spots/mould on the solid wall!

Section62

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Stain block primer isn't the same as gloss paint.  Stain block primer is designed and formulated to do a specific job - i.e. to stop stains coming through newly decorated walls.

And when @FreeBear said that (I've posted the link so people don't need to waste their time looking for it) it was in the context of advising a potential buyer not to get the vendor to deal with a damp issue because of the risk of them doing a temporary bodge job as described.  It was not advice to a homeowner to do that to their own property, nor a recommendation it was a good idea.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80951682/#Comment_80951682

EssexHebridean

Section62 said:

[Quoted post removed by Forum Team]

Stain block primer isn't the same as gloss paint.  Stain block primer is designed and formulated to do a specific job - i.e. to stop stains coming through newly decorated walls.

And when @FreeBear said that (I've posted the link so people don't need to waste their time looking for it) it was in the context of advising a potential buyer not to get the vendor to deal with a damp issue because of the risk of them doing a temporary bodge job as described.  It was not advice to a homeowner to do that to their own property, nor a recommendation it was a good idea.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80951682/#Comment_80951682

Yes - indeed - and indeed a sentence that has been omitted from the beginning of the quoted text was actually Freebear pointing out that if the vendor did the job it would be done with the cheapest option - removing the context often does make people appear to be saying something that they aren’t, strangely enough! 

Hopefully the OP will return with some additional information so we can get the thread back on track! 

stuart45

Mould needs moisture, food and the right temperature/humidity range for the spores to germinate and grow. If the wall is dry for a while the spores will become dormant until the right conditions return. This September has been exceptually damp, so the conditions have been ideal in many properties.
Testing for condensation might need to be done at various times of the day, over a period of time. It often only occurs at certain times. You can't just take a temp/RH and wall surface temperature reading once and say there's no condensation forming.
A surveyor from BRE told me that when they go out on a survey they take a van load of equipment with them. It does include a damp meter, but they obviously know how to use them. Although they can give inaccurate readings on things like clinker blocks, black ash mortar, hygroscopic salts, foil backed plasterboard, mortar with sea sand etc, it's still used to help form a pattern of dampness as well as the other equipment. He did say that condensation was the most common cause of damp issues.

fluffymuffy

The most common cause of sudden damp problems, where there were non previously, is the installation of new air-tight windows.

Unventilated replacement windows are often the tipping point into problematic condensation, especially in unheated rooms with cold surfaces such as damp external walls.

Section62

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Give him a chance.  People have busy lives and can't always drop everything to answer forumite's questions, or he may not want to answer.  That's up to him.  He's a nice bloke, please don't scare him away from using the forum by demanding he answers your questions.

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Not sure the point of this guessing game... but nobody, least of all ThisIsWeird, is disputing that mould can be a bad thing.  So why the pop at him?

sujsuj

Gutter issue is sorted over the weekend, removed clip and pulled 2 gutter pipes together and put the clip back. Checked gutter and it is clean no blockage or anything. Now the wet area on bottom half of wall no more an issue. So hopefully this will sort out all external issues. Also keeping curtains away on windows to get whatever sunlight we have now to be useful.  Thanks very much.

Section62

sujsuj said:

Gutter issue is sorted over the weekend, removed clip and pulled 2 gutter pipes together and put the clip back. Checked gutter and it is clean no blockage or anything. Now the wet area on bottom half of wall no more an issue. So hopefully this will sort out all external issues. Also keeping curtains away on windows to get whatever sunlight we have now to be useful.  Thanks very much.

Keep a good eye on the gutter(s) - it may have come apart due to heat-related cyclic expansion/contraction.  If it was installed correctly to start with (e.g. the correct clip spacing and the right insertion lengths) then it shouldn't be a problem  - but often if a gutter has worked its way apart once it is likely to do so again.

EssexHebridean

@sujsuj That's great news - here's hoping that sorts out the issues and you can move on with the continuing DIY projects on what sounds like an ongoing mammoth task! 

You don't need to worry in the least about not updating the thread over the weekend - from the photos and information you had already provided I think most of us were pretty sure that the guttering needed to be your first port of call anyway!

Section62

sujsuj said:

Gutter issue is sorted over the weekend, removed clip and pulled 2 gutter pipes together and put the clip back. Checked gutter and it is clean no blockage or anything. Now the wet area on bottom half of wall no more an issue. So hopefully this will sort out all external issues. Also keeping curtains away on windows to get whatever sunlight we have now to be useful.  Thanks very much.

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This was obvious from the pictures, it was why sujsuj was given advice to get the gutter fixed asap.

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No you don't.  You could suggest sujsuj gets a professional survey, but it isn't your house and you have no right to make demands on what another homeowner does with their own property.

Personally I'd suggest sujsuj takes sensible precautions if they or family members are potentially vulnerable to mould spores, but otherwise not to waste money on a damp survey, which - at the current time - will only tell them what he already knows.  sujsuj said nothing about letting the property out, so it isn't clear why you are raising that as an issue.

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sujsuj doesn't have to explain himself, and it is rather rude and unfriendly of you to be so demanding.  Any 'circles' are largely of your own making by introducing irrelevant information (which you are still doing in your latest post) and not being patient enough for his responses - you can't blame sujsuj for that.

Personally I'm very happy that we were able to quickly point sujsuj to the thing most likely to be causing the issue and he has been able to fix it himself so quickly.  This is what 'moneysaving' is all about.

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sujsuj has no need to do this (see above).  If you are unhappy with the quality of his pictures and his responses in the thread then I'd politely suggest you might want to move on to the next one and stop badgering him for answers.  You aren't being helpful here.

ThisIsWeird

SujSuj - are the windows cracked open in that room to allow it to ventilate? I'd go as far as having them wide open for a few days.