Ceiling Damp Issue

[Marky]

Hey all!

I'm having some issues with some spots that have appeared on the ceiling in my bedroom. To explain, I'll tell you a quick history of my place...

I bought my place last August, and when I was viewing the property I noticed that there were some black spots on the ceiling in the corners of the bedroom and some above the sink in the kitchen. My parents said that it looked like damp, and the current owners were drying their washed clothes in the bedroom and they also had a dehumidifier in the hallway. Part of the offer I made was that this ceiling issue needed to be rectified before completion.

Once I had the place, it looked as though the previous owners had painted over the spots or something like that, as they were no longer there.

I had nothing come back until around Mid-December time, where some small black spots started forming in the corners of the bedroom ceiling. Over time the spots are getting darker and there is more of them forming along the ceiling now.

28 January

20 February

Floorplan
Red circle and line is where the spots are appearing - but it's mainly in the red circle. The spots found before I owned the property appeared where the red circle is. It wasn't as bad as what it is like now.

My place is a one bedroom Maisonette, so it's basically a flat where someone else owns the ground floor, and I own the top floor and I have a separate entrance etc.

There is no central heating, so I use electric heaters when required - When I wake up in the morning, there is a often a lot of condensation on the windows of my bedroom - So much so that it pools on the window ledge sometimes.

Does anyone know much about this sort of thing? What could be causing it? Should I just paint over it? And how can I stop it happening in the future?

Thanks in advance

Marky

 

[fez]

Don't just paint over it before you sort out the mould. At the very least use some sort of mould killer on it first.

We live in a flat that has issues with damp as well. Part of it is that there is an issue in the membrane between levels that is letting water in from the outside but a lot of it is just that it's a flat with electric heaters and we don't open the windows enough as a result. Humans give off a lot of moisture, washing and cooking give off a lot of moisture and so do things like showers and baths. If you aren't getting rid of that from opening windows or running a de-humidifier then you are likely to have problems. Once mould starts it tends to spread quite quickly as well.

There might be an issue with the damp coming through the roof but there are just places in houses and flats that collect moisture more than others and they tend to get the mould when it arrives.

Basically, get rid of mould, open windows more and potentially get a dehumidifier. If that doesn't sort out the issue you might have damp coming from the outside or a leak etc.

 

[Marky]

Don't just paint over it before you sort out the mould. At the very least use some sort of mould killer on it first.

We live in a flat that has issues with damp as well. Part of it is that there is an issue in the membrane between levels that is letting water in from the outside but a lot of it is just that it's a flat with electric heaters and we don't open the windows enough as a result. Humans give off a lot of moisture, washing and cooking give off a lot of moisture and so do things like showers and baths. If you aren't getting rid of that from opening windows or running a de-humidifier then you are likely to have problems. Once mould starts it tends to spread quite quickly as well.

There might be an issue with the damp coming through the roof but there are just places in houses and flats that collect moisture more than others and they tend to get the mould when it arrives.

Basically, get rid of mould, open windows more and potentially get a dehumidifier. If that doesn't sort out the issue you might have damp coming from the outside or a leak etc.

I've hardly opened the windows in my whole place over the Winter - So I hope that it's just that and not something more major.

I think I'll need to look at investing in a Dehumidifier - Thanks for your suggestions regarding the mould

 

[fez]

I've hardly opened the windows in my whole place over the Winter - So I hope that it's just that and not something more major.

I think I'll need to look at investing in a Dehumidifier - Thanks for your suggestions regarding the mould

You're lucky you aren't living in a swimming pool currently! If we didn't run a dehumidifier and open the windows when it isn't utterly baltic our flat would sit around 100% humidity.

How do you dry your clothes?

 

[Marky]

You're lucky you aren't living in a swimming pool currently! If we didn't run a dehumidifier and open the windows when it isn't utterly baltic our flat would sit around 100% humidity.

How do you dry your clothes?

I've been doing some more research into it after your reply - I might buy a "hygrometer" which tests humidity - I do wonder if I am living in a 100% humidity place

Currently I don't have a washing machine/tumble dryer - I'm a first time buyer, on my own, and money has been a bit tight - So at the moment I bring my clothes back to my parents and wash and dry them there

Additionally - I've had a chest cough for weeks now... I wonder if I'm doing myself some harm - Definitely need to set some time aside this weekend to fix the issue!

 

[Doobedoo]

Damp patches will always come through paint unless you use some sort of stain blocker. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinsser-ZI...in+blocker&dpPl=1&dpID=51sn2IKJWnL&ref=plSrch

Obviously you need to sort the root cause of condensation issues first. We had evidence of damp and condensation issues in our place but with combination of a bathroom extractor fan, dehumidifier and generally ensuring a decent amount of ventilation, we have pretty much stopped any signs of it.

 

[fez]

I've been doing some more research into it after your reply - I might buy a "hygrometer" which tests humidity - I do wonder if I am living in a 100% humidity place

Currently I don't have a washing machine/tumble dryer - I'm a first time buyer, on my own, and money has been a bit tight - So at the moment I bring my clothes back to my parents and wash and dry them there

Additionally - I've had a chest cough for weeks now... I wonder if I'm doing myself some harm - Definitely need to set some time aside this weekend to fix the issue!

Unbelievable stuff!! Taking your washing to your parents!! Keep that going for as long as possible

You can usually tell when its super humid. Sometimes I have come in the door and the air feels thick almost.

 

[Marky]

Damp patches will always come through paint unless you use some sort of stain blocker. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinsser-ZI...in+blocker&dpPl=1&dpID=51sn2IKJWnL&ref=plSrch

Obviously you need to sort the root cause of condensation issues first. We had evidence of damp and condensation issues in our place but with combination of a bathroom extractor fan, dehumidifier and generally ensuring a decent amount of ventilation, we have pretty much stopped any signs of it.

I’m pretty confident it isn’t to do with my bathroom - it’s got a pretty decent vent fan that comes on every time I turn the light on (in fact, that’s another weekend job for me as it annoys me if I need to pee in the middle of the night and the loud fan comes on Looking to connect it to the same connection as the isolator for the shower so it only comes on when I have the shower on)

But it’s only a small place and, as I said, I barely ever have the windows open. It can feel pretty stuffy when I get home from work.

I think I need to invest in a dehumidifier - no idea what to look for - do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestion on the primer - going to get this done on the weekend and paint over it next week sometime.

Unbelievable stuff!! Taking your washing to your parents!! Keep that going for as long as possible

You can usually tell when its super humid. Sometimes I have come in the door and the air feels thick almost.

Hahaha, I do eventually want to buy a washing machine and tumble dryer stack - it’s time to save again But they’re saving my skin helping me with my washing at the moment

I think I can definitely tell - it definitely has been feeling a bit stuffy for sure.

 

[Doobedoo]

I think I need to invest in a dehumidifier - no idea what to look for - do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for the suggestion on the primer - going to get this done on the weekend and paint over it next week sometime.



Hahaha, I do eventually want to buy a washing machine and tumble dryer stack - it’s time to save again But they’re saving my skin helping me with my washing at the moment

I think I can definitely tell - it definitely has been feeling a bit stuffy for sure.

As for dehumidifiers you have 2 types of dehumidifier. 1 is called desiccant which means it can extract a higher volume of water at lower temperatures but they generally consume more electricity. The other is a compressor type which doesn’t perform as well at lower temperatures but will use less energy doing it.
Make sure you buy the right sized one for your property.

I decided to buy a Meaco platinum due to good reviews and more importantly because it’s the most efficient dehumidifier of its class. https://www.meacodehumidifiers.co.uk/products/meaco-12l-low-energy-platinum-dehumidifier-meaco12le

It also come with a hepa filter so if any of those mould spores are floating around in the air they will captured by the filter. It works great and initially it captured lots of water which was a positive sign. We don’t use a tumble drier we just use the dehumidifier in the front room where we have an air to air heat source pump warming the room up. Works for us.

Opening windows or trickle vents during the day is a must to ensure you have enough air circulating through your flat.

For cleaning existing mould either use bleach mixed with water and scrub and rinse with clean water or tea tree oil which is supposed to be brilliant for killing mould spores plus it’s natural and doesn’t smell.
https://knowledgeweighsnothing.com/remove-mold-mildew-naturally-with-tea-tree-oil/

Once treated use stain blocker over the top to stop any patchiness appearing back through your paint.

 

[fastwunz]

It’s a very common issue. Mould build up and spores suggest water condensing on the internal surfaces of the property.

A cold ceiling with warm air hitting it will cause the moisture in the air to condense and settle on the nearest surface. Given heat rises, this is more often than not the ceiling and usually in the corners of a room.

I would suggest the roof space above would benefit from some form of insulation. This will more regularise the air temperature within the habitable space and that of the loft space resulting in less chance of air condensing on the ceilings.

Similarly, proper ventilation of the flat is important including a proper and thorough clean of the currently affected area and a redecoration with anti mould paint.

 

[A2Z]

Interesting thread as I have a lot of the same thing all around my windows and also on the ceiling of my en suite. I dry my clothes indoors and sometimes forget to open my bedroom window after I shower as my en suite has no windows.

I bought some mold remover thing but havent used it yet. I was hoping it would just be a case of wiping it on there to get rid of it when I move out at the end of the year...

 

[SaintJimmy]

When we used to live in a maisonette we would get bad condensation and some mould on our bedroom window and the wall also felt a bit damp.

We never completely solved it before we moved but if you don't already, then consider getting trickle vents fitted to your window as this helped us reduce the moisture levels.

 

[ants83]

Had the same in a rented bungalow . The walls had been cavity filled.used to get damp in the corners of the lounge and bedrooms and the bathroom mould was horrendous.
Landlord just painted over it. I get yours looked at and sorted .

 

[fastwunz]

Had the same in a rented bungalow . The walls had been cavity filled.used to get damp in the corners of the lounge and bedrooms and the bathroom mould was horrendous.
Landlord just painted over it. I get yours looked at and sorted .

So many people have their cavity walls insulated to make the house ‘warmer’ lol - half the time it just causes bridging of the damp proof course and you end up with wet walls.

Without thorough investigation first, you should never have the cavity walls filled with anything

 

[eviled]

have you accessed the roof space above that room, insulation might have moved or be missing making a cold spot for condensation

 

[Duke]

Quite common in flats / houses made into flats as the ventilation is poor, as others have said. You need to get fresh air in there, so either some vents / extractors or leave the bathroom window on the latch for example.

 

[Marky]

Thanks a lot for all your help and advice

I sprayed the mould and cleaned it away and painted over it, and it's as good as new. After having the windows open through the place most of the weekend, things are feeling a lot more fresh and a lot less stuffy

 

[fastwunz]

Thanks a lot for all your help and advice

I sprayed the mould and cleaned it away and painted over it, and it's as good as new. After having the windows open through the place most of the weekend, things are feeling a lot more fresh and a lot less stuffy

You will need to monitor it very closely and look out for any regrowth - fingers crossed it’s all ok - good work!

 

[Marky]

You will need to monitor it very closely and look out for any regrowth - fingers crossed it’s all ok - good work!

I think I’m going to get one of those Hygrometers to keep an eye on the humidity Thanks bud!

 

[RockLobster]

Have a look into a drimaster. Worked wonders in my friends flat.