Flat sale - condensation

AliceBanned

Ps carpet was damp all along, but seems more so at each end. 

AliceBanned

Ok this is the corner in previous pic minus cobwebs and after first clean. There does seem to be a gap and maybe rain gets in here? It is the same level as the carpet.

AliceBanned

Same corner on inside. Full length pic - carpet got stained many years before I moved in and never replaced as I didn’t really try to tackle the cause.

EssexHebridean

That carpet says this is a long term issue then - predating you living there! 

AliceBanned

EssexHebridean said:

That carpet says this is a long term issue then - predating you living there! 

Oh yes and the couple living here before me were let’s say not interested in diy at all. I got the flat for a good price as I could see the amount of work that needed doing, but they went out of their way to hide this problem because I noticed when I moved in the carpet was covered with a matching piece of carpet on top. It was damp underneath. 

AliceBanned

Unlike my buyer I didn’t get a chance to look around without the seller ‘standing guard’ and distracting me! I let my EA do the viewings on my absence. They saw this at the second viewing as I wouldn’t try to hide it but hadn’t really dealt with it as I thought it needs a new door anyway really.

AliceBanned

Another pic

ThisIsWeird

Thanks - these photos are useful, and I'm inclined to agree with EssexHebridean above, and not just 'cos of the 'Hebridean' bit...

Almost certainly, this is due to water ingress - water is coming through from outside, somehow. It's just too excessive for condensation running down the window, unless that has been truly extreme - lots of clothes being dried inside, and no windows or doors opened. Windows covered in droplets...

Where it's coming through cannot be determined by these photos. Yes, there's a gap in the sealant at the side of the timber sill, but that part should be well outside the 'inner' area anyway, so water shouldn't get in from there.

Really, that underlay needs lifting too, so you can have a good gander.

And then a builder/competent handyperson/door fitter, someone who knows how doors need to be sealed, and can redo it all. The wrong person can make it worse, say by sealing along under the white bottom frame outside, which would trap draining water, and send it inside...

And have the timber frame painted using a durable 'all-coat' paint that sticks to anything - Zinsser AllCoat, Bedec's Barn paint, that sort of thing.

If DIYing this, I'd scrape off all the existing frame sealant, wire-brush down the timber, rot-treat it, and then a few coats of the paint I mentioned. Then fresh frame-sealant again, squeezing it right in, and finishing it off neatly.

AliceBanned

Thanks ThisIsWeird. I’ll try and find someone. The problem really is access to the far end. I guess a big enough ladder or they might need scaffolding 😬.

ComicGeek

That timber external sill looks to be split along the width of the doors. The photo showing the full length has lots of splits in it - that's why timber needs so much maintenance. The splits marked in red below allow water to bypass the brown sealant (which is probably useless itself now) and the water runs in under the door frame. Replace or cover the sill and reseal everything. You can see where someone has tried to seal inside the door frame, but you have to stop the water on the outside.

If you were to replace the doors you would replace the sill at the same time. Modern sills would be sloped away from the door as well.