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

 

[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

 

[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!

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[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!