My apartment has a loggia which used to be a balcony (it is now an extension of the living room without any separation between them – the door that was there was removed). This was done by the previous owner.
In the architectural drawing below 🙂 the parts in blue are aluminium frames and double windows that were attached to the lower and upper edge of the balcony (so mine, and the one above) and the security rail (the black vertical bars). You can see such a balcony on the last picture in this post on the facing building.
The apartment is well heated and aerated but I see mold on the loggia – specifically near the edges. As you can see on the pictures below, there is heavy condensation and the water is going down, but also on the ceiling, next to the aluminium frames of the loggia.
One other thing is that the apartment is heated from the floor, but obviously not the ex-balcony – this is a slab of concrete sticking out and cooling the living room (which is another problem). Both the upper and lower floors have similar loggias.
I would like to fix that and have it fixed by specialized companies. I would like however to get your advice in advance so not to be completely dumb when discussing with them. Specifically:
- are such cases common where there is significant condensation of water on frames?
- is this something that can be fixed with such aluminium loggia?
- or should I consider changing it → in which case what to pay attention to so that I do not end up with the same issue?
Best Answer
With the amount of condensation I see you may need to take multiple paths forward to reduce the condensation that is creating the mold growth.
The first and least expensive thing I’d to add a dehumidifier to reduce the moisture . The second thing would be to upgrade the framing and insulation. One of the window pics looks like double Pane the others look single upgrading to fully insulated windows and frames can reduce the amount of condensation further than dehumidification alone.
To eliminate the mold I would use a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide and water sprayed onto the ceiling and wood surfaces to kill the mold. The great thing about hydrogen peroxide is it doesn’t stink and when done it leaves no chemical residue it breaks down into water and oxygen.