Problem with onduline roofing

[Sue]

I seem to have a problem developing with the black onduline roofing in my covered run! There is airflow near the roof, but there are lots of white patches developing, some furry white patches! Condensation does develop on the inside of this, which I don't understand either, but now these white patches are developing! Anyone have a similar problem or suggest any way of getting rid of it or even why it would be forming in the first place!

 

[Margaid]

Furry white stuff is usually a type of penicillin mould and indicates there isn't sufficient airflow - we had it on some roof timbers where the contractors forgot to fit the eaves venitlators. Have you used the eave edge filler or have you left the edges open? How enclosed is the run? Mind you, with the current weather conditions nothing gets a chance to dry out. We filled a narrow gap at the top of an internal wall in a weatherproof part of our builidng works with lightweight blocks that were soaking wet. That was several days ago and the blocks are still just as wet.

 

[Marigold]

I agree with Margaid that this is a mould of some sort, I think it's to be expected in this wet cold weather, but if its on the roof where the chickens are not affected its probably nothing to worry about so long as the rest of the house is dry inside and the walls and nestboxes are not running with condensation. The ventilation from under Onduline is good, and it would be a pity to block it up. I expect it would come off with mould remover but you 'd have to be careful if using this near to the birds because of the bleach fumes, especially in the short days when they are in there a lot.

 

[chrismahon]

We had a big problem with a severe chest infection due to mould on the roof. You need to wipe it over with a disinfectant Sue to get rid of it quickly. We used neat poultry shield which worked.

 

[Margaid]

Was that black or green mildew Chris or the white mould that Sue seems to have? We tried living in an old caravan that was on the farm but it had mildew (black mould) which aggravated my asthma. When we had the white fluufy stuff on our roof timbers analysed as penicillin, we were told it was not harmful. I think I would try and remove it by wiping it off with some sort of disinfectant (I used dilute ammonia for mildew)when the birds aren't underneath it. Do remember thought that Onduline is bitumen based so try it on an unimportant area, or an offcut, firstt.

 

[Sue]

It's only in the run, not in the house luckily! There is airflow because we've left the area under the eaves open. Most of the sides are enclosed with clear plastic corrugated sheeting, as we do in the winter, but remove in the spring/summer, but there is still airflow through the gate. As you say, everything is damp at the moment and doesn't really get chance to dry out. Their house is dry and doesn't seem to have the white mould on the onduline and the walls aren't damp. The newspaper is a bit damp in the morning, but only the top few layers. I thought I might try to wipe it off with just warm water and washing up liquid. Will have to wait until next weekend now though. I'll let you know if this works.

 

[chrismahon]

It was black Margaid and made Frankie so ill I thought that was it. Never seen white.

 

[Margaid]

In which case it was probably mildew or one of the other nasty moulds that cause health problems in humans Chris

Thinking about it, I think some of the offcuts of Onduline that had been lying around outside for months had some white stuff on them. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that it's a "natural" product. I'd use something a bit stronger than washing up liquid Sue like dilute bleach, but test it on an unimportant bit first - you want a roof not a colander!