Slowest pinhole leak in the world

[keenbutconfused]

The flat below ours has developed a patch on the wall that is showing signs of water damage. The building was probably built in 1830ish.

The patch starts at the base of the wall and is no more than 20 centimeters in width and spreads up the wall a bit for about 20 centi metres. There is another oval shaped patch about 10 centimetres length by 5 centimetres above this patch but the two water damaged patches do not meet. There is some racking in the plaster where the two patches are.

The patch has apparently been there for about 7 months and has not shown signs of steadily increasing.

The occupier thinks it is probably a leak in the plumbing. If there was a leak and it was the smallest leak in the world wouldn't it have caused more damage by now?

I don't think it is rising damp as I don't really believe in it. The patch is next to her bed with just 20 centimetres of clearance between it and the bed. There is also a radiator there.

Any ideas?

The reason I am asking is that the occupier is suggesting we contact our dodgy managin agents to have a look and I am scared they are going to say rising damp which we have no insurance for.

 

[Beefcake daddy]

Hi there,

I had a very similar problem in my house. I uncovered an oval shaped damp patch (mine ran horizontally) in one of the bedrooms upstairs. Thought it was from moisture getting accross the cavity wall on wall ties covered with mortar. Turned out it was where there had been a bed, and with it being the only room that was lived in (previous owner was an old guy living alone) it was the only room he ever had the heating on. All that was happening was moist air where he slept condensing on the wall and not drying out properly due to a lack of airflow (Could see by stains on the carpet the bed had been right against the wall, pretty minging!). I cleaned the black mould off with a watered down thin bleach, and it has never returned touch wood.

Could be the same problem with your friend (Or she may just drink too much and P up the wall in her sleep, it has happened before - usually by blokes on stag do's though, that right Ian?!),

I would suggest getting better ventillation into the room at night by leaving a window ajar (Not always an option on ground floor rooms though I guess). Move the bed a bit further away from the wall if possible, clean off mould with thin, not thick bleach (leaves a residue) and see if it returns. It may be this only happens during the colder months, so now would be a good time to sort it out and monitor it. Patches like this won't destroy your house over night, but I admit no one wants (or should have to in rented accom) to sleep next to a chunk of mould kicking spores out into their respiratory tract.