tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580987459140037495.post6486320677591977646..comments2024-03-18T10:29:20.125-08:00Comments on TriloBoat Talk: Spore Wars: Winner Takes AllDave Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13241033623115158564noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580987459140037495.post-23034073248820888242012-03-07T15:51:07.015-09:002012-03-07T15:51:07.015-09:00Hi Ben,
Very interesting article!
As I understoo...Hi Ben,<br /><br />Very interesting article!<br /><br />As I understood it, the recipe was 7 parts white vinegar to 3 parts water plus elbow grease.<br /><br />They didn't mention it, but since it works by crossing the spore membrane, a film of solution (delivered by a sloppy wipe) that was allowed to sit for a bit would afford more saturation, and more working time. We've done that with bleach, but not vinegar... sounds like we've been barking up the wrong tree. <br /><br />This spring, we'll give vinegar the... ahem... ACID test!<br /><br />DaveDave Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13241033623115158564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580987459140037495.post-49798668576064186602012-03-05T17:24:30.087-09:002012-03-05T17:24:30.087-09:00Ha.. that talking blob of mold sounds like us when...Ha.. that talking blob of mold sounds like us when we got to NZ. But at least the boat was lovely if somewhat mouldy, a Holman 28 called "Wild Chorus", one of the nicest sea boats I have sailed, and extremely well set up for offshore work.<br /><br />Found this interesting article:<br />http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/02/25/3149028.htm<br /><br />The gist of the article is that bleach doesn't kill mold well, just bleaches it. But vinegar and methylated spirits scrubbed in can actually explode the mold cells and work effectively, Though the black stain can still be visible. <br /><br />I didn't know that Meths worked as a mold killer, this is good to know because it drys so much quicker than anything else. I always thought bleach was the gold standard mold remover, but maybe it's not. Sounds like some essential oils work (eucalyptus,cloves etc) might have to give them a try on the shower grout.<br /><br />One thing I worry about is the mold gaining resistance to whatever chemicals I use, so I like to rotate them.<br /><br />As you can see you have touched on a subject dear to me, I can put up with lots of mess, but I absolutely hate mold, having seen the damage it can do to a boat and the difficulty of removing it.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />BenBenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05436730113185275906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580987459140037495.post-22751464158020765282012-03-05T16:06:02.072-09:002012-03-05T16:06:02.072-09:00Hi Ben,
You're right about the insulation bei...Hi Ben,<br /><br />You're right about the insulation being a major impediment to mold, reducing condensation, as it does. <br /><br />(I got side-tracked from including that, I see... thanks for pointing it out, and I'll update the post.)<br /><br />A relevant book is THE WARM, DRY BOAT by Roger McAfee... ventilation is a big part of his approach, and he's got a lot of great methods.<br /><br />RE coming back after bleach - I haven't noticed that it comes back any SOONER after bleach... it does tend to come back in the same spots, in my experience, regardless of cleaning method. My theory is that the conditions that are favorable to its growth stay favorable, unless something is done to change them.<br /><br />That trip sounds scary! I read a horror story when I was a kid, about a guy who rows ALMOST out of the fog to hail a becalmed ship, begging food. Tells a tale of shipwreck on an island covered with mold and weird growths. He and his wife have some provisions, but when they run through them, there's nothing left to eat but... the MOLD. He won't come alongside to take on the food, so they float it to him on a line... as he rows off, the fog clears a bit and the horrified crew sees a clump of indefinite green, bobbing over the oars.<br /><br />SCRUB, SCRUB, SCRUB!!!<br /><br />DaveDave Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13241033623115158564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580987459140037495.post-53706620109861794362012-03-05T15:26:10.573-09:002012-03-05T15:26:10.573-09:00Mold.. Yucky.
I once had a nasty experience with...Mold.. Yucky. <br /><br />I once had a nasty experience with mold, delivering a 28 footer from Brisbane to Wellington across the Tasman. When I arrived the boat had been sitting in the tropics fully closed up and half sunk for the best part of a year. With every surface black with mold I hit it with a water blaster, threw out any fabrics on-board, binned all the books and then started scrubbing, one week later the boat seemed livable, so off we went, but the mold had other ideas, and as soon as we got to sea it spread to all the new books, clothes and anything else that it could get it's nasty claws into. Absolutely horrible the way in two weeks the mold took over the boat, and it makes me wonder what it has done to my lungs. Since then I have been really careful of the stuff. <br /><br />My two favorite weapons are insulation and good ventilation. Both do not need much input on my part and have other benefits. But I do worry about what can happen inside/behind the insulation if it is not sealed like you recommend, though it is a pretty dead air space so hopefully the mold spores wont get in.<br /><br />I used some of that toxic anti mold paint on the headliners and inside the headliner where the foam insulation is. so far so good, no mold yet(6 years) but maybe poisoning from the toxins... The boat has pretty good ventilation and insulation and I almost always cook with the hatch open. <br /><br />One very experienced guy I sailed with preferred to use a scrubbing brush and detergents to deal with mold saying that after using bleach it would just come back? I use a combination of scrubbing first then bleaching, Followed by vinegar. That ozone shock treatment sounds good.<br /><br />You have written about a very important part of living aboard, one often forgotten about, until it's become a big problem.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05436730113185275906noreply@blogger.com