spots/mould on the solid wall!

sujsuj

Lorian said:

It has been falling on that wall further up. Not only fix the gap and replace the seals on the gully you need to check guttering and downpipe are clear of moss. And do some pointing.

Not a job for someone not used to using a ladder.

Bought long Lyte ladder last year after using that for an year I am used to operate on height. Thanks

sujsuj

Jellynailer said:

How long have the spots been there?  Have they got any worse over that time?  Is the room heated?  When was your guttering last cleared out? 

It is hard to respond usefully without the above information except to tell you about my experience of dealing with a damp spot problem = I had similar spots on the wall at the side of the first half of my stairs but a damp meter showed no damp so I put two coats of gloss paint on the wall and then emulsioned to match the rest.  It has been fine for over 10 yrs now.

I noticed recently only. So may be there for last 2-3 weeks maximum. This weekend I cleaned up all with Vinegar after reading that trick online. At the moment all disappeared after rubbing with vinegar!.

Yes room is heated but that side wall don't have any heaters, wall heater is on the other-side. Last 4 years first time I am seeing this in that wall. As I mentioned this is 90 year old house. Thanks.

sujsuj

Section62 said:

Jellynailer said:

How long have the spots been there?  Have they got any worse over that time?  Is the room heated?  When was your guttering last cleared out? 

It is hard to respond usefully without the above information except to tell you about my experience of dealing with a damp spot problem = I had similar spots on the wall at the side of the first half of my stairs but a damp meter showed no damp so I put two coats of gloss paint on the wall and then emulsioned to match the rest.  It has been fine for over 10 yrs now.

Not a very good idea.

Gloss paint is likely to form a moisture/vapour barrier which may stop damp/vapour emerging from the wall causing staining, but it may also leave the moisture/vapour trapped in the plaster.  This may be fine, but could also result in premature failure of the plaster or, probably more likely, the gloss paint splitting/cracking/failing and leaving a mess on the wall to repair.

There are proprietary chemicals/paints that can be applied to achieve the same effect, but they need to be used with caution and awareness of how they work and whether they are suitable in each case.

The first step with damp is always to try to work out where it is coming from and attempt to cure it at source, not trying to paint over it as a first solution.

I'm sure it worked for you, but that doesn't mean it is a solution that would work for everyone.  Out of interest, how did you get the emulsion paint to adhere to the gloss underneath?

sujsuj, get your gutters repaired and make sure the downpipe is clear of debris and is free-flowing.  Then wait 6 months and see if you still have the problem inside.

The gutter repairs have been completed, and I treated the wall with a bit of vinegar, which made all the spots disappear. I'm planning to maintain air circulation in that area and will continue to monitor it. Thanks again!

sujsuj

Section62 said:

Jellynailer said:

Returning to the task of trying to help work out the nature of the OP's issue in the face of a range of opinions and speculation, I have no concerns about my own wall because my damp meter has recorded a 0 result for 10 years. A damp meter is not expensive and could be very helpful in this case.

Inexpensive damp meters are notoriously innaccurate, and sujsuj doesn't need one to work out that a gap in the gutter directly above the area which is showing signs of damp internally is the first thing to address.

No speculation about that - it is a fact that defective rainwater drainage is often the root cause of a damp problem, and even if not the cause of this problem it still needs fixing ASAP.

Thanks. The gutter has been sorted now, though there was no leak affecting the upper floor wall areas where the dampness was seen. Regardless, the issue has been addressed. Thanks again!

sujsuj

Jellynailer said:

Section62 said:

Jellynailer said:

Returning to the task of trying to help work out the nature of the OP's issue in the face of a range of opinions and speculation, I have no concerns about my own wall because my damp meter has recorded a 0 result for 10 years. A damp meter is not expensive and could be very helpful in this case.

Inexpensive damp meters are notoriously innaccurate, and sujsuj doesn't need one to work out that a gap in the gutter directly above the area which is showing signs of damp internally is the first thing to address.

No speculation about that - it is a fact that defective rainwater drainage is often the root cause of a damp problem, and even if not the cause of this problem it still needs fixing ASAP.

The same damp meter recorded 7 above a drip in my bedroom but 9 in the far corner today.  My home help looked at that corner outside and found a tile had shifted.  Now, that seems fit for purpose to me.  Have you done now or can you find any other reason to criticise what I say? [noting you have done this repeatedly on other threads as well.] I think the purpose of MSF is to help others save money while solving their problems

that chimney reminded me of mine!. so may be these house built around same period so have poor insulation. Thanks for your inputs.

sujsuj

Jellynailer said:

This is getting way off beam and really not helpful to the OP.  Of all the possible causes of the OP's problem in an upstairs bedroom, rising damp is the most unlikely.  A useful site to help identify causes bases on symptoms is https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/damp/article/what-kind-of-damp-is-affecting-my-home-arNnf1P2wVnV

The symptoms of a possible problem reported by the OP do not fit with any of the causes identified to date by other forumites.  The symptoms could, however, fit with a fungal growth called black mould so I asked the OP questions in my first post rather than speculate on this and alarm the OP.  

My questions were "How long have the spots been there?  Have they got any worse over that time?"

An explanation of black mould can be found by copying the OP's image into your search engine.  This site looks helpful https://www.homeserve.co.uk/knowledge-hub/home-maintenance-advice/how-to-get-rid-of-black-mould/:

because it specify the symptoms as well as how to remove mould.

Very useful link. thanks.

sujsuj

Jellynailer said:

This is getting way off beam and really not helpful to the OP.  Of all the possible causes of the OP's problem in an upstairs bedroom, rising damp is the most unlikely.  A useful site to help identify causes bases on symptoms is https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/damp/article/what-kind-of-damp-is-affecting-my-home-arNnf1P2wVnV

The symptoms of a possible problem reported by the OP do not fit with any of the causes identified to date by other forumites.  The symptoms could, however, fit with a fungal growth called black mould so I asked the OP questions in my first post rather than speculate on this and alarm the OP.  

My questions were "How long have the spots been there?  Have they got any worse over that time?"

An explanation of black mould can be found by copying the OP's image into your search engine.  This site looks helpful https://www.homeserve.co.uk/knowledge-hub/home-maintenance-advice/how-to-get-rid-of-black-mould/:

because it specify the symptoms as well as how to remove mould.

Thanks. I noticed recently only. So may be there for last 2-3 weeks maximum. 

sujsuj

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi SS.
Could we have a wider pic showing the whole wall(s), please, to see if it's localised staining? And an indication of where these walls are - there are two affected walls in your pic, so I presume one is the 'party'?
And, is the window in that room suffering from condensation at all?
We've had some whopping rain recently. If this continues, could you go outside with a torch and observe?
How long have you lived in that house? Your bricks are universally darker than your neighb's - do you know if it's been given a treatment of some sort?

affected wall is just behind brick area shown in the photo. Spots seen mainly around first window shaded area inside room. Left to waste pipe is new (20 year old) extension area. Rest is 90 Years old.

sujsuj

fluffymuffy said:

Recently replaced the windows with nice airtight ones?

Wooden frame windows with double glazed but older type metal frames not new generation  plastic frames.

sujsuj

EssexHebridean said:

@Jellynailer - if you are happy with your damp meter then that is great, but @section62 makes a good point that right now it is more important for the OP to workout what is causing their issues, and fix that, rather than to spend money on a device to tell them something they already know. 

MSE is indeed a site about saving money, and this forum is the same, therefore we would generally advise against someone spending money on irrelevant items in favour of finding the best fix for their particular problem. 

Nobody on here will be criticising someone’s posts simply for fun - if criticism is being levelled it is going to be because the advice is poor, misguided, or misleading - all things that we don’t want to see going unchallenged, not only for the OP, but also for those other who may come after them with similar problems. 

@sujsuj I wonder whether that gap in the gutter is causing water to overflow and run down the down-pipe, and the cable that then loops across the wall behind it is then causing that water to be spread out across the wall too. There does look like some external water marking on the pipe, and I *think* the wall looks a slightly darker shade there too?  If so, then with the wet summer we have had it may just be that the reason the spots have appeared now is that the wall has been consistently wet for long enough that the inside is now showing the effect. Not sure you say whether you own or rent, but if it were me I’d be getting that gutter fixed ASAP, then ensuring plenty of airflow in that room, adequate heating, and good clearance on any furniture against the affected wall. Monitor to see how things look, both using photos as you already have, and seeing how the wall feels too - the damp wall in a former property of ours was quite easy to feel when it was particularly bad. 

 Thanks. As mentioned, the leaked water affected some of the lower floor bricks, as you can see from the photos. However, there wasn’t any water on the first-floor area where the spots were visible.

Yes, gutter fixed now.
Yes spots were behind  big bed room drawer. now all moved to get better circulation etc. Thanks again!