Dampness

kompess

I have recently painted my livingroom and have now noticed patches of dampness starting to come through. It's on the gable end wall at the bottom.

Any ideas on how to recitfy this with minimal mess?

Thanks in advance

Porky996T

This is a bit difficult to comment on without seeing it. A few things though :eek: ;

When did the damp patch start forming?
Does the house have a cavity wall?
What does the damp patch look like - is it small black mould spots, or is it white salts forming on the surface of the plaster?
Is the mortar pointing externally on the gable in good order?
Do you have any rainwater pipes/gutters that are leaking and causing excessive water to run down the gable wall.
Is the damp patch evident from the skirting board level and above, or just in an isolated area above skirting board level?
When was the house built?
Do you have PVCu windows and doors & do they have trickle vents fitted?
Is the wall painted or paper - what type of wallpaper?

Apologies for the questions, but there are many causes of damp and eradicating the source is the best solution, as opposed to just covering over the symptoms and letting the damp continue. Diagnosing the cause is the first step to giving a least messy solution.

kompess

Now you've got me lol

The dampness is small black patches and the walls having lining paper on which is painted. It is isolated above skirting board and has just formed.

The windows are white double glazing with vents. I do notice quite a bit of condensation trickling down the windows.

As for the rest Im not sure as have recently moved here.

I got a tissue and it just wiped off but I know that isnt curing the problem and only a temporary measure.

Thanks

Porky996T

It sounds like you have a condensation problem from what you have just said. Many houses tend to get this as they no longer breathe due to efficient draughtproofing on windows and doors...are the trickle vents on the windows open??

The warm air in the room is condensing on colder surfaces within the room (it depends on the relative humidity and dew point of the room). It can also condense within the structure (bricks, plaster, timber etc) of the house too and this is known as interstitial condensation. This will over time start to cause black mould spots where the condensation is forming...the mould is more commonly noticeable in bathrooms as a result of the warm, moist air. Have you tried airing your room regularly when you are not using it?

llindsey

I have the same problem, it is underneath my bedroom window.
The window itself is double glazed, with no sign of any vents etc, and gets very wet when the heating is on. I think the water is running from the window down to the skirtings.
How can I rectify this? Will I need a new window?
p.s, the room is VERY cold, unlike the rest of the house.

Porky996T

Sounds like a similar problem. Try leaving the window slightly open if you have no vents, or just airing the room during the day when it is not in use.

Shimmyhill

We have a similar problem in our front bedroom, it has a bay window and the rad is not under that window (unlike the living room that does not suffer from the mould/condensation)

Does cavity wall insulation help to prevent this ?

For the OP - clean the mould spots of with a bleach solution or anti-mould spray to kill the spores and then make sure you get lots of air into the room. We have the windows open in the day time and it seems to have solved it.

kompess

Thanks.

I now have all vents open but its bloody cold and all my heat escapes through them.

Karibu_Chum

I have the most worrying problem in my bedroom. The radiator is not under the window, and the bedroom is an ensuite, hence creating lots of steam which escapes into the bedroom. Every so often I use mould cleaners etc, but it's really an ongoing problem. Everytime I walk into the room - I am enveloped by a horrible mouldy smell. I air the room, the trickle vent is open in both the bathroom and the bedroom but I can still see the black appearing on the walls.
I am now looking to have cupboards fitted in the room, but prior to that I think I will probably have to change the position of the radiator. I am not sure if that will eradicate the problem. I have been advised by many to get a dehumidifier as my husband suffers a lot from respiratory problems and I am due to have a baby soon - which will be sleeping in this room for a few months atleast. It doesn't look good.
If there are any experts out there - please do advise as to what the best solution may be.

kompess

Will the dehumidifier help with dampness?

amanda29kb

Hi
We have never had a problem with condensation - perhaps just a little on our bedroom window, but since we insulated the roof space it is terrible. The bathroom window and recess is constantly wet as is the landing and our bedroom window. I have now noticed that the uPVC front door (at bottom of the stairs) has a little black mould on the silicon that holds the glass in place and there is quite a large patch of black mould on the top corner of the wall in the hallway. I ALWAYS open the landing window and our bedroom window to air the house of but the mould seems to be getting worse. Can anyone suggest a solution?
Amanda