DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi All

First of all thanks for taking the time to read below.

I live in a 1940's end Terraced House and have been wondering if i have been having a damp problem. I have heard other people in houses close to me have been moved due to damp problems, but i have had some health problems since December and would like to get the answers personally before i approach anybody.

I have taken some pictures of some of the main areas that concern me...i understand it could be due to some condensation but i am more interested on the damp/mould issue....The fingers showing white is atually from under the peeling pain areas...

ok the white stuff on your fingers is effloresence its basically salt in the material drying out.Try scraping off the loose stuff and painting a PVA solution on the wall to seal it.

Hi Welsh Brickie

I will inform landlord to do this again...they did this before..i have added more pictures as i coudnt add more than 4, the bricks outside that area also concern me, i have alot of areas outside where the morter is crumbly....

The images of the bricks are directly behind the peeling paint area....

this is normal for a building of this age,but if there is major staining on the ceiling below the bath then that points to a leaking pipe.
The damp is not a major problem,once the pva solution is applied then I would paint the area with white gloss to seal it.

Ok,

There a few issues you have here. I will list them in order of the photos you presented.

1. The paint coming off on the lower section of wall above skirting board.
This is common rising dampness and will only be rectified by installing either a physical or chemical DPC and removing or treating the surrounding plasterwork. Coating it with PVA will only lock the moisture in up until a point where the pressure of moisture contained makes the paint and PVA bubble off which will take you back to square 1. The white residue on your finger is due to the paint powder and not efflorescence.

2. The mould on pipework.
This is due to condensation and as such results from a high internal relative humidity level. The proper way to deal with this issue is to ventilate the property which will lower the humidity level and therefore reduce the amount of condensation experienced. Mould will grow on wet surfaces so by increasing ventilation, you will reduce the mould.

3. Staining on ceiling.
Again this looks due to mould and not a leak from above but the photo is not clear so I cannot see properly. If it was a water leak, you would see a brownish yellow stain as opposed to a dark and almost brown/blue stain. Condensation and particularly mould growth occur more prominantly in corners and behind fixtures such as wardrobes do to lack of air circulation.
As per item 2, I would increase the ventilation within the property to reduce and potentially eliminate the mould growth.

4. External brickwork.
This looks normal although you need to check the level of the existing DPC (Damp proof course) against the external ground level. The DPC, either slate, rubberised membrane or a line of drill holes horizontally at low level should be no less than 150mm up from the external ground level. If the level is below this, I would recommend lowering the external ground level to accomodate. A ground level (either internal or external that is too high will cause breaching, bridging or undue stress on the DPC within the wall. This will allow rising dampness to permeate into the masonry via capillary action. It is also a good idea to re-point areas where mortar is missing with a soft sand and cement.

Summary.
It would take me an hour or so of typing to explain humidity and condensation with dew points, ventilation and mould growth so please click on the below link for a good explanation and subsequent rectification works.
http://www.safeguardeurope.com/pdf_datasheets/condensation_guide.pdf