Cause of damp on bedroom wall?

[BIgdave3]

In my bedroom, this is the damp patch to the right of the window:







To see how the wall lies, this is a front view of the house, so the damp patch would be to the left of the first floor window:





I went up a ladder to check the external wall & roof etc. The guttering had lots of moss/debris in it which I cleared out & I checked that the guttering was clearing the rainwater afterwards & it was all fine.

I did however, see a damaged tile:



WOuld this be enough to allow water in?

I went in the attic & I cannot find any evidence of damp. The felt is all good, except one small hole. I left some cardboard under this hole when it rained & it stayed dry, so I do not think that it is this.

Has anyone got any suggestions what could be causing this wet patch?

I notice also that the front bedroom windows have a lot of condensation on, far more than the others in the house. There is a pool of water on the internal window board.

ANy advice gratefully received. Sorry for so many pics, Im not very good at explaining, so hopefully pics will make more sense.

Dave

 

[Architexeter]

You are right to look outside and check for defects first as this can be a cause of damp but:

"I notice also that the front bedroom windows have a lot of condensation on, far more than the others in the house. There is a pool of water on the internal window board"

To me this could be a classic case of house humidity.
First question, do you have an extractor in your kitchen and bathroom? I'm going to assume no.

Generally living in a house you generate water vapour in may ways - water vapour wants to condensate and will try to find a cold surface so that it can do. Back when we all had single glazed windows it was a no brainer for the water vapour, it went "Brilliant, cold window, thanks very much" and you had a puddle on your sill. Nowadays this in not the case and water vapour will float around and condensate on the next coldest thing - voila - your sloping ceilings.

Verdict:
1. Make sure there is no external moisture ingress
2. Fit extractor in kitchen and bathrooms and use them!
3. Dry washing outside or in a warm, well ventilated room.
4. Heat - keeps water vapour in vapour form longer until the extractor can suck it out.
5. Insulate (Ideally higher priority but is the biggest job).

Think insulation, think condensation, think ventilation!

 

[BIgdave3]

there was actually water running down the walls, when I first noticed this problem.

COuld this be just condensation?

I always have the room cold, radiator turned off & windows open, as I like my room cold to sleep in. Could this effect things?

 

[dishman]

there was actually water running down the walls, when I first noticed this problem.

Could this be just condensation?

I always have the room cold, radiator turned off & windows open, as I like my room cold to sleep in. Could this effect things?

It could be condensation. A cold room can also promote condensation more than a warm one as there are more cold surfaces for condensation to form on other than windows. If you keep your heating on low, it will help keep most surfaces warm and thus prevent condensation. The colder windows are the one area it may still form if you have really moist air.

It is damp/condensation in the cupboard as it is on the cold outside wall/slope. I assume you have had things pushed up against the back of the space which traps moist air with no ventilation hence mold spores begin to form.

Can you access your loft space and view right into the eves, if there is a leak, see if you can detect it in there (look for damp timber etc). You may want a dust mask if you go poking around the loft insulation (if you have any). A leak may not be directly above the wet area.


To prevent condensation, try to heat your home more effectively, try low constant temperatures to keep bills in check. ventilate rooms, keep bathroom door closed when showering/bathing and open window, same for kitchen.

Read through these manuals, they go through everything:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/1125/0011805.pdf

I am sure condensation in scotland follows the same principles, even if they do go independent!

or this

http://www.nhbc.co.uk/NHBCPublicati.../HomeownerDocuments/filedownload,31929,en.pdf


But as I said, check the loft too. You just need to eliminate possible causes one by one. Have you noticed any change since you cleaned the gutter?

The small amount of damage on the tile is unlikly to be the cause, however you could do with clearing all the moss off that roof, not healthy for it, especially when temperatues drop below freezing! Do not get it jet washed though (this will destroy the tiles).

 

[noseall]

Your 'damp' is a result of inadequate insulation in a raked ceiling and is typical of this type of building. You are not alone.

Use the 'search' facility and have a look through some of the posts on raked ceilings. There are about a trillion people with similar problems to yours.

Can be fixed with insulation and ventilation with a moderate amount of disruption.

 

[dishman]

Your 'damp' is a result of inadequate insulation in a raked ceiling and is typical of this type of building. You are not alone.

I was thinking that internal slope may have had something to do with exacerbating it. I was wondering what was in the void between the slope and the roof, and if it was insulated....good info to remember