Living in Old Building, white 'salts' forming on wall

[SpirtLevelled]

Hey,

I've been living in this property for about 18 months. Over the last 6 months the paint in one corner of my living room (the inside of an exterior wall) started first to bubble. This problem has gradually got slightly worse and the plaster has become damaged, I've taken away some of the loose plaster and found what looks like a white fluffy salt substance underneath. The paint bubbling starts about 1/3 of the way up the wall and covers only the middle section.

From looking around on the internet it appears that I have penetrating dampness and that the salt is from the plaster or mortar. My question is, who should I get to come out and look for a solution to this problem? My flat is on the third floor, so any exterior inspection will probably involve a cherry picker or 'gulp' scaffolding. Are there any sort who would specialize in 100 year old buildings (surveyors for example), or should I just opt for a builder who'll also do a bit of re-plastering.

Any help by anyone is greatly appreciated. This is the first property I've owned so I'm a bit naive regarding these matters.

 

[rjm2k]

Can you post a photo of the area inside and also the outside, indicating where the patch is? Might help with suggestions on identifying the source of the damp, maybe a downpipe, heating pipe, window cill etc.

 

[SpirtLevelled]

The red square is approximately where the damage is occurring on the inside

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• SpirtLevelled
• 2 Jul 2014
• 1

I sanded down the bubbling paint, since I was initially going to just repaint the wall

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• SpirtLevelled
• 2 Jul 2014
• 1

Close up of some of the area I have pealed away some of the plaster that is crumbling. Just at the bottom of it you can see some of the 'salt' from under the plaster

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• SpirtLevelled
• 2 Jul 2014
• 1

 

[ree]

I assume that the external wall is solid?

There are signs of past staining on the line of the rain water pipe.

How close to the external wall is the chimney breast?

Have you examined the area above in the loft, including around the loft chimney breast?


Does your neighbour next door or in the flat below complain of similar "salts" or leaks?

The stone string line (or course) - string lines often capture and retain water running down the face of brickwork.

The roof gutter and eaves detail might be slowly leaking/weeping moisture down into the brickwork below - moisture can enter in one place and not show up until it reaches another position.

FWIW: if you cannot locate the source then its best to hack off all suspicious plaster and render in sand and cement with a board finish.

 

[rjm2k]

What are those cables? They could be funneling water down to that point where either an absorbant point is whicking it in or the nails holding the cable are taking it in. If the gutter is full it could make it worse as more to funnel