Damp problem, seeking advice
- Thread starter Mike Muz
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magicmistertea
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Damp can be a nightmare to sort out and as mentioned by others could be a number of things. Air circulation is very important but because you say its in specific areas im guessing its a problem with the building.
Q .. are you sure you have cavity walls ? and not solid stone/brick walls ? many solid walls have been badly repaired/rendered/pointed with sand and cement which causes issues in itself ( Hydraulic lime mortar is a much better material)
If you do have a cavity the problem could be a "cold bridge" between the two skins... this can happen even on the upper levels with the wall ties being covered in mortar when it was built.
so many issues here.... could be a bridge in the cavity with capillary reaction sucking the water through... are the internal walls modern gypsum plaster ? is it plasterboard with modern gypsum ? are the walls dot n dabbed ? is it solid render on the internal skin.. is it lime and lath ?? to sort the problem you really need to know all these things so you can understand whats happening.
Another thing I would add is that I would think twice about having your cavity walls insulated as this can often result in making the problem worse, this is because they drill holes and literally fill the cavity so you don't have any clear air gap. The way we build houses is to place solid 50-75mm cavity insulation batts against the inner skin while keeping a clear 50mm air gap towards the outer skin.
What I would do as other have said is to check for obvious defects outside first and that includes the roof as the problem could be several meters away from where you actually see it on the wall. if you don't find any obvious defects and the problem persists even with good air flow around the house. then I would remove a brick or two from the outer skin and put a camera in the cavity to see whats going on.
To summarize .... it could be many things and can take even the pros lots of time to sort out.
Damp can be a nightmare to sort out and as mentioned by others could be a number of things. Air circulation is very important but because you say its in specific areas im guessing its a problem with the building.
Q .. are you sure you have cavity walls ? and not solid stone/brick walls ? many solid walls have been badly repaired/rendered/pointed with sand and cement which causes issues in itself ( Hydraulic lime mortar is a much better material)
If you do have a cavity the problem could be a "cold bridge" between the two skins... this can happen even on the upper levels with the wall ties being covered in mortar when it was built.
so many issues here.... could be a bridge in the cavity with capillary reaction sucking the water through... are the internal walls modern gypsum plaster ? is it plasterboard with modern gypsum ? are the walls dot n dabbed ? is it solid render on the internal skin.. is it lime and lath ?? to sort the problem you really need to know all these things so you can understand whats happening.
Another thing I would add is that I would think twice about having your cavity walls insulated as this can often result in making the problem worse, this is because they drill holes and literally fill the cavity so you don't have any clear air gap. The way we build houses is to place solid 50-75mm cavity insulation batts against the inner skin while keeping a clear 50mm air gap towards the outer skin.
What I would do as other have said is to check for obvious defects outside first and that includes the roof as the problem could be several meters away from where you actually see it on the wall. if you don't find any obvious defects and the problem persists even with good air flow around the house. then I would remove a brick or two from the outer skin and put a camera in the cavity to see whats going on.
To summarize .... it could be many things and can take even the pros lots of time to sort out.
clean it, paint over it and stick a nice joss stick in the room.
but seriously, i've had really bad mould problems in our first floor flat, all resolved by moving furniture away from the walls, cleaning, drying, then applying mould resistant paint on and adding a dehumidifier to each room for a few hours a couple of days a week.
you can investigate till your broke and broken and still not completely eradicate it.
my bathroom is a pain in the arse. cant even apply paint to one of the walls for it flaking off about a week later (think the problem is that an old bath drain outlet pipe is still attached to the outside wall - creating a 'cold air bridge'(sic) so the moisture comes right through and peels paint away.
ive given up trying to figure out another way of solving it, without having to get scaffolding in (its on a really awkward part of the outside wall right above the below flats massive conservatory) so i just sand it back and paint over it again every now and then.
air flow is the key thing here. keeping your place as dry as you can, and treat it with some lovely chemical paint.
the back of our drawers was green once, when i went to wipe it off, spores went everywhere - wiping with a damp cloth prevented it kicking up so much, so be careful when removing mould, although ive read its the black stuff thats the nasty stuff, but dont quote me on it.
we have a mixture of cavity walls and solid brick walls. sod getting stuff done to the outside - all sorts of bullshit costs and permissons are probably needed. so do the cheapest and easiest methods first. if they work - or make it liveable, then why bother doing anything else? life is too short. just spend more time out on your bikes
but seriously, i've had really bad mould problems in our first floor flat, all resolved by moving furniture away from the walls, cleaning, drying, then applying mould resistant paint on and adding a dehumidifier to each room for a few hours a couple of days a week.
you can investigate till your broke and broken and still not completely eradicate it.
my bathroom is a pain in the arse. cant even apply paint to one of the walls for it flaking off about a week later (think the problem is that an old bath drain outlet pipe is still attached to the outside wall - creating a 'cold air bridge'(sic) so the moisture comes right through and peels paint away.
ive given up trying to figure out another way of solving it, without having to get scaffolding in (its on a really awkward part of the outside wall right above the below flats massive conservatory) so i just sand it back and paint over it again every now and then.
air flow is the key thing here. keeping your place as dry as you can, and treat it with some lovely chemical paint.
the back of our drawers was green once, when i went to wipe it off, spores went everywhere - wiping with a damp cloth prevented it kicking up so much, so be careful when removing mould, although ive read its the black stuff thats the nasty stuff, but dont quote me on it.
we have a mixture of cavity walls and solid brick walls. sod getting stuff done to the outside - all sorts of bullshit costs and permissons are probably needed. so do the cheapest and easiest methods first. if they work - or make it liveable, then why bother doing anything else? life is too short. just spend more time out on your bikes
Harryburgundy
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suburbanreuben":1nhls2mc said:
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Have you checked the outside gutters?
Most people forget these and over the years fill up with crap/moss, leaves etc to a point that the water builds up and starts to flow into the walls and through them over time, Checking the gutters is a relatively easy thing to do with little or no cost.
Then try the loft, sometimes it can be a simple thing as one slipped or broken tile. Check those directly above the damp wall, it will be reasonably easy to spot if it is the case.
Have you checked the outside gutters?
Most people forget these and over the years fill up with crap/moss, leaves etc to a point that the water builds up and starts to flow into the walls and through them over time, Checking the gutters is a relatively easy thing to do with little or no cost.
Then try the loft, sometimes it can be a simple thing as one slipped or broken tile. Check those directly above the damp wall, it will be reasonably easy to spot if it is the case.
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Thanks for the advice chaps, much appreciated
We ( well Mrs Muz ) have painted the hardboard back boards on the units that seem to have been drawing in the moisture. Furniture away from walls more now, seems ok . The damp was coming up from the skirting boards , not from the ceiling.
Still waiting for mate to have a look :roll:
And to think he's a fellow cyclist :evil:
Mike
Thanks for the advice chaps, much appreciated
We ( well Mrs Muz ) have painted the hardboard back boards on the units that seem to have been drawing in the moisture. Furniture away from walls more now, seems ok . The damp was coming up from the skirting boards , not from the ceiling.
Still waiting for mate to have a look :roll:
And to think he's a fellow cyclist :evil:
Mike
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