Damp Plasterboard

[SuperTommo]

We had a conservatory put on the back of the house a couple of years ago. All of a sudden this year we noticed a mouldy/damp patch appearing inside the conservatory on the wall that was originally the back wall of the house and above the double sliding patio door that now leads from the lounge into the conservatory. The work was guaranteed so we called out someone from the people who built the conservatory. The guy went up on the roof and identified the problem as a leak in the flashing which he says he has fixed. He thought that the wall had dried out and I therefore rubbed down and resealed the wall with a PVC based sealant. However, the mould has reappeared although now lower down the wall. Recently drops of water have started to appear from the bottom of the wall immediately above the patio doors.

My question is therefore, how long should it take for the plasterboard to dry out. The plasterboard was originally fixed onto the old back wall of the house, could this slow down the process? I am worried that the leak hasn't been fixed at all and water is continuing to leak down the back of the PB.

Any advice appreciated....

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

It depends on the envioronment and how wet the board got.
If they have got saturated they can start to crumble.
But a damp board in dry conditions will dry out in a week or less.

 

[roughcaster]

Sounds to me as if the leak is still ongoing. I would get the company back again, and also,, take a few photographs to back you up.

 

[SuperTommo]

Thanks. I am thinking along the same lines roughcaster. It is just that since resealing the damp patch has reappeared lower down the wall and where the worst of the discolouration was before resealing (higher up the wall) looks fine. I wonder if there is water trapped behind the PB which is slowly reducing and getting lower down the wall.

 

[roughcaster]

If you have "drops of water" appearing above the patio doors, then that proves a leak/moisture getting in. As i said, take a photo or two, just to show to the builders of the conservatory. If the mould is now appearing in other parts of the wall, it shows the problem is spreading. How was the plasterboard fixed to the back wall,, onto timber battens, or dot and dabbed?? If it was dot and dabbed, then it would "not" have been foil backed plasterboard that was used,,, just plain plasterboard sheeting, which would be much easier for any leaking water/moisture to penetrate through the board.

 

[TheDampDetective]

It sounds like it is still leaking but painted board can take a while to dry.