Damp issue

Guru86

Good afternoon

We have moved into a 1930s ex council house that has solid stone walls. After all this fog and wet weather I have noticed a wall in the kitchen and one in living room is wet to the touch. Once the rain stops it dries up.

Some of the plaster had blown in this area and I have knocked this off. It is rendered on front so can't see if a dpc has later been injected.

Any ideas on how to cure? Fit vents to the affected area? New breathable render?

Thanks

Jonesya

First thing, this wet patch, how high up the wall is it?


Secondly, how is the exterior wall getting wet?


If it's low level, is there paving, bricks, things stacked against the wall? Is there guttering above it, downpipes, are any of these leaking water onto, or splashing up against the wall? Is there water coming off things like window ledges above, onto brickwork?


Third thing - what's the condition of the pointing like, that is the mortar joints between the bricks/stonework. Is it all there, or are there any gaps, cracks, areas of missing mortar that would let water into the wall.

jrtfan

Our house has solid walls and was built c.1885. When we first moved in, the plaster on the dining-room wall was badly blown and often felt damp to the touch but after investigation, this turned out to be a problem with condensation and a dehumidifier sorted this out for us.

If the problem you describe turns out not to be rising/penetrating damp, or the damp course being bridged etc, then perhaps yours is down to condensation too?

Guru86

The wet is from skirting board to about a foot high. External walls are getting wet from rain and damp weather. Can't check pointing because of the render.

It does get worse when we had to dry clothes in house so hopefully a condensation issue rather than a rising damp one

MisterBaxter

If it is drying out when the rain stops then it sound more like some form of penetrating damp than simple condensation although the additional moisture will also cause condensation.

Check the external ground levels to make sure water isn't lying against the wall; also check gutters and spouts for leaks as water running down the walls from a split or leaking gutter can cause problems. Check the render in the affected areas to make sure it is still solid as water could be getting in behind it; check the face of the bricks below the render to make sure they are intact and haven't spalled (I wouldn't expect the render to go all the way down to the ground level as there should be a damp proof course that the render stops short of).

Needless to say drying clothes indoors is just asking for condensation so you should always avoid doing this if at all possible.