Damp floorboards when it rains...

[1930sreno1]

See photos. Took off laminate when it rained this time and yeah could wet it being wet under the skirting board (see photo) looks like the floorboards are wet too. Not sign of roof leak or pipe leak or faulty pointy. What's the next steps??

Reckon this is rising damp? No other marks on walls above

 

[blup]

Looks like a radiator was there from the pipe holes and this may have leaked thus saturating the floorboards/laminate underlay. Whatever it was replacing the floorboards is probably the cheapest first step, keeping under review afterwards.

Blup

 

[Bod ...]

It might be a silly question but
have you got a roof?

 

[1930sreno1]

Not silly at all! We do but 3 different roofing companies have said nothing is wrong with the roof otherwise we would see staining on the walls could it just be that gap and we should seal it up somehow?

 

[conny]

Check if there are any redundant pipes underneath. If the rad had been removed, and the pipes capped off under the floor boards, they may have a pin hole leak which is squirting water upwards under the boards.
Just filling holes is no guarantee the problem is solved.

 

[1930sreno1]

Hello,
We went into the subfloor and no pipes under neath. Could this maybe be a start of rising damp occurring maybe?

 

[Mr Chibs]

What about dodgy pointing/brickwork on the wall (is it external?)

Are the joists pocketed into the walls or sat on ledger joist/brick skin? is there DPC under it?

Could be a few issues, needs investigation, can you take more pics of external wall/under floor?

 

[1930sreno1]

This is what it looks directly under the floorboards

 

[Mr Chibs]

At a guess, End of the the joist to the left looks wet, probably getting in from air vent.

Notice the one to the right, has had DPC/DPM wrapped around it, You might be able to do the same, to the left one, but prod it with a thin nail to see how soft it is, if it's rotten, it will need chopping out and replacing, or sistering (adding a joist to the side of the old one).

This is quite common in older properties. You might find a few of the ends of the joists like this.

Don't block up the air-vent though, you need it for ventilation.

 

[sparkymarka]

Where does that cable come from ? Are you sure it’s not running down the cable from somewhere else ?

 

[1930sreno1]

I think it's an old phone line, our electrics seem to be in the subfloor along with our pipes etc.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I think it's an old phone line, our electrics seem to be in the subfloor along with our pipes etc.

Might that cable come through the wall from outside and be conducting rain water inside?

Water can not only flow down the outside of cables, but also down the core of some cables.

 

[1930sreno1]

We think water is coming through the airvent somehow but I don't understand how water would travel up into the laminate. It's so weird. We don't know what to do! Would wet joists cause laminate to bubble?? That cable doesn't go outside the cable was actually dry.

 

[Mr Chibs]

If the joist is getting wet, the laminate will be acting as a sponge and soaking up moisture/water.

 

[1930sreno1]

Yeah I think maybe it's that piece of wood blocking the airvent that is getting wet and moisture is rising from that because it is literally just in that corner