Damp Proofing

[shaunaustin]

I have a problem with moisture on and around my chimney breast (which is bricked up) which has caused discolouration and mould on the wallpaper. This effects only the downstairs part. It's unclear as to whether the moisture is coming through the chimney, or whether it is caused by condensation on the surface. The upstairs part of the chimney breast is fine which may be because there is a vent allowing air flow and thus reducing condensation.

A damp proofing company has had a look at the problem and suggested I Planton Sheet my chimney. This involves covering the chimney breast in a plastic sheet which is guaranteed to be impenetrable, and then plastering and skimming over the top.

They have quoted me £600 for the work. Has anyone heard of Planton Sheet before and do you know if it works in stopping moisture coming through, and does this price seem fair (I appreciate this is difficult without knowing the size of the area)?

If the problem is condensation then Planton Sheet obviously won't solve the problem, but nobody so far has been able to tell me for sure whether it is or not. As I said above, the wallpaper has become discoloured and mouldy and there are also dark spec's of mould on the paint. From what i've read, this seems likely to be condensation.

One more thing - I'm about to have a gas fire installed against the chimney. If this likely to help reduce condensation or make it worse? It's my understanding that because the gas fire will have a flue, then this will help reduce consensation as air will be able to flow up the chimney. Does this sound right? Failing that I could fit a couple of vents to the chimney but would rather avoid this.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[foxhole]

Is the chimney in use? if sealed it must have a vent at ground level to prevent just this type of problem.Check the roof, the chimney should have been capped if not in use and provided with a vent, check flashing is undamaged as rain can penetrate and then run down inside chimney.

 

[shaunaustin]

Foxhole,

The chimney is bricked up at the moment but I will shorty be having a gas fire fitted. Will I still need a ground level vent in this case??? I assume the fire would need some sort of flue.

The old chimney pot was removed along time ago (safety reasons I think as it was right on the edge of the house) and there is now a flue on the roof.

Apologies is my terminology is wrong - this is all new to me.

 

[shaunaustin]

Foxhole,

Just spotted on another topic that you referred to a dehumidifyer as 'useless'. I'm currently using one to try and prevent the endless drying of clothes on the radiators that we do (bad I know!!!) from covering the walls and windows in condensation. Is a dehumidifyer likely to be working for this?

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

Dehumidifiers are not useless, (I saw that post as well )

A dehumidifier will pull moisture out of the atmosphere, if you are drying clothes indoors (which is not good, but sometimes there are few other options) it will help to reduce the humidity.

 

[foxhole]

My comment was taken out of context, though if you dry cloths indoors a dehumidfy would be pointless given the huge amount of moisture produced, if you dry clothes indoors you are condeming yourself to condensation, damp and possible ill health. A tumble dryer would be a wiser investment and the cost may seem high , but what price do you put on your health?

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

A lot of my work involves dealing with rental properties and I have constant "discussions" with tenants regarding condensation. It is difficult to get across to some that they are causing their own problems by not ventilating the property sufficently to allow moisture to disperse.

I have found that dehumidifiers do help to reduce the amount of moisture in properties. But in a lot of cases tenants will not use them as they are afraid of large leccy bills

I go into some properties and it is like walking into a rain forest the atmosphere is so humid.