seat, under the steering wheel. Haven't noticed it anywhere else yet.
How can I prevent further Mould? Is it a leak issue? Going to be scrubbing soon with vinegar but I would love some advice/help!


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Old 11-28-2018, 03:43 PM   #2
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real common place to leak...



1. - windshield seal
2. - chassis to body cowl seal (where the hood meets the body)
3. - less likely when stopped.. comes in around the wiper shaft
4. - usually ends up in water dripping onto the dash.. - clearance lights or where old school lights were on upper header above windshield...



my bluebird used to leak in all of those places...

-Christopher
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Old 11-28-2018, 05:57 PM   #3
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I have also seen where wiring was run through the firewall and not sealed up where it went through.
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Old 11-29-2018, 01:07 AM   #4
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Try a mild bleach solution, I'm not sure the vinegar will do it.
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Old 11-30-2018, 12:49 PM   #5
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I spent 3 years living in an RV outside of Seattle.

Winters would have been impossible without a. dehumidifier. We had the drain line plumbed outside to avoid having to empty it twice a day.
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Old 11-30-2018, 02:49 PM   #6
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Bleach will not work long term on porous surfaces

Neither will vinegar

A borax solution will penetrate porous materials and prevent mold regrowth
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Old 11-30-2018, 06:01 PM   #7
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Since having to rebuild my house since the hurricane I have discovered some stuff called moldstat used by professionals and approved for in hospitals.
Like 26$ for a a 16 ounce bottle that makes up to 40-gallons.
For my specific purpose on wood trusses,Sheetrock,sub flooring it says to spray the surface wait an hour wipe it off and spray again to get down to the mold roots.
A little much for your needs but for what you have I would tear that little bit of matting out find and fix the leak (looks like a firewall hood seal issue to me?) and then replace that that little bit with something more durable and appealing.
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Old 11-30-2018, 07:22 PM   #8
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Mold Armor available at Home Depot works great. I treated some very moldy leather car seats with it and the mold never came back. Just soaked the seats down with the spray. Wiped everything off with a damp rag. Redid the procedure. Seats were clean and stayed that way.

When cleaning up mold, don't forget to wear a good respirator. Some mold (e.g. Aspergillus Niger family) contains very nasty aflatoxins.
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Old 02-21-2021, 01:29 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemon View Post
Just moved to a very rainy/moist climate with my bus 2 months ago. We have a wood fire place but I'm still having mould issues. Mostly in front of the drivers seat, under the steering wheel. Haven't noticed it anywhere else yet.
How can I prevent further Mould? Is it a leak issue? Going to be scrubbing soon with vinegar but I would love some advice/help!


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I know this is an old post, but in case others come across this looking for some help - here is what we're doing to prevent mold growth. We understand that condensation is a constant thing, so we're doing our best to prevent it, and then also designing the bus in a way that makes it possible to check for it, and clean it up.

A note - mold can not grow on inorganic material. And so, if it is on metal, its growing on dust or dirt that is on the metal. It is so easy for a bus to get dusty, so tough to keep it clean! A good weekly deep clean may be necessary, you know, the kind your Mothers made you help with every Spring.

While ammonia is awful toxic, it will kill mold if on inorganic material. My understanding however, is that no product can get mold off of organic material (wood, books, cloth etc), no matter what that product says.

Our bus came mold free (though we viewed some horrendously moldy buses along the purchase journey). We still fully gutted (walls, ceilings, old insulation, floors, drivers area ... everything) with full face respirators on and cleaned our bus 100% about 100 times, and then followed another skoolie.net post advise and uses chlorine dioxide bombs (oder bombs) to kill any mold we couldnt see left on any shreds of insulation we couldnt reach in the walls.

We also followed some great advice on here from some other skoolie owners and caulked our bus silly (because of freezing temps, couldnt use the highly recommended Sikaflex or Dynotron 550, so used Dymonic) - all roof seams and all roof rivets, removed all windows, scrubbed, then resealed back into the frame, all window gaskets and, as cadillackid said, the hood to body seal. Again, with full face respirators (as one should during the use of any chemical!!!!)

I know the measures we're taking are expensive, painfully so However, chronic illness from mold growth is far more costly - and in more ways then one.

1) sealing the behind-the-scenes-wood (furring strips, framing, floor grid, underside of wood floors and up side of ceiling wood) with a water resistant sealer and then painting it with a mold resistant paint (both products linked below). Both products are not toxic.

https://www.greenbuildingsupply.com/...dustrial-Paint

AFM Safecoat - Safecoat® Hard Seal

2) making sure the bus can breath - so that things can dry out. Trying to make a bus air tight will result in a partly-air-tight-so-not-really-air-tight-and-therefor-not-breathable bus. SO rather then attempting to seal things up tight, which is impossible in a bus, we are making sure all furniture has circulation under it, mattress and cushions are resting on slats, and we will have little hidden fans running under each sofa and kitchen cabinet to improve air flow. Also wont be stuffing all spare storage space with sh!t.

3) choosing breathable insulation. Toxic spray foam exacerbates the possibility of having a partly-air-tight-so-not-really-air-tight-and-therefor-not-breathable bus. Fiberglass is also just so toxic, and very vulnerable to mold. So, we are using new zealand sheeps wool (not the rockwool, which is super toxic), which is naturally antimicrobial, mold resistant, and dries very well.

Contrary to assumptions, sheep wool breaths very well and dries well when wet (sheeps wool insulation will not react to dampness the same way a sopping wet wool sweater would). We are also using cork as our floor insulation, it is very hard so provides support, and breathes and dries well.

https://shop.havelockwool.com/

https://www.ecosupplycenter.com/prod...AaAirIEALw_wcB

4) two max air fans, which will improve circulation

5) a dessicant dehumidifier, uses very little energy, but is highly efficient. This dehumidifier (linked below) doesnt produce water, but rather burns up 85% of the humid air and then releases the remaining 15% of air as hot moist air, which can be hosed through the floor of the bus. No need for water hoses, drains, or water collection.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

6) have breathable and dryable organic mattress and pillows, and an under-mattress pad that helps the mattress breath. Also leaving space along side of mattress and head/foot of bed for mattress to breath.

Lots of brands of wool and organic cotton mattresses w organic latex, I pasted one below. Read about what makes a mattress breathable.

https://www.mattressinsider.com/matt...MaAjC6EALw_wcB

https://happsy.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAps...kaAmVAEALw_wcB

7) Avoiding propane, as that adds to condensation. Using electric stove (as much as we love gas, its just too risky) and a wood stove for heat. Diesel heater is our back up heat.

8. leave those holes in the floor behind that little lower wall, the ones you cant see. They allow for drainage (but be sure to cover with a mesh screen so bugs dont get in!).
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