Damp maybe

GT60

My wallpaper is peeling of one of my walls at the side of the chimney breast i took the skirting board of on that wall and the wood was rotten in places and the plaster board seemed damp and lifting of the wall and when i try to scrap the plaster the skim comes off in flakes.
Behind the wall paper it has a cream coloured fur in places but no black marks about a mtr up the wall.

This was about two months ago and i check today when i noticed a card on the floor where the skirting board was and it is damp 
This is the inside wall and the other wall next to the chimney breast is ok.
In the kitchen i have the paint discoloured on the chimney breast wall and the side of it but the plaster seems to be dry and when i scrap the plaster its a dry powder.
The plaster board in both rooms does not meet the floor.

I had the roof reslated in Feb / March this year and no damp in the loft now as there was signs of water coming in.
Really need advice and who to ask in Manchester.
When i run the dehumidifier over night c lose to the wall it draws about a ltr of water 
Thanks 

NSG666

It sounds like damp but what's causing it can't say. Some photos and/or a sketch showing where the damp is in relation to the chimney breast and outside walls might help as I can't get a picture in my head as to what is where. I'm sure it will help other posters who will be along shortly too.

daveyjp

Is the chimney capped and/or fireplace covered over?  If so it shouldn't be.

Cream 'fur' isn't a good sign, it could be dry rot.

Jeepers_Creepers

Pure guesswork at the moment, GT.

What can be said, if anything? I think, if the skirting boards are rotten, that would suggest - what? - at least a year of damp? (Someone will have the answer to that - how long does softwood take to rot if kept dampish?).

There are very obvious signs of the damage visible now, but when did this become the case?

You had the roof reslated, but that was due to signs of damp in the loft, and not down at floor level? What is the visible outside chimney stack like, and was any work done to it - new flashings, repointing, sealing around the pot?

I think it's quite possible for water to get in around a pot and trickle its way down the outside of the liners - so within the breast - until it comes out somewhere, which could be at floor level. But I think that's also 'unlikely'; usually it would show itself much earlier, with damp showing on the down or upstairs breasts. I think.

So at the moment I think it's suggesting more 'rising' rather than leak. But that a pure guess.

FreeBear

daveyjp said: Is the chimney capped and/or fireplace covered over?  If so it shouldn't be.

The pot should have a ventilated cap, and a small vent near the base of the blocked up fireplace. That will prevent rain getting in and any moisture to dissipate.

Grenage

As you have paint discoloration in the kitchen as well as dampness in the other room, it does seem more likely to be chimney related.

So generally water down the stack or condensation due to insufficient ventilation.

As others have suggested, is the chimney covered/capped, removed? What's in the fireplaces?

GT60

The chimney was pointed when my roof was done the chimneys look like they have been capped but not by me and the photos showing the carpet and the gap where the skirting sits has 3 areas where paper gets damp after a week or so.

I moved in in 2016 and decorated straight away but noticed the paper coming of sometime early last year.
The Tv is next to the window. 
The walls are plaster board on top of brick i think no holes for ventilation holes  for the chimneys.
There is no sign of damp or anything up stairs just the lounge and the paint discolouration in the kitchen
The skirting board is from the longe.
The far corner photo shows the floor which is concrete but there is a small hole in the floor just noticeable.

I really would like someone near Manchester  to come and look at this but haven't a clue where to start looking or what to say.

Thanks everyone