I have read quite a few discussions on a similar problem and i am aware of the various diagnosis given as to possible causes. Apologies for elaborating a little but thought to give as accurate description of the problem as i could so that the experts can thankfully help give a more definitive solution.
This is a detached house with 3 separate chimneys all of which are on external walls.
The problem is confined to the chimney wall which starts in the kitchen above what used to be an old range cooker (i believe this has not been in use for many years now) and extends through the bedroom above it (no chimney breast in the bedroom) and through the pitched roof, the chimney outer wall is flush with the outer face of the room's external wall.
i.e the chimney projects wholly inward from the external wall.
The problem is damp on the chimney wall in the bedroom. Yellowish to brown discolouration on the wall paper with the plaster disentegrated behind . Damp meter readings went off scale. The affected area is confined to the top 0.5 metre below the ceiling and extends the full width of the chimney wall. In addition a strip no more than 100mm wide of the ceiling adjoining the wall is damp for the same width. Damp readings outside this area dropped off to below 0.6% (on a scale of 0.2 to 2) which I believe is within the norm.
The chimney stack above the roof appear to have been capped off with half round ridge tile bedded in cement. The inlet in the kitchen has also been capped off with cement. There is no sign of any introduced ventilation to the chimney although i presume the capping at the top has a small vent but can't be sure of this. I am unable yet to inspect the flashing at the stack roof interface however the attached photo inside the loft shows the chimney wall's condition.
It is worth mentioning the following:
weather has been largely dry and warm for 4 weeks preceeding the inspection.
the other chimneys appear to be fine, low readings on the damp meter and no physical signs of dampness.
The other two chimneys start in the reception rooms on the ground floor and rise through the bedrooms on the first floor and through the pitched roof. These chimneys' wall inside face (facing the rooms) is flush with the room's wall inside face (i.e chimneys project outside the external wall when viewed from outside the house). This is the opposite to the one having damp problem. This is just an observation and most likely has nothing to do with the cause of the problem.
I would appreciate your thoughts as to the cause and how this can be resolved and at what cost roughly. Many thanks in advance.
This is a detached house with 3 separate chimneys all of which are on external walls.
The problem is confined to the chimney wall which starts in the kitchen above what used to be an old range cooker (i believe this has not been in use for many years now) and extends through the bedroom above it (no chimney breast in the bedroom) and through the pitched roof, the chimney outer wall is flush with the outer face of the room's external wall.
i.e the chimney projects wholly inward from the external wall.
The problem is damp on the chimney wall in the bedroom. Yellowish to brown discolouration on the wall paper with the plaster disentegrated behind . Damp meter readings went off scale. The affected area is confined to the top 0.5 metre below the ceiling and extends the full width of the chimney wall. In addition a strip no more than 100mm wide of the ceiling adjoining the wall is damp for the same width. Damp readings outside this area dropped off to below 0.6% (on a scale of 0.2 to 2) which I believe is within the norm.
The chimney stack above the roof appear to have been capped off with half round ridge tile bedded in cement. The inlet in the kitchen has also been capped off with cement. There is no sign of any introduced ventilation to the chimney although i presume the capping at the top has a small vent but can't be sure of this. I am unable yet to inspect the flashing at the stack roof interface however the attached photo inside the loft shows the chimney wall's condition.
It is worth mentioning the following:
weather has been largely dry and warm for 4 weeks preceeding the inspection.
the other chimneys appear to be fine, low readings on the damp meter and no physical signs of dampness.
The other two chimneys start in the reception rooms on the ground floor and rise through the bedrooms on the first floor and through the pitched roof. These chimneys' wall inside face (facing the rooms) is flush with the room's wall inside face (i.e chimneys project outside the external wall when viewed from outside the house). This is the opposite to the one having damp problem. This is just an observation and most likely has nothing to do with the cause of the problem.
I would appreciate your thoughts as to the cause and how this can be resolved and at what cost roughly. Many thanks in advance.
