Mold can be harmful to health as it can release dangerous spores that can then be inhaled. Furthermore, mold attacks the building fabric and furnishings and often results in expensive renovations. It is therefore important to avoid mold as much as possible. The air-Q mold risk calculator can be used to calculate the risk of one of the main causes of mold - condensation on the inside of (poorly insulated) exterior walls.
The mold risk calculator determines what relative humidity is reached on the inside wall of the house. If the relative humidity on the inside wall is too high (dew point is then very close to the inside wall temperature), condensation can form and the wall becomes damp. A mold probability is derived from this.
Information on using the mold risk calculator
The U-value (heat transfer coefficient) of your house wall can be found in the building documents for your property. For rented apartments, you can ask the landlord for the U-value. The lower the U-value, the better the thermal insulation.
Example U-values are
- Single windows: 5.9
- Concrete wall (25 cm): 3.3
- Bricks (24-36 cm): 1.5 - 0.8
- Windows to passive house standard: 0.8
- Windows with thermal insulation glazing: 1.3
- External wall made of solid wood: 0.5
- External wall made of aerated concrete: 0.23
The internal thermal resistance is assumed to be 0.13 m²K/W. If, for example, furniture is placed directly in front of the wall in question, the thermal resistance can increase significantly, leading to an increased risk of mold.
We are continuing to work on improving the air-Q mold risk calculator and are open to requests and suggestions for improvement.
The air-Q mold-free index continuously calculates the current mold risk by taking into account the humidity and temperature values measured by air-Q and calculating an index value. A high index means a low risk of developing mold; a low index means an increased potential risk of mold.
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