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Getting rid of mold - should I install a HRV?

last month

I live in a small apartment in a brick building (three small rooms and one bathroom, totaling 50 square meters). The climate here is quite humid. Summers can be very hot, while winters are mild, usually between 0°C and +5°C, rarely dropping below -5°C. We recently installed plastic windows, but since there is no ventilation anywhere in the apartment, we’ve started having problems with mold. The windows and walls are constantly wet, and the interior wall coating is of very poor quality.

I have a dehumidifier, but even with it, the humidity remains around 65-70%. I suspect the thermal insulation is poorly done, but since the affected wall is an exterior facade of the building, I can’t fix it from the outside. There is currently no heating, but I plan to use an air conditioner for warmth. There are no ventilation specialists available, so I’ve been considering installing a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). Is this the correct thing to do?

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Comments (4)

Sigrid
last month
Air conditioning removes moisture from the air. You can get units that do not also cool.
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A Mat
last month
I use a couple of ocsillating fans, they run pretty much 24/7.365. A humidify, at California rates $0.50 per KW, was expensive.

Funky smell is gone.
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Well no, you should get a positive ID for the pest, then select a control regimen. Not the other way around. Is there not some expert in your area that can make a correct diagnosis for a few bucks? Treating when you don't know what you are treating is another thing that does not compute for me. As I said, mealy bug is a greenhouse pest in all but the most tropical of places. Cottony scales of many species exist and I suspect this is what you have there. So, if you are able to make certain of that, then you can reach for suggested control regimens. But you're trying to do it backwards....treat the problem, then try and figure out what it is. That's bound to fail. Many types of scale insects can be controlled with horticultural oil. Timing of application can matter, as it is the "crawler" stage of these insect, basically the immature moving to set up shop somewhere on the plant.=, where they are moist vulnerable. But the oils can work even without this timing, because they can smother the insects and in some cases, even their eggs. So that might be one thing you can do, but really, you need to first identify what you are seeing.
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PRO
Minardi
last month
last modified: last month
Sounds like Portugal. You have to both remove humidity, add a fresh air supply, and move the dew point outside of the interior of the home, with insulation. An uninsulated masonry wall is always an issue as masonry is porous, and water's capillary action will always find it's way through. That's typically handled with a moisture barrier plus insulation to the interior of the home, making the rooms smaller. Like framing out and waterproofing a basement. Because that is essentially what you have: an above ground basement.
Irina Joy thanked Minardi
Irina Joy
Original Author
last month
That's what we've been imagining, yes.

I plan to insulate the ceiling and walls with basalt wool. My idea is to reinforce the surface with a primer, then cover it with polyethylene film, and finally add the basalt wool on top. However, I’m concerned that in such conditions—humidity, lack of sunlight, and dampness—mold could start growing within the insulation, and we wouldn’t even notice it.

Additionally, I’m unsure how effective a 5 cm layer of basalt wool will be for insulation and soundproofing. If I understand correctly, installing 5 cm of basalt wool would require a 10 cm frame.
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