Damp kitchen and musty smell from cavity wall

[Don9]

Hi Guys,

I bought a 1900's house and had a Wren kitchen installed.
One wall had a fake wall added to straighten out the back wall. Recently I've noticed a musty\moldy smell coming from the cupboards along that wall.

I also noticed that the extractor fan does not extract, it just recirculates air in the kitchen.

My kitchen has a high humidity (averages the 80's and frequently 99% humidity on my Digital Thermo-Hygrometer)
I do open the kitchen window... thats when humidity sinks to the 80's.

Id like to reduce the humidity in the kitchen by getting the extractor fan to extract air outside.
Id also like to do something about the musty \ moldy smell coming from the cavity wall.

What would my best options be?

Along with getting the extractor fan to extract outside.
Im also considering a solar powered Exhaust fan to ventilate the cavity to sort out the musty \ moldy smell

Is there anything else I should be considering?

How much should I budget for this work?

 

[blup]

Fitting an extractor fan is relatively straightforward. You need to identify the source of the damp in the false wall, extracting will not resolve the cause, and it could get worse. It might involve removing the cupboards and rebuilding the wall. Check first if the cause is a leaking pipe internally or externally.

Blup

 

[Don9]

Fitting an extractor fan is relatively straightforward. You need to identify the source of the damp in the false wall, extracting will not resolve the cause, and it could get worse. It might involve removing the cupboards and rebuilding the wall. Check first if the cause is a leaking pipe internally or externally.

Blup

I dont think there are any pipes behind the wall.
Its more to do with the high humidity in the area and lack of air circulation in the cavity. There is frequently condensation in the kitchen on the tiles \ fridge in the mornings.

Less than a meter behind the problem wall is rock wall that is almost always damp.

How much of an issue is it to get the hob extractor to remove air to the outside, rather than circulating it back in the kitchen?
The Kitchen walls are about a foot thick.

 

[Mr Chibs]

Shouldn't be an issue, core drill or chisel out for chosen size of sleeve/pipe, finish with suitable grille outside.

You mention you can smell the musty cavity... where are you getting access to the cavity?

What date was the house built?

 

[Don9]

Shouldn't be an issue, core drill or chisel out for chosen size of sleeve/pipe, finish with suitable grille outside.

You mention you can smell the musty cavity... where are you getting access to the cavity?

What date was the house built?

Cool. Any idea on how much fitting the extractor pipe will cost?
The bottom cupboards have holes in the back for plugs and the smell is coming through there.
The house was built in 1902.

 

[blup]

Hob Extractors usually have space for ducting so a question of finding a route to the external wall.

Blup

 

[Mr Chibs]

Cool. Any idea on how much fitting the extractor pipe will cost?
The bottom cupboards have holes in the back for plugs and the smell is coming through there.
The house was built in 1902.

Are you sure you have cavity walls?

My house is around that year, and is solid brick. If it's solid brick, they it might be condensation and lack of air flow. Is it black spotty mould behind there? My old Kitchen used to suffer this problem, I insulated inside and now don't have this problem.

Kitchen's do created lots of water vapour and you really need to sort the extraction out, and vent outside.

Perhaps take some photos, you may get more advise... you might be able to do it yourself? or decent handyman to do.

 

[Don9]

Are you sure you have cavity walls?

My house is around that year, and is solid brick. If it's solid brick, they it might be condensation and lack of air flow. Is it black spotty mould behind there? My old Kitchen used to suffer this problem, I insulated inside and now don't have this problem.

Kitchen's do created lots of water vapour and you really need to sort the extraction out, and vent outside.

Perhaps take some photos, you may get more advise... you might be able to do it yourself? or decent handyman to do.

There is a cavity behind that wall. It was found when removing the old kitchen counters \ cupboards. The wall had to be added back as the kitchen counters \ cupboards had already been cut to shape and the stone wall behind isnt straight.

Like your house, the stone wall is solid brick, about a foot thick. It is certainly condensation and lack of air flow causing the smell.
There is certainly a LOT of water vapour in the kitchen, there is frequently condensation on the tiles and fridge.
My house is built on the side of a hill, they cut stone away to make space for the house. Less than a meter behind my kitchen is the stone wall which is almost always damp.

How did you go about insulating?

 

[Old Salt]

I live in a 60’s bungalow, its been raining all day and the humidity in my bungalow is currently 58%. I would suggest you have either a water leak or a damp problem.

 

[Mr Chibs]

There is a cavity behind that wall. It was found when removing the old kitchen counters \ cupboards. The wall had to be added back as the kitchen counters \ cupboards had already been cut to shape and the stone wall behind isnt straight.

Like your house, the stone wall is solid brick, about a foot thick. It is certainly condensation and lack of air flow causing the smell.
There is certainly a LOT of water vapour in the kitchen, there is frequently condensation on the tiles and fridge.
My house is built on the side of a hill, they cut stone away to make space for the house. Less than a meter behind my kitchen is the stone wall which is almost always damp.

How did you go about insulating?

I insulated with celotex applied to the inside of the room. After insulation boards, it was plasterboard and skimmed.
It's a faff to be fair but walls were not the best anyway.

I'm a little confused about the make up of your walls, you mention stone and solid brick. If there is a meter gap between the stone wall and your brick walls, damp should not be transferred.

Post some pics if you can.

 

[Don9]

I live in a 60’s bungalow, its been raining all day and the humidity in my bungalow is currently 58%. I would suggest you have either a water leak or a damp problem.

The humidity has been ridiculously high since I moved here.
About a week and a half after I started moving things over, I noticed the salt leaching through my cardboard sea salt container. The salt was wet.
Since then the kitchen has been stripped down to the stone, re plastered and the new kitchen installed. And the humidity has been just as high as ever, so Im sure it isnt a leak.
I think the high humidity is due to nearly two stories of damp rock wall directly behind the kitchen.

I would LOVE to get the humidity down to 58%, Id have to have the dehumidifier running on full to get it that low.

 

[Don9]

I insulated with celotex applied to the inside of the room. After insulation boards, it was plasterboard and skimmed.
It's a faff to be fair but walls were not the best anyway.

I'm a little confused about the make up of your walls, you mention stone and solid brick. If there is a meter gap between the stone wall and your brick walls, damp should not be transferred.

Post some pics if you can.

The meter gap I mentioned is between the outside rock wall which is almost always damp and the back wall of the kitchen.
I found a pic of the kitchen wall as it was being built. Id forgotten there was any insulation there. The gap where the insulation is isnt more than a couple centimeters thick.

I was told the walls are made of stone (from the rock behind the house) and plaster.

 

[Mr Chibs]

Seems you have stone house, I'm guessing exterior walls are stone, possibly some interior walls are brick?

Do your neighbours have same issues? I see another stone house through the window.

Is the fake wall you mentioned (musty smell) the one with the plasterboard and insulation on as the photo?

I would think the only way of stopping damp will either be tanking of some description (no real knowledge of) or would have been to apply a vapour barrier (polythene sheet) behind the studwork and make the insulation as air-tight and gap free as possible, this would be better in foam boards as all the gaps can be filled with a foam gun and aluminium duct tape, taped over the joints.

Other walls could have celotex applied or insulated plasterboard applied directly to the wall if it's flat. Probably not very helpful if you've finished your kitchen.

I'm sure some other members will give more detailed advice about stone properties.

 

[Odds]

Maybe you could get a word in @Bod ... as he's just done his kitchen out. See 'the kitchen' thread posted in 'Projects'.
Did you render the wall then put p.board's over the surface, or plasterboard direct on the wall?

 

[Bod ...]

Maybe you could get a word in @Bod ... as he's just done his kitchen out. See the thread posted in 'Projects'.
Did you render the wall then put p.board's over the surface, or plasterboard direct on the wall?

We stripped out anything loose.
Then we stuck an insulation foam with adhesive covering the whole wall.
Once dry I had a plasterer skim the walls and ceiling.

I've also put in a 24/365 ceiling fan to take the moisture out of the air.

Also insulated hot and cold pipework behind the cupboards

Can't really say how well it's working as I'm not sure.