very damp wall

psd99

psd99

psd99

Soldato
Joined
7 Sep 2008
Posts
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hey all
need some advice on a wall that is at my friends house


The wall is very damp and wet when you touch it.
It is the only wall in the house like this.

so

* the wall is very damp kind it starts from the bottom of the wall all the way to the middle it doesn't go into the ceiling yet

* the wall is the wall that is joined with the neighbour (semi detached house)

* the room upstairs has no damp or nothing

* the chimneys have been taken out

* there's nothing in the loft to suggest that it is coming from above


it looks like it is getting wet from below somehow
there is nothing wrong on the neighbours side


does anyone know what it could be?

there's a few things that are to be noted

* central heating has not been turned on for ages almost 2 years dont ask why
* the house is mostly dark so not much sunlight

but surely this shouldn't be enough to cause this problem
 
( |-| |2 ][ $;20557907 said:
Perhaps he should consider lifting a floor board near the wall and having a look underneath?
Click to expand...

good idea

it is wooden flooring there

we'd have to rip it all off right?
 
psd99 said:
good idea

it is wooden flooring there

we'd have to rip it all off right?
Click to expand...

Depends how it's been laid. If it's laminate and the boards run parallel with the wall then you'll likely just be able to lift a few rows.


EDIT: Oh dear. Well unless a professional can offer otherwise it might be plaster board off time. (It'll likely need replacing anyway?)
 
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I had this happen in a rented house I used to live in, where the adjoining wall was a hallway to the flat above and thus had no central heating. The temperature difference of the wall was so significant that it was freezing cold to the touch, so all the warm air in my room was condensing onto the cold patch and causing damp.

I don't know if it works the other way, but the only way you will solve it is by putting the heating on to dry the wall out. If not you'll have to get a heater to dry it out and then cover it with damp sealant paint, then paint over that to hide the stain, if you use emulsion to cover it, the paint will absorb the stain and it will come through.
 
ive had the same probs with 2 of the rooms in my house , have been leaving the windows open a little when the heating is on, as usually in the mornings the walls/windows near the rads have been wet so presume its just moisture, been ok so far , just need to clean and re-paint where the damp stains are now :( been told to use PVA glue after painting by the mrs :) lol

so try and leave the windows open for a bit , works for me.
 
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Is the skirting wet as well, sounds like it might be rising damp which means you will need to get the walls injected. The easiest way to find out if it is rising damp is to look at the ground level outside the damp wall and see if it is higher than the damp course which means potentially pulling up a floorboard

If it is rising damp then turning on the heating wont sort it out.
 
Is there a drain on the outside of the wall. I.e is it occurring on a wall that is adjacent to the outside. It could possibly be that after a lot of rain or a pipe or drain leaking that you are getting ground water under the property, and the wall is absorbing it. I.e Rising damp.

^^^ beaten to it
 
If the main water supply pipe to one of the properties is leaking, water could be pulled up through a wall by capilliary action. It's not very likely but something to consider. You can get special "viewers" can't remember exactly what they're called, thermal imagers maybe, so you can look at the heat map of a wall, which may provide a clue as to where the damp is coming from.

Rgds
 
ChroniC said:
Is there a drain on the outside of the wall. I.e is it occurring on a wall that is adjacent to the outside. It could possibly be that after a lot of rain or a pipe or drain leaking that you are getting ground water under the property, and the wall is absorbing it. I.e Rising damp.

^^^ beaten to it
Click to expand...

Bear said:
Is the outside ground level higher on your side of the damp wall than theirs, ie paved patio etc.
Click to expand...

The OP has already stated that the wall is the adjoining wall with the semi on the other side i.e. internal wall
 
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