Damp..advice anyone?

magic_pants

Hi,

I have recently (around 1 month ago) noticed a series of damp patches on the wall in the kitchen at around 1 metre or so above ground level. When investigating I noticed a major leak in the washing machine plumbing which I fixed around 3 weeks ago (now totally dry and no leaks). I marked the edges of the damp patches with a pen to determine whether they were still growing. 2-3 weeks on I notice that some have increased but others have remained the same. Having had no damp in the house previously (even fter all the rain we have been having this summer!) I am minded that it is the washing machine leak that caused it but I still have an element of doubt due to some of the patches still growing (albeit not greatly). My question is really to ask whether these patches would increase due to residual moisture still left in the wall after the leak had been fixed (it was a pretty bad one!).

Any ideas/opinions gratefully received!

HugoSP

It all depends IMO how well the house has been ventilated since the leak.

If we are talking middle of summer and you've had the doors open then I would definitely expect them to clear up. However if it has been damp weather and not warm then they may take longer.

Go around the outside of your house and check all the guttering and downpipes. Make sure they are not causing the problem.

magic_pants

Thanks Hugo for your prompt reply!

There is a kitchen (external) door right next to the damp which is open pretty much most of the time. It hasn;t been raining very much recently so I don;t think it's that. I will be getting up on a ladder tomorrow to check the guttering however.

HugoSP

Also check for other sources of damp.

Don't forget as well that what you see could be stains, not damp as such.