Mystery Chimney Breast and Ceiling Moisture Patches
Damp can be a major issue in the home. Find answers to questions or post your own here.

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Patriq
Labourer
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Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2017 8:24 am

Mystery Chimney Breast and Ceiling Moisture Patches

by Patriq » Thu Sep 28, 2017 10:55 am

Hi,
Wondered if anyone had any advice/tips for trying to get to the bottom of mystery moisture patches appearing on the chimney breast and edge of the ceiling just above it. Included pics.

When it rains, certain patches of plaster go dark and are cold/damp to the touch.

Skim drying over hacked out patches
Skim drying over hacked out patches


Initially the suspicion was hygroscopic salts and two patches of plaster were taken out and replaced along with salt neutraliser and damp proof additive. However, we removed some coving and found that there was also a significant darkened patch on the ceiling.
This patch has made me wonder if it was the salts, as it seems to follow the course of a wooden beam above, with random spots here and there.

Ceiling - moisture line plus spots
Ceiling - moisture line plus spots


In the loft, there is a gap between the chimney bricks and the chipwood floor and I wondered if anything was dripping through so covered it over in cardboard. That was bone dry, but last time it rained the moisture was back. I stuck my hand down into the floor and there were a couple of very small wet spots in the insulating fabric. This could be mouse wee I guess and a co-incidence. But I'm a bit baffled what could be happening. The bricks all feel dry and no real signs of any water damage etc. Any ideas? things to explore? etc?

loft1.jpg


Some notes
• Wood-burner installed, thus chimney no longer blocked up with trapped moisture etc.
• New cowl fitted on chimney and flue put in.
• Flashing - assessment of the installers of the wood burner, that all ‘looked in good order’, but not replaced.

Thanks

TommyPurdyPnD
Apprentice
Apprentice
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:59 am

Re: Mystery Chimney Breast and Ceiling Moisture Patches

by TommyPurdyPnD » Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:18 am

I decorated a place that had this problem and went through a load of substrate app,ication options and had very short term results-in the end a roofer went up and fou d there was no tray in the chimney and the pointing was very poor-might be worth a look as they fixed it (big job mind!)

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