Damp on wall

pope

Hi I have a 1970s build terraced house with cavity walls and solid concrete floor. The problem is that on the partywall adjoining onto neighbours there is damp on the wall the wallpaper has become wet and fallen off the paint underneath is all crumbly. I have talked to the neighbours and they say they have nothing on there side.

Has anybody else been in this situation? 

Could this be rising damp?

ThisIsWeird

Photo, please. Depending on how concentrated the patch is, it could be a 'leak'.

jonnydeppiwish!

Do you have a chimney breast there?

pope

jonnydeppiwish! said:

Do you have a chimney breast there?

No chimney chimney breast.

pope

ThisIsWeird said:

Photo, please. Depending on how concentrated the patch is, it could be a 'leak'.

I don't have photo. A friend of mine has a damp meter with 4 metal pins on it I have put that on the wall and it says 35% 38% and 42% moisture.

FreeBear

pope said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Photo, please. Depending on how concentrated the patch is, it could be a 'leak'.

  A friend of mine has a damp meter with 4 metal pins on it I have put that on the wall and it says 35% 38% and 42% moisture.

Go and stick it in to his backside - You will get similar readings.

Those damp meters will only give a true reading when used on untreated timber. Sticking them in to a wall or any other material, all you are reading is a conductivity. Salts, paints, and even the type of material will give false readings that can not be relied upon.

That the plaster/paint is crumbling and the paper peeling off does indeed point to a damp wall. You need to pinpoint the source, which will be a leaking pipe (either CH, water, or downpipe), or water is getting in to the cavity and tracking down/across. Photos of the interior and exterior will help to point you in the right direction.

stuart45

Do you know if the party wall is a cavity wall, or 9 inch solid?

Grizebeck

Don't understand why no photo

pope

Grizebeck said:

Don't understand why no photo

I don't have a phone with a camera. 

pope

FreeBear said:

pope said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Photo, please. Depending on how concentrated the patch is, it could be a 'leak'.

  A friend of mine has a damp meter with 4 metal pins on it I have put that on the wall and it says 35% 38% and 42% moisture.

Go and stick it in to his backside - You will get similar readings.

Those damp meters will only give a true reading when used on untreated timber. Sticking them in to a wall or any other material, all you are reading is a conductivity. Salts, paints, and even the type of material will give false readings that can not be relied upon.

That the plaster/paint is crumbling and the paper peeling off does indeed point to a damp wall. You need to pinpoint the source, which will be a leaking pipe (either CH, water, or downpipe), or water is getting in to the cavity and tracking down/across. Photos of the interior and exterior will help to point you in the right direction.

There is no down pipe attached to the wall also there is no radiator on the wall.

subjecttocontract

Could it be.....
* cold water storage tank/pipes in loft ? Check loft.
* roof tile damaged or slipped ? Borrow some binoculars.