Chimney breast problem

dahac

I am currently getting white fluff on my chimney breast just above the skirting boards. The chimney is fully vented and has a cowl on top. I have cleaned some of the chimney out and it's not damp.

Any ideas anyone

societys_child

Sounds more like a "rising damp" problem. The salts usually appear though, as the wall dries out.

muckybutt

^^ ditto....rising damp

dahac

The chimney breast is n the dinning room which doesn't have a outside wall as its a terraced house. The floor is a solid concrete as I have cleaned the chimney Breast out and it didn't seem wet or damp when I removed the rubble and dust. Can this still be rising damp

s_b

is it being caused by next doors chimney not being used so damp coming from their side

dahac

No I don't think so as its only on the front.

muckybutt

Rising damp can find its way anywhere, we have it under our stairs in the middle of our house.

It will be rising damp.

dahac

I think it's about 80 years old

doningtonphil

societys_child wrote: »

Sounds more like a "rising damp" problem. The salts usually appear though, as the wall dries out.

Does the salt appearing mean the problem is going away and 'drying out' or is the salt at the uppermost limit of the damps rising i.e where the plaster is still dry and so the salt forming?

dahac

We only seem to be getting the white fluff on the chimney breast. We are also getting a orange stain from the new plaster which was already done to block the chimney up before we moved in. I think it's been like this for sometime, but we have only just started to notice it once we put new wallpaper on.

societys_child

dahac wrote: »

We only seem to be getting the white fluff on the chimney breast.
But only above the skirting?

We are also getting a orange stain from the new plaster which was already done to block the chimney up before we moved in. I think it's been like this for sometime, but we have only just started to notice it once we put new wallpaper on.

It's difficult because we can't see from here, but sounds like you do have a damp problem. Personally I'd be removing the skirting to see what's going on behind it.

doningtonphil: All I can say is that in damp conditions bricks absorb water, in dry conditions the water evaporates bringing the salts to the surface. If the bricks get wet again they absorb the water dragging the salts back into the brick.