Mildew smell in walls

[Unregistered-avalon199]

My 1947 clapboard colonial has a strong mildew smell coming coming out of the north-side wall – on all three floors – my husband says we should just paint the walls with Kilz to keep the smell contained in the walls – but isn’t the rot inside? HELP!!!

[Faron79]

Using Kilz to “help” would be like shutting the door to stop a tornado from hitting your house!
* I’m not trying to be gloom&doom here, but this could be serious!
* Older homes have settled wall insulation, unseen leaks, etc., etc.
* The North side rarely receives much sun to keep things dryer.
* Therefore water-vapor transmission is pretty heavy in these situations…which only feeds the mold.
* Have an inspector do some tests in a few areas…prob’ly has to drill a couple holes here & there.
* It’s entirely possible you may have to tear out these walls. There’s no other method to clean INSIDE the walls.

Here’s hoping!
Faron

[Author]

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