Is my headliner killing me???

[Captned]

Every week I have to clean my AC filters. I have electrostatic filters, three in total. The one in my stateroom I sleep in everynight comes out covered in grey stuff. I mean covered. I have tried to take some pictures of the top of the headliner through the light fixture in the room. Does that look like its mold? If someone has a clue, please post your thoughts. I cant sleep through the night with out getting my nose completly stopped up. I brought in a headliner guy and showed it to him. He told me that the backing of the headliner is breaking up and filtering down through the holes. He also said for $1200 he would replace the cabin headliner, $2800 for the front half of the boat and $3500 for the whole boat. (1978 46' convertible). Does that sound right?

Any ideas?


pics to follow.

Thanks,

Captned

 

[Captned]

mo pics...

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Looks like it's time for replacement. I think the price is about right as it takes a long time to get a good job. You could try to tackle a small area yourself first and then decide. I did my salon last winter and I'll bet I have 3-4 days labor in it for two people plus the materials.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Hey Ned... that dont look like mold. If you can get your hands on a microscope youll know for sure tho... Mine is way worse looking than yours and I dont have any allergy problems with it. You may have some stuff growing in the drip pan on your AC units.
The gray stuff looks like dust bunnies from bubbas job of building the boat. That, or nest building residue from wasps etc. Just a stupid suggestion... get a bunch of hairspray, that's really just laquer, and spray above to try and encapsulate loose dust. That headliner really looks too good to pull down for a stuffed up nose!
Some of mine is OEM (1974) and is stained from oil and mildew on top but cleaned up OK and is still serviceable until I finish my project. Thats the last thing to do!

 

[Angela]

Ned, do you have onboard laundry? I had a dust problem in my forward stateroom (my room!). I had that same crud everywhere in there. When my dryer went belly up, we had to pull it out to get back there to see if it was repairable. The vent hose from the dryer was not fully connected to the vent and there was lint covering everything back there, as well as a coating of lint on hull, just outside of the vent cover.

Is your problem confined mostly to one room? You may want to check the integrity of your dryer vent if you have onboard laundry and you've not looked at it lately. Just a suggestion based upon my experience with that crud.

 

[GOLE IV]

I am not sure about the grey stuff, but before we did the refurbish of our 73 45C the admiral and the kids were always with some type of allergic or blocked nose every single time we stayed on the boat. Maintaining the beds clean was also an issue. Tried once to clean with bleach but the problem was solved for only few week

When we removed the headliner, the accumulation of dust and maybe other stuff was several times the thicker than the fabric. Unfortunately do not have a photo of this, but you will be surprise what you will find.

good luck

 

[garyd]

Your probably slightly alergic to mold and or mildew. It can be coming from the headliner or bilge or both. I replaced my headliner. I also took hot water and pinesol and made sure I hit every area of the bilge I could.

But the big payoff was when I turned the AC down to about 68 degrees for a week. After that no more problems with sneezing or stuffy noses. You have to run the AC continuosly for about a week as cold as possible.

Good luck

 

[SeaEric]

I sold a boat once because of a mold problem. I just couldn't get it all and it was causing me real problems. If the solution is as easy (?) as replacing the headliners, I say bite the bullet and do it.

 

[REBrueckner]

I'd say look behind a section of headliner and see what you find....The only alternative I can think of that might possibly work is to vacuum the headliner...a good suction should pull most loose stuff thru the holes and maybe reduce subsequent fallout. Use a new bag and inspect the inside after you finish...see what you get...

If you do remove all the headliner, consider vacuuming, then spraying with a bleach/water mix on the underside of the cabin tops to kill off any mold/mildew. Also consider insulating under there before recovering to reduce heat gain from Florida sun...celotex(as ceiling tiles), bubble wrap, and fiberglass insulation are all options....

 

[Captned]

Thanks guys, I will try everything. Ang, I dont have a washer / dryer so that aint it. I am thinking of moving up to a 53 MY so maybe that will solve the problem! Anybody want to trade?

Cheers!

Captned

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Anybody want to trade?Captned

Not now. I don't want to get sick.

 

[Captned]

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... Dont tell anyone!

What headliner problem?

Captned
MBMM

 

[Nonchalant1]

I brought in a headliner guy and showed it to him. He told me that the backing of the headliner is breaking up and filtering down through the holes. He also said for $1200 he would replace the cabin headliner, $2800 for the front half of the boat and $3500 for the whole boat. (1978 46' convertible). Does that sound right?

Captned

Does the headliner even HAVE a backing? When you look at your pics, I wonder if it's simply sheet vinyl with holes in it. There can be dust trapped above it, but check a piece to see if there's any backing that has failed.

Doug

 

[Walter P]

Some folks are very sensitive to the various types of mold that can take up residence on our boats. Mold is a very common thing and normally it does no damage to us, however it's probably best to not take chances on which species you may have. A common error in mold remiediation is to wash all the surfaces down with bleach. When disturbed mold will "bloom" and the spores become airborne. A simple way to explain is by a simple comparison with common dandelions on lawns. When a typical lawn becomes "infested" with dandelions and they are permitted to grow for a few days they develop a white ball which when disturbed blows their seeds with the wind. This is how they re-populate the neighborhood. Mold has the same characteristics when it is disturburbed so please be careful. You should wear a good mask rated for mold and use a GOOD Hepa vacuum cleaner before you attempt to wash anything with bleach or anything else. The last thing you want is a "Bloom" which will add to your future problems. You will not kill the spores, just spread them around.

Once you succeed with the clean up you need to keep the humidity at 50% or less. You may want to buy a good humidistat to monitor it. Liberal use of your AC system will usually be enough. There are several electronic devices available which while they help lower the mold levels, they also generate ozone, which is not a good idea since in most cases, it will hurt your respiratory system. Children and older adults are particularlly sensitive to the harmful effects of ozone at almost any concentration. Remember that public health officials issue ozone alerts to the public for a reason.

Rather than continue with this already long post, I will be happy to go into more detail with anyone who wishes. By the way, I am a NADCA certified mold specialist and served as chairman of my dept of health for many years. My other half, Dr. Monica Cavanagh was the president of our indoor air quality company for many years. We feel qualified to offer our help.

Thanks.... Walter P

 

[Captned]

Howdy everyone! Still alive thirteen years later, still have the boat and still have the problem. Any new ideas what this grey crap is? Still just as bad. Hope everyone is well. Any new insights would be great. Cheers!

Captned.

 

[SEVEN]

I would do the sleeping area first to be safe, this may help you to see if that’s the issue. Makes sense that head liner materials do break down after years of use. I have a 1979 and it has not happened to me (yet). Good luck. .

 

[MadHatter53]

Did you clean or replace the headliner?

 

[Briankinley2004]

In addition to what Walter P said above if your A/C is ducted, which I suspect it is, you will need to have that cleaned if mold is your issue. I am licensed in mold remediation as well. We would normally put the affected area under negative pressure before HEPA vacuuming or sanitizing it. If you dont have moisture somewhere and your humidity levels are ok there is a high likelihood mold is not your issue. Only an air sample would say for sure. If you do have airborne mold it is most likely in your ducts.

 

[oscarvan]

I have to ask.... where are you docked and does it happen in other locations? I once was (quite a few miles) down wind of a coal transfer facility and there was enough of it in the air to affect our quality of life. Are you next to a highway?

 

[davidwigler]

There are some other threads in which owners have successfully painted the headliner. Paint might plug the holes.