Possible damp patch on interior wall?

[martin1t]

Hi, I have today noticed a wet patch on my bedroom wall.

The wall is a solid wall at the front of the house, bedroom is on first floor so I'm ruling out rising damp and as it's not at the top of the wall I'm sure it's not guttering either. Currently got a portable oil filled radiator beside the patch to dry it out before it smells etc.

We do have condensation in the room due to the house having old double glazing. Haven't yet updated due to cost at this time. Bought the house in July, paid for new kitchen & bathroom plus recent storm damage at other side of house has used up our reserves, also we are expecting our new baby any week now so it's all go and this problem isn't helping.

Looking for some advice whether this is penetrating damp and what should I do?

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• martin1t
• 28 Dec 2013
• 1

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[Alastairreid]

Keep whatever was against the wall off it to let the air circulate, ventilate the room by opening a window, oil fired heaters create loads of moisture! it looks like condensation.

 

[martin1t]

Thanks for the reply! Ill switch the heater off and open the window for a while. This has only come to light after we moved a chest of drawers shifting the room about, Bit chilly outside but needs must!

 

[Alastairreid]

It will dry out now you have moved the drawers from the wall Martin..condensation will settle on the nearest available cold spot! in your case the external wall behind the drawers where there is little air movement to dry it out.

 

[dishman]

Just to set a few myths straight. Your condensation is unlikley to be due to old double glazing.

When you say you "do have condensation in the room" (not the bit on the wall). Do you mean on the inside of the windows (in the house)? Or between the double glazing panes (i.e inside the double glazing unit)? Do you get it anywhere else?

Basically do not think that going to the expense of replacing all your double glazing will solve condensation....as it most likley won't.

Regarding the damp patch, check your roof externally as best you can for storm damage (especially with recent winds), i.e tile damage or blocked/damaged gutter. Try check inside the loft space near the eves as well.

Most condensation is more often than not caused by bad house management. By this I mean, not enough ventillation and consistant well controlled heating....... especially in winter.

In addition do you:

1) dry clothes on radiators? (Do you have a tumble dryer? What type?)
2)have a good extractor in the bathroom?
3)have a extractor in the kitchen?
4) Have central heating (how is it set at the moment).
5)How do you ventillate the house?
6) What insulation does the house have (loft insulation? Cavity walls?)

 

[Alastairreid]

All sound enough advice dishman but in the ops case he has already indicated his gutters etc are sound and it is an external solid wall which had a piece of furniture against it...Remove item of furniture and introduce ventilation...problem solved.

 

[dishman]

I did read he had repaired previous storm damage, but another check won't harm (although i did mis-read the image and thought the damp was at ceiling level).

However, there is obviously too much moisture in the house anyway (he mentions he normally has condensation in that room). So he needs to troubleshoot to find out why/where it is being produced and what can be done to mitigate/reduce it for the long term. I would hate for someone to go to the expense of buying new double glazing and find the problem is not solved.

Removing the furniture and ventilating the room may help, but it is also a good idea to work out systematically what is causing the condensation in the first place.

Just to clarify, when you say "solid wall" to the front, do you mean solid wall with no cavity, or just a solid wall as in solid brick i.e not an internal stud wall?

Basically is it a solid "Cavity wall" or a wall with no cavity.

 

[martin1t]

Appreciating the advice everyone!

In answer to your questions : condensation is forming on the inside of the windows. Considering buying a dehumidifier.

1) dry clothes on radiators? (Do you have a tumble dryer? What type?
Currently drying small amounts of washing when required in kitchen using a three tier airer close to radiators with the windows open a crack to ventilate. Been considering a condenser dryer though.

2)have a good extractor in the bathroom?
No extractor fan as of yet, opening window to ventilate

3)have a extractor in the kitchen?
Yes, extractor fan fitted

4) Have central heating (how is it set at the moment).
Gas central heating, set to come on at three periods throughout the day, not constantly on.

5)How do you ventillate the house?
Mainly opening windows.

6) What insulation does the house have (loft insulation? Cavity walls?)
Some old loft insulation that I am looking at replacing. House has a lot of non load bearing partition walls so unsure about level of insulation, need to dig out the home report.

 

[martin1t]

Also in relation to my storm damage, I had 1 corner roof tile blown off a few weeks ago which caused water to come in through the other side of the house away from this particular room. Loft has been checked and roof looked over by local builder and damage fixed accordingly. I have been checking roof daily with the bad weather but as far as I can see there has been nothing further.

As you will see on the picture the patch is close to the Virgin media cable box that I had fitted in November which involved a hole being drilled through the wall but I doubt that is the cause....

 

[dishman]

Ok, well a lot of the answers are there really.

Get a tumble dryer (not a condensing one) an externally vented one if possible.

Regardless if it's on an airer or not, your drying clothes inside. The water has to go somewhere and a small window is not enough. Weigh the clothes when wet, then dry. The weight difference is how much water is released into the air.

Get an extractor fitted in the bathroom pronto, a good one.

Try to change the way you use your central heating. Rather then turn the heating on and off, just turn it down to give a low level constant heat (and maybe turn it up if you really need to). Heating and cooling encourages condensation to form.

Upgrade your insulation in the loft. Do you have cavity walls? If so, consider cavity wall insulation, this may allow internal walls to be a bit warmer and less prone to condensation. But this must be done in conjunction with the other things.

...................

Basically you are producing a lot of moisture (a small household may produce 14+ litres on a daily basis), and it has no where to circulate and go. It will then condensate on a nice cold surface in the house, usually a window, or where there is no circulation i.e behind a cupboard on a cold wall.

Getting a dehumidifier is not a fix. It is a temporary (costly) solution to somthing you are creating yourself. Upgrading your double glazing will not stop the condensation either as it is also not the cause nor a contributor (it could in fact make the condensation worse).


Look at these advice pages.

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

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