Damp, condensation or a leak? HELP!

[Ryef]

Hi all,
This is my first ever post and I am here because I seriously need some help. I am getting really pee'd off over the whole thing. We moved in to this house 11 months ago and everything looked fine and dandy except some dodgy half-a**ed DIY jobs that needed fixing.

Around 3 months ago we started getting mould on our bedroom ceiling and the room has started feeling damp - to the point that as the weather has gotten worse we now have mould growing on clothing and bedding feels damp. I am starting to consider moving in to the spare bedroom because it can NOT be healthy for us.

I've had a few family members check the loft and should add that from what we have seen our roof isn't leaking.

So my question before I kill someone and my other half who say I am making a massive deal out of nothing - IS THIS JUST CONDENSATION?:

I have a problem with the window too in that there is a gap between the window and wall so the window obviously hasn't been sealed in properly. The plaster is getting so damp that it is crumbling and will more than likely need the whole thing re-plastering.

MORE IMAGES: http://s844.photobucket.com/user/Undergro13/library/house nightmare

I am having to scrub the walls and ceiling with disinfectant every fortnight or so at the minute. I've borrowed a dehumidifier to run during the day and its collecting one drop a second (330mls in around 7 hours so far)

Anybody know who I could phone to try and get this seen to? I don't want to pay a fortune so would rather try sort it myself if i can. We are planning on sealing the window this weekend but don't know if it will be pointless?

ETA: I am desperate to decorate but i don't think duck egg blue goes well with mould!! >.<

 

[foxhole]

Best cure for mould and condensation is ventilation, it's free and efficient.
You should have vents to every room and fans in both kitchen and bathroom, no washing should be dried indoors.

 

[Ryef]

Thanks for the reply. Even with ventilation this is still occuring (i.e windows put on 'vent' or left open). There are no vents in the walls in the front bedroom, yet there is in the back bedroom and we have a fan in the bathroom. We don't dry clothes upstairs because i don't like the rooms to be too humid (ironic right :/ ). This is the only room with the issue - no other rooms have this problem

 

[flameport]

We don't dry clothes upstairs

Do you dry clothing in other parts of the house?

 

[polbishop25]

Had the same problem with mould between the windows and walls. I thought it's a problem with the sealing and rains, but it turned out eventually to be water drop, which falls from another apartment's air conditioner. The small drop was falling right near the wall to break on the top of my air conditioning unit. The outside of the wall was damp most of the time, which led to severe mould around the windows and corners.

My advise is to check carefully every scenario and find the source.

 

[PDJ]

This looks bad and is probably caused by a combination of factors.

bathrooms are a high humidity area as we all shower nowadays, is an extractor fan fitted and does it work (can it hold an A4 sheet of paper against itself) or do you open the window during the shower or after.

Washing being dryed inside can led to this, just think how wet it is when it comes out of the machine

Does the property have heating, cold walls attract damp, is it north facing as naturally colder side of house/flat.

Has the property got cavity wall insulation - certain types of property should not have it as houses need to breath - watchdog has big file on terminal dampness caused by this.

We are also in a period of extreme rain and this May be adding to internal sources as will be soaking in brickwork or through badly sealed windows (brick to window silicone seals)

There are so many variations that can cause this that you need to take a look everywhere, I even know someone who had a damp problem in a ground floor flat who tried everything and the lifted a floor board and found the basement was flooded (dodgy London landlord denied there was a basement though)

Also please remember that mould spores do not go away easily and will take a lot of bleach.

 

[dishman]

Many recent posts on damp in the building forum:

//www.diynot.com/forums/building/is-this-damp-how-can-i-get-rid-of-it-pics-inside.390150/

//www.diynot.com/forums/building/low-level-damp-patches-on-internal-walls.389770/

Also read these very useful guides.

http://www.bolton.gov.uk/sites/DocumentCentre/Documents/Condensation and Mould.pdf

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/10103020/30217


As it started in the last few months (seasonal) it is very likely to be damp/condensation caused by you. I can see condensation on the window in one picture. Follow all the advice in those links. It is about changing living habits, good ventilation (especially at the source of moisture creation), and insulation.

Drying clothes inside is a big no no. Try using the launderette, or get a vented tumble dryer.

But read all the advice in those links..

 

[Ryef]

Sorry it's been a while since i checked this.

In answer to some questions: washing is dried in a vented room downstairs, three doors between that room and the bedroom. The bathroom fan does work and we open the windows after showering, the door gets shut until the room is dry. House is heated, and the room with the issue is south facing.

I think i've found one major issue that's the first on the list to be sorted. Obviously from the pictures i posted the inside windows weren't sealed properly. On inspection of the outside, it seems that the sealant has worn in quite a lot of places (also need two small windows replacing as unit has failed). There is a lot of cold air and noise coming through the edges of the window. I'm currently in the process of sorting the inside window and will try sort the outside this weekend if we have decent weather (if thats possible)

however, I mentioned concerns about the plaster on the window being soft. Well this happened today:

The wallpaper kept it up and there's another part that feels like it's going to give. The plaster that fell turns to dust if you touch it. So I now need to get the window re-plastered.

Been in this house nearly 1 year so the bad stuff is starting to rear its ugly head now

 

[dishman]

It could easily be a failed seal like you say. Either due to poor installation or just general wear and tear. Make a good inspection of the exterior of the window, the seal and the lintel, brickwork and roof above.

If the seal on the outside and inside has failed or in poor condition, then this could easily be the cause of water getting in, especially if you have had driving rain recently..

Another cause could still be the very cold air coming in round the edges of the window (due to the poor seal). Any moisture in the warm air of your house will condensate very quickly on the cold walls in this area. It soaks in the the paper, gets trapped there and turns to mold and eventually gets absorbed into the plaster.

I can't tell if the first picture in your initial post was of the ceiling. If you did get enough water on the ceiling for it to start dripping, then you also may want to check the guttering and roof tiles above the window in that area. If you can, check in the loft right in the eves above the window and see if there is any evidence of a leak in there...

With regards to the misted windows, you can get them "de-misted" however (depending on your financials) a better longterm approach will be to just get those panes re-glazed. If the frame is ok, you should not need to replace it, just the glazed unit.

 

[Ryef]

We have had quite bad rain lately and it has been hammering the front of the house. The inside seal on our office room window (front box room) is non-existent too but the outside seems in a lot better condition so we've had no issues there. The back bedrooms are all fine though which is baffling.

Yes the first pictures were on the ceiling of the window wall. The corner seems to get it pretty bad but there isn't any on any other walls or parts of the ceiling in the room.

I've had the attic inspected twice now, once after a heavy downpour and the other whilst it was hoying it down and both times it's been dry up there.

I am trying to find someone with long enough ladders to check the guttering but might have to pay a roofer to come out and do it for me - don't want anyone to have my eyes out though and say loads of work needs doing when it doesn't.
Figured it i can sort the windows quite cheaply first then I can start forking out money afterwards if it doesn't make an improvement.

With the windows, I should be able to get the small unit replaced shouldn't I? So the small windows and the plastic frame because they are they opening section of the window? The frame with the misted window is holding water which drips out so think it all needs to be changed.

 

[dishman]

Yes, as I said, unless you windows are 1st generation sealed units (they dont look to be) you can just replace the glazed units that have misted up.

There is a system whereby you can demist the damaged units without replacing them, but I have never had it done and do not know how long it lasts. Usually just better to just replace the unit if you can afford it.

Unless the gutter is broken above the window, or you can see it overflowing and dripping down the wall, it should be ok.

Concentrate on inspecting the seal around the exterior of the window, and the especially brickwork pointing and lintel above and around the window.


Also, when you say water drips out of the glazed unit when it mists up, what do you mean? Do you mean that water appears on the interior window surface?

 

[Ryef]

I took this pic from the outside of the house this morning before I got in the car and before it poured down with rain.

I have a video of the window dripping but it won't upload from my phone properly.

I've bought some Unibond Weather Protect External Sealant today, hope it will do the job properly. The forecast is supposed to be alright on Wednesday so will try get as much done as I can then

 

[dishman]

Try and get a good photo/look at the soldier course of bricks (the vertical bricks) above the window. That is an area where there may be a problem. Specifically check the pointing between the bricks in the soldier course.

If you are not sure what I mean by soldier course, type it in to google images and you will see.

 

[Ryef]

I know what you mean, I'll have a look tomorrow. I know the seAl is patchy on the top because I could see through it in the part where the plaster fell down. Got plastering sorted out today so hoping it'll dry properly

I'll expect the pointing to be horrendous on the soldier course of bricks. There is a lot of pointing that desperately needs doing on the lower half of the house. Already designated it as a summer job. The pointing in a single brick utility room on the end of our extension has worn away in parts and there are holes. I could probably easily touch the plasterboard on the other side

 

[ChrisG29]

I've had similar problems this year, (I think the weather has had a lot to do with it), but don't be surprised if there is more than one problem.

Looking at the photos of the interior, there seems to be something wrong above the window, or the seal at the frame, that is causing moisture to get in and the plaster to fail.

There also seems to be a condensation problem, (the water droplets on the wall paper), the warm moist air in the house is meeting the cold surface and condensing.

Any cold air coming through the window seals or surround will cause cold spots where you will get condensation.

Until you find the source of the problem, make sure that the bedroom is well ventilated, especially at night, and use a watered down bleach solution to clean off the mould.

Keep using the dehumidifier to dry out the room in the day.

We generate a lot of condensation when we sleep so keep the room well ventilated.

Good luck