Help with sudden damp 'infestation'

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 12:30

In the last week the corner (two exterior walls) of my room has gone from dry to a sprawling mess of damp and muck. The wall gets wet regardless if I'm in the room or not and is progressively getting worse. There's little I can do about the gap between the wall and the bed but I thought 3 inches would suffice? I've also been washing the walls down with warm water and a touch of bleach but it's doing nothing.

Nuke it from orbit etc...

The house was made in the 20's so no cavity insulation, outside wall, the room has lime plaster and I think the problem is exacerbated by the anti damp paint used (http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/600317) and wall veneer (http://reviews.homebase.co.uk/1494-en_gb/072492/reviews.htm) used to even out the walls.

I also have a wall vent at the top of the room but I think the various crap on the wall is stopping that corner from breathing because if I peel the paper/covering back the wall is clean and free of stains.

The side of the house has very good drainage and the same corner downstairs has no such problems.

I'm at a bit of a loss what to do, once the weather warms out I will have to completely strip the wall back and assess but I would like to know how to get rid of the problem once and for all, otherwise I'll have to move out of the room completely.

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 12:44

There's an old wooden porch at the front of the house, seems to be fine but it could be the snow against the wall melting and coming through the brick.

Coincidently the days where I have the least condensation on my windows have been the wettest... how does that work :confused:

Paul11 said:
is it only in one room ?

To a much smaller extent, a small about in the corner of the window bay. I think this problem is too deep to be fixed with slapping something on the walls and opening a window (I do this anyway).

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 12:53

Paul11 said:
is that a yes, its happening in other rooms, or just your room?

Yes it is happening in other rooms at the front of the house, back is fine as that gets most of the sun - the front of the house only gets direct sunlight from 3/4pm.

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 13:18

Paul11 said:
its definately condensation then

as above: to deal with it properly you need to install a system that moves air around

they do also increase the air quality and can help with heating bills depending on which system you install

otherwise, if it only happens when it snows, hang tight and it should clear up once the cold has passed

I do get a trace of it during a cold snap but it really hits hard when there's snow. I've got a vent I could install a fan in and then I could leave my bedroom door open so it can draw air from the hallway/staircase and out of the bedroom via an external wall.

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 13:50

Paul11 said:
those vents are not much good as they dont pull / push any air

at the minimum you need extractor type fans in more than one room which are always on, if the problem is really bad you need a system which sucks air from outside and pumps it into the property. this causes a constant movement of air and the problem is cured. (though they are not cheap)

also remember the mould that grows can be really bad for you, if you have this problem full time you really need to push your landlord to do something about it

Well it's my parents house and my dad believes in the 'stick my head in the sand and it'll go away approach' - I don't.

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 14:08

Oh it will do I'm sure but I don't exactly like sleeping next to something that looks like swamp thing and I don't fancy a number of respiratory problems!

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 14:32

It solves a symptom rather than the cause.

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 21:33

Paul11 said:
for anyone that is interested, this is the thing that solves the problem. its called a Nuaire Flatmaster 2000

http://www.nuaire.co.uk/products/ca...sitive-input-ventilation-piv/flatmaster-2000/

Thanks for all your input Paul, it's appreciated.

Mark A said:
I might have missed it, but is this a downstairs room? If it is then it could be that your cavity is filled with rubble above the DPM. this is a very common problem and often mistaken for rising damp.

It's an upstairs room.

Janesy B · 20 Jan 2013 at 21:54

Mark A said:
I have fit new windows on lot of these type of property and I have never seen one of these bays with a cavity wall. They are usually 2 skins of bricks tied together with brick headers.

If it was mine I would insulate the interior walls of the bay with insulation backed plasterboard. I have insulated my downstairs loo after getting advice from here and it has made a massive difference. The walls before were plaster straight onto brick and the walls were always freezing cold, this allowed condensation to form very easily. With the insulation there, the walls are much warmer, so there has been no sign of any condensation.

The external facing wall feels cold, but not much colder than the internal walls. I take it the insulated plasterboard can go on top of the existing plaster or does it require stripping back to the brickwork?