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Damp wall from upstairs boiler leak

Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 12:22 pm
by mshanman
Over a two month period my upstairs neighbour's boiler leaked and as a result my living room wall has mould growing on it and smells of damp. My bathroom which is adjacent has had a mushroom grow out of the ceiling but my council landlord has no interest in doing anything besides suggest 'airing' the place out which isn't realistic in winter. Waiting for it to dry out naturally could take 'months'. I got a dehumidifier in for a week and that seemed to make things much better but after it's removal the problem seems to be getting back to normal. If anyone has any ideas how to speed up this process, how to get rid of the mould or even let me know what the protocol should be then please let me know as I'm sure it isn't healthy to live in? All help is much appreciated.

Thanks.

Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:31 am
by acsimpson
If you aren't willing to open windows in winter then in the absence of other ways to remove moisture a bathroom will often become a very damp place. Are you sure the damp is still coming from the leak rather than from condensation?

Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:05 am
by mshanman
I do open the windows but it makes the place very cold. The damp is from above as it is the ceiling that is getting the speckles in the corner and where the mushroom grew. The rest of the bathroom is fine. The surveyor told me it was an emersion tank leaking upstairs that has caused this. I've no reason to believe it could be anything else as I've been there 2 years and have had no problems before the recent leak.