Evaporation/ mold!!

[patrick]

I have a 150 cube with a 20 gallon sump. I'm going through 20 gallons of kalk top off a week. Last winter(Wisconsin) we got black mold in the corners of a few rooms.
The tank is located in my living room so adding a exhaust fan would not be doable. I was thinking about buying a big dehumidifier for My basement
However I'm not sure if it will do anything for the humidity upstairs. Also would this cause more evaporation in my aquarium?
I couldn't imagin having a bigger aquarium the humidity would be insane
Any advice would be much appreciated
Thanks

 

[thehammer1985]

A dehumidifier would definitely help I would also look at your insulation though if it's happening during the winter time. Does snow melt off your roof or stay?

 

[143MPCo]

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/mold-control-946-ml/949056

You have a few problems with this scenario, lack of adequate humidity exhaust and the fact that you already have a mold problem from it.

Mold growth commonly occurs in your bathroom, particularly on the grout or caulking around your shower. Mold removal is not easy, and while there are some products on the market that remove mold without the use of harsh chemicals, most people still mistakenly reach for the bleach.

The inherent problem with using bleach is that bleach most often does NOT kill mold. It does however do a fantastic job of bleaching mold white, so that it blends right in with your grout and caulk. Just because it has a new color doesn’t mean it’s still not there growing. Steam cleaners actually kill mold. The high temperatures kill mold while the bristles of brush attachments can help remove it from cracks and hard to reach places. And, because steam actually penetrates the pores of the surface you are cleaning, it cleans deep to kill and remove mold, instead of just bleaching the surface.

If you are not familiar with steam cleaning, the concept of cleaning with just water and heat may seem a bit strange, but the use of a quality steam cleaner is a great way for your health.

If you can't find or rent a steamer, the link I provided above will help you kill what's already present, next you will need to figure out how to exhaust the excess humidity out of your home a dehumidifier will work but will also add evaporation as noted above. I exhaust my system externally via a fan to the outside of my home.

 

[AlexG]

There are a few things to look at. First do you have the sump covered? Is there a canopy on the tank? This is a first line of defense to lower the amount of evaporation. Second where the mold is growing have you felt the walls in that area during the winter? If there is a big difference between the wall temperature and inside temperature that might be causing condensation which can cause mold to grow. If that area of the wall is extremely cold in the winter there might be an insulation issue in the house. Have you checked the house humidity to see how high it is?

 

[thehammer1985]

I would definitely be looking at insulaton especially with all the information you've given I mean there are a lot of options for stopping evaporaton from the tank but I would also be looking elsewhere such as in the walls especially of you have blown in insulation it settles very far down. Check your soffets to make sure insulation isn't butted tight up against it if necessary apply those corrugated sheets in between the joists. Check attic insulation and venting. As stated up there the steam cleaning and be sure to wear a mask . Repriming with an antimold primer such as kills is also a good step to prevent future mold