In wall tank with mold issues. Who's a pro?

[widebody2]

I need some help with my in wall tank that I have recently setup. Its only been up and running 3 weeks and already has some mold growing....I thought I had done plenty of preventitive stuff but I guess I was WRONG.

This is a pm I sent in a different forum to a guy who used to build in wall tanks: Any help is appreciated.



Well you hit it on the head....I have some mold growing above the tank already. I will take any advice you can give.

The tank has been filled with water probably less than 1 month. I have the glass canopy that covers 95% of the water....the only opening in the glass is where all my tubes enter the tank and I keep a towel over that. 75% of the sheetrock is the mold resistant stuff for bathrooms but I did leave one regular sheetrock board that was already part of the existing wall (bad idea) this is where the mold is and also I think I have a small amount on some of the dug fur 2 x 4 s that I used.

I did leave a fairly wet towel up there for a few days so I am hoping that was the source of the mold and not the tank itself but that is probably wishful thinking.

Do you think enough condensation will still escape the tank to cause mold even though it is almost entirely covered with glass?


I can not vent the enclosure to the outside but I do have 2 large openings that go to my basement and as of right now the cabinet doors are still missing so there is a gaping hole that leads to the living room but the mold was still able to grow so I guess those 3 holes were not good enough.

Do the holes need to be way higher up than the tank for better ventilation? My holes are just above the tank and one is even below.

I was planning on using an oil based primer on as much of the inside of the wall as I can get to. Do you think using the truck bed liner would have any benefit over using the primer?

Do you remember what type of fans you guys were using and where I can pick one up? I am slightly worried about a noise issue with the fan.

Hey man I would appreciate any tips you can give me.

Thanks

Patrick

 

[Chris_A]

Just a thought but once you kill off the mold (not sure of a fish safe way... sorry ) maybe look into 2 part Epoxy. Again not really fish safe though... I'm pretty sure the fumes would do in the tank...

All things considered you might be better off takeing down the tank until you can seal everything properly no matter what route you go.

Chris

 

[Kalavek]

Any progress on this problem? This thread slipped by me up until now. I'm not a pro, but I'll put in a suggestion or two.

Painting the interior of your tank enclosure may help limit mold and mildew from getting into the drywall and the surrounding structures (it won't stop in that cavity, it'll move to adjacent spaces), but I think that might be a case of treating the symptom and not the cause. Also, there is a very high probability that you won't be able to coat the inside completely.

I would suggest you investigate two things: forced ventilation of the enclosed areas around the tank, and improving the seal on the top of the tank.

Specifically, can you modify your tank's lid to be more or less air-tight? In theory if you can direct the evaporation through a tube and out of the enclosure, this would really help reduce the amount of moisture building up.

Forcing dry air into and out of the enclosed area with a fan will help a lot more - water vapor isn't going anywhere if the air isn't moving. Keep in mind you don't want to force the air into adjacent walls or rooms, so you would need to install an intake vent and an exhaust vent - I would install the fan on the exhaust vent to pull the air out rather than push it in. The important part is that you prevent water vapor from collecting on surfaces, so lots of air movement is needed - an additional circulation fan or two inside the enclosure would help keep the water from depositing on surfaces.

 

[widebody2]

So this is my 8 month update. I have a fan that runs on a timer every night. I have not had even a hint of mold since I killed that first outbreak. I actually am quite positive it was caused by the damp towel that I left up there anyway. Tank is great. I'll post some pics