Solving Your Damp Problems
81Ventilation and Dehumdiifiers
Every house can suffer from damp problems. And for many reasons. But there are some things that will work for everybody to get rid of damp once and for all.
Some damp problems, like rising damp, will need professional advice.
The two main reasons for damp are: water cannot escape and water is getting in.
It's quite often your lifestyle that's causing condensation, and the damp problems with mould, in your house. When I was growing up my father was fastidious about opening a window in the kitchen, not letting steam build up, wiping down condensation on the windows - it used to drive me mad, but now I know what he was trying to do because I moved into a large, older house and started to see what happens if you don't keep on top of these sorting out damp issues the minute they could occur, or soon after the signs of damp appear..
There are often two simple solutions to both these damp problems.
1) Ventilate Your Home Properly
It's easy in the winter to keep the windows closed and with modern draughtproofing water has nowhere to go.
Condensation from tumble drying, or from baths/showers, or even just your own breath! The kettle boiling and food being boiled all create steam and moisture in the air - which will find the coldest spot on your walls or windows and condense... from there it's a small step to becoming damp.
All that water has to go somewhere and if it can't get out, it will try and will create damp. Maybe you have some mould, black mould on the bathroom ceiling, Or black mould round window frames. This is all where water vapour/moisture couldn't escape.
One thing you can do if you are having new double glazing fitted is: insist on trickle vents and keep them open. These vents at the top of wndows give the damp air chance to escape - and you can always close them off if/when you want.
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2) Get a dehumidifier
Really. It's that simple. A dehumidifier will suck in all the air in the room and squeeze out the moist air that leads to damp and mould. The water goes into a small bucket in the dehumifier unit and you tip it away. Move the dehumidifier round the house. 24-36 hours in each room is enough.
If your house is old, with no damp proof course, it might not even look, smell or seem damp. But I bet it's in there still! My house looks fantastic, but I put a dehumidifier into my bedroom 24 hours ago and already it's sucked nearly 2 pints of moisture out.
Stop suffering from damp today - and scour the classified ads for a dehumidifying unit now. I wouldn't live without one.
Tip: if you dry your clothes indoors, a dehumidifier will suck the water out of the wet clothes as well as the room in a matter of hours! Use this if your tumble drier packs up!
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Keep on Top of Wiping Down Mould
Become aware of where condensation collects in your house. Common places to find black mould are behind furniture, such as a sofa or a bookcase, in the corners of rooms, under the window and black mould accumulating on the window frame/window sill.
If you just have a mild bit of discolouring, you can easily get rid of it by simply wiping down once with a wet wipe or a damp cloth. If it's a bit more obvious, you might need to wipe it down with a damp and mould spray. Check out what the local DIY store or even the supermarket has.
Getting rid of damp and mould in your house is something that you need to keep on top of and solve. Damp walls can affect your belongings and your health - and it's not nice living in a damp house. Since most damp problems can be solved with just a short amount of time investigating and ventilating or getting a dehumidifier it makes a lot of sense to just get the damp problems solved sooner rather than later.
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If you have black mould it might be condensation. You can scrape the area off, wipe it with neat bleach then paint over it with special damp paint. That will get rid of the staining and you can then paint over it.
Next, try to ventilate the room. Leave windows open when you're cooking and leave them for a good 20 minutes' afterwards.
It might be coming through the wall though. If it is an old house with penetrating damp or an old house with the drainpipe by that wall, it could be blocked drains or leaky gutters. So if the black mould in the kitchen is on an outside wall it's worth looking outside to think what might be causing it.
But usually it is just ventilation problems.
Good luck!
have a damp smell in bedroom and small black mould patch appearing in the top corner where wall and ceiling meet. This is on an external wall against which a wardrobe runs almost the full length of the wall. Wonder if I need an airbrick in that wall to prevent swaeating or mould building up ?
From your description of your damp wall, that sounds like condensation as it's at the top. Hot, moist air has risen as far as it can and hit the colder exterior wall. Try to improve airflow in the room. Open the window daily as long as you can, or fit a trickle vent on the window. An air brick would help but might be more messy to achieve.
every morning all my windows in the house are really misty actually wet i don't have any sign of damp problems it's winter and to cold to leave them open i also have small children will a dehumidifier solve my problem
We just built a basement and put a roof on top. We plan on finishing the rest later. We have condensation building up in the corners....will a dehumidifer alone rectify the problem? We also heat with a wood stove so does that affect it?
Some good advice!
If you have a basement conversion and you have damp building up in the corners, it is likely that the damp proofing, or tanking as it is known in basement or cellar conversions, isn't working perfectly.
Dehumidifiers come in all sizes and if it's a problem that you don't want to fix properly then placing a small dehumidifier in the corner will help to eliminate the damp. Ultimately though, you should go back to the contractor that did the work and get them to fix the problem.
I have recently noticed black mould in one corner of my bedroom ceiling( not far from window) which seems to have spread over the last six months. I also decorated my daughters bedroom in May and over the last few months a small area of black mould has appeared on her bedroom ceiling in the very corner( my son had used this bedroom for four years before her and this never happened) I have checked her room everywhere else and apart from rould the window frames there is no other mould. We had new Fascias and guttering put on about a year and a half ago and a new extension on our house but im sure this has nothing to do with it. Any ideas or should i get someone out to have a look? My daughter is only four and has asthma.
If there's mould near the ceiling then a dehumidifier might fix it, but you should also have a look outside. Is the gutter blocked (leaves?) or overflowing? Is it split? Is there a split drainpipe near there?
Also, are the roof tiles loose? Water could be getting in there.
Even though you have new guttering fitted, it could have filled with leaves, or there could be a join that's come adrift. With fascia/gutterings fixed, it's possible a tile or two might have been moved a little
You need somebody to have a look really. Diagnosis over the Internet isn't guaranteed :)
Good luck!
Many Thanks Earner, I will check all of the above out and take it from there. As it has only appeared since we have had guttering and extension done and not in the five years we have lived here previous to that i guess it has to be something to do with it!
Many Thanks again.
hi there hopefully some one can help i have a small cupboard where i keep my towels bedding etc and have noticed mould/ damp in the corner, it is a small cupboard and it is at the corner of my house so think it maybe coming from out side , any recommendations? thanks
tape sliced white bread to the wall it'll absorb all damp and the starch the colour back into the wall. you can then digest it to make a real tasty snack. enjoy
Can someone please help. Live in Cyprus where buildings are typically built of concrete. Have damp patch approximately 4 to 5 feet above ground on an internal wall. Building has not been used for some time and a dehumidifier has been used constantly in the room for 7 days. However, when filler and sealant are applied within 24 hours it is frothing and peeling again. Can anybody come up with a fix please. Thanks Pam
If the damp is right the way through the wall it can take longer than 7 days to dry it out thoroughly. Where houses have been flooded it can take several weeks/a month or more. Even just a thin layer of plaster on a wall doesn't really normally dry for 3 weeks in good conditions.
You should look to using a silicone sealant on the outside wall to stop fresh water coming in from the outside.
I'd try sealing the outside and running the dehumidifier another 7-10 days in extreme cases.
I hope you get it sorted.
Thanks for that earner. i failed to inform you that when i said internal I meant between two rooms. the lounge and a bedroom which are both adjacent to a bathroom. I have my suspicions that it is an internal leak or from the roof. Trying to get a quick fix as need to use the property from Sunday but looks like it is impossible. thanks for your information.
Ah, if it's internal and above 5' then you need to be looking at one of:
1] An internal leak of water, especially if there is a bathroom/water pipe close by
2] Water coming from somehwere (outside or inside), that's managed to find its way to that point before showing itself. Water can travel along quite a distance in some circumstances before it can find a place to break through.
Good luck!
My landing window, which does not have an opening, has got black all around. I had UPVC windows fitted about twelve years ago and this problem appeared about four years ago. When I had the wooden frames the problem never happened. Could you give me some advice please.
It sounds like moisture's getting upstairs from downstairs maybe and just can't escape. Older windows were able to "breathe" a little. Get yourself some silica gel in a tub and place it on the windowsill area - you can buy it already in a tub as a product that sorts out condensation, or you can buy silica gel yourself and put it in an attractive tub.
For the existing mould, wipe it down with a strong bleach solution.
Thanks Earner I will follow your advice.
Have just moved in to this house which has a large flat roof extension to the rear therefore all the walls are external walls. Started to notice my sofa is growing a mould and the skirting board behind the sofa is black, there is also black patches on the skirting in all 4 corners. The window and french doors have no vents and also the airbricks under the floor on this side in particular appear to be blocked, the remaining 3 airbricks are patent. Have consulted numerous builders who have given me different advice from re rendering to replacing all gyproc walls and ceiling. This room is especially cold and there is a query over the presence of insulation in the walls and ceiling. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My first thoughts were what the building was made of. It might have been knocked up by the previous owner and his mates, without any proper damp proof or insulation layers.
You need to think about whether the damp is coming in from the outside, or coming up from the floor. Some single storey extensions are just single skinned and have no damp proof course at all.
It is something that can only really be determined by somebody who has had a good look at the damp you've got and been able to inspect the construction of the building.
In response to the above: have had some exploratory work done in the meantime, no dampness noted or water inside walls/under the floor, however only 75mm of wall insulation, and no insulation material in the ceiling or under the floor, so it was concluded my problem was condensation on the skirting boards due to a lack of insulation and no insulate behind the skirting. i have been advised to take down all internal walls, ceiling and floor, insulate and reconstruct walls with a thermal plasterboard. Would also like to put a pitched roof on the extension, could this type of insulating be done from the roof if i'm going to be renewing the roof anyway??
A local builder would be the person to help with that query. It would depend on your budget, the current construction, your intentions with the property over the next 1-10 years, aesthetics, time, mess. Also, where you live (the climate/humidity/rainfall) and local materials available and usually used... so get three local builders to give you their opinion/quote.
Good luck! You're getting your damp problem solved it seems.
In response to the above many thanks for your advice, however receiving conflicting advice from builders re thermal plasterboard, some say leave up the existing walls and add the thermal plasterboard to the existing wall, others say remove the existing wall as and replace with thermal plasterboard to avoid cold air getting trapped between these areas, what would you recommend?
Hi there,
We moved into a new house recently and the downstairs bathroom has what looks like dark grey/black mould along one wall. The wall separates our house and nextdoor (also the downstairs bathroom) and having spoken to them they have no issues. Could you suggest any means of solving problem, I am thinking of checking the skirting board and floor boards before using a damp sealant.
Many thanks
GB
Hi,
I am experencing severe black in my second bedroom. A couple of years ago I remortgaged and the surveyor said it was condentation. How do I know if that is what it is or the damp course? Can you tell me what to do as it looks awful. It appears mostly when things are against the wall.
If it is condensation and there is black, then you can clean it off with a bleach/water mix and a damp cloth. Maybe even a soft brush if you have one handy.
Once the black has gone, then you can use either a dehumidifier or even pop down the local DIY store and see if they have any small anti-condensation silica gel packs. These tend to be a plastic container, topped with a lid containing silica gel. Simply place this where the condensation is and the silica gel will draw in moisture from the air, the moisture is then turned back into water which drops into the container, so you can pour it away. You could even have a go at making your own. You can buy bags of silica gel at most hardware/DIY stores.
I hope that helps with your damp problems.
hi there,
i have black markings in mine and my two daughters bedrooms wall which i assume is mold.these are the only walls in the house which have the problem and are all joined to external walls.would a suitable wall insulation fix this problem that can be done internally or can you recommend something else that would? im about to decorate my bedroom but want to sort this problem first.your advise would be most greatful and hopefully cost effective
regards
mark
Mark, I'd wipe them down and clean them first, then coat the walls with a couple of coats of anti-damp paint. After that I'd decorate using paint only, wallpaper can make the problem worse, especially in older houses where the walls really need to breathe - it's also easier to clean any new mould off painted surfaces than wallpaper.
If you want it fixed, you really need to get somebody round to check what the problem is. It could be an air-brick has been blocked off (check outside), or the garden has been concreted right up to the house (you should leave a few inches gap. Maybe water collects outside, in which case it needs to have a channel cut to drain it away. Or, it could be condensation from inside the house.
Somebody needs to look around really to find out.
Hi, ive just bought a flat and whilst decorating over the weekend noticed that the bedroom wall has damp with black spots. This is an external wall. The damp looks like it only goes 1' up and is only around the corner part of the room although i can see a brown marks along the bottom of the skirting of the wall which seperates the bedrrom from the kitchen. Also on the wall at a very low level there is a wave mark which has only apparead once painting the wall papered walls.
The room is next door to the kitchen and the corner where the damp is, is opposite to the washing machine in the kitchen (does that make sense?) Im thinking that there may be a leak in the washing machine which is gathering water in that corner and thus leaking through to the bedroom.
Plan of action:
1. check washing machine for leaks - if thats the problem then get that fixed and dry out the wall, cover with damp proofing and then decorate. Job done hopefully.
2. if there is no leak in Washing machine then dry out wall, damp proof and decorate and HOPE it does the job!
3. if it doesnt then im thinking its serious and is rising damp which may need a builder to do a proper job!
Any other ideas would be really helpful please.
thanks
Obviously I've not seen the damp wall or damp corners that you have on your walls, so guessing here... but I'd look at two things firstly:
1] You say it's near the washing machine so yes it could be a leak that is gathering water in that corner, or it could be that the drains are close by and water isn't draining away. I'd look at what's on the outside wall there, is there a downpipe, maybe a drain or grate?
2] There is a slim chance it is a bit of rising damp, maybe the damp proof course is non existent or has been breached, but if it's only damp in this corner of the house then I'd look more to number [1]
Your plan of action is good.
[1] yes.
[2] always a winner.
[3] I think you need to think about where the water could be coming from apart from the washing machine. Look at the exterior, the slope of the garden in that area, where are the downpipes and drains.
Good luck!
Top Man Earner,
Gonna go get a dehumidifier today and start with that. There is a down pipe which is i think taking waste from washing machine out of the exterior wall but thats about 3' away from the actual wall with damp, but im assuming water travels before its shows itself.
Will check the washing machine this evening and let you know.
Hopefully not rising damp as couldnt afford that at the moment!
thanks again, your help has been really appreciated!
living in our new house just over yrs ago. in da last few months we have noticed dampness in our daughters room, external walls on the ceiling, in our room external walls again dampness on the ceiling and on the back wall? just painted our sons room and he has dampness on the ceiling on an internal wall. what will i do?? who should i call to look at it??? i need to get this sorted??? tks
If it's on the ceiling, then I might be tempted to check if the gutter's water tight and clear of debris. It could be blocking up and overflowing when it rains, or there could be a split and the water's coming down the wall.
Damp is an annoying problem, you can get black mould on all sorts of walls and you just have to either call in a good local builder to check it out, somebody you trust, or just check everything it could be bit by bit.
Rising damp couldn't get up as high as the first floor, I'd expect condensation to mostly head for the window area. For anything higher I'd be looking at: gutters, loose roofing tiles, any water leaks or trapped condensation in the roofspace
pls help my house seems damp everywhere, most of it is on the out side walls in all 3 bedrooms on the ceillin in the bathroom and around my fire place, i have had vents put in and also use a dehumidifer, last year i even had my roof re done in the hope that might sort it pls pls could you help as i am a single mum expecting my second child thank you for you time
Sarah
It's possible the three areas you have with damp problems are caused by different things.
Damp on the outside walls: I'd be looking at whether this was rising damp. What does it look like? Can you see salts appearing on the walls? Are there any air bricks outside that are blocked up? Has the damp proof course been breached by things like building a path or patio up above the inside floor level?
For the bathroom ceiling, this sounds like steam from the hot water is rising and can't escape. The mould on the bathroom ceiling will most likely have been caused by lack of ventilation.
For the fireplace, is it an open fireplace or has it been blocked off? If a fireplace has been blocked off it needs a vent to make sure air can still get up/down the chimney. Also, has the chimney been blocked off on the outside, it really needs to be vented, so you get a throughput of air from the chimney vent in the living room all the way up the chimney to a vent to the outside.
Perhaps you can get a couple of local (trustworthy) local builders round to look at the problems for you.
I wish you luck finding the source of your damp problems and getting your damp problems solved once and for all.
It's that time of year again, when mold is appearing on walls and around windows. There is condensation on the windows when you wake up, a sure sign you need to get on top of your damp and mold problems.
ive got condensation on my windows and mould growing around my windows and in the corners of my ceilings. I have placed tubs of salt on my windowsills and i dont know what else to try other than wiping them down daily!
Thinking of buying a house which has pebbledash rendering. When you look at the house from ground level, there are black patches around the first floor windows and an area of pebbledash that is lighter in colour. Is this damp? What should I look for when viewing it to make sure it is/isnt. Thanks
I'd have a thorough look at the pebble dashing outside to see if there were any obvious cracks and ways the water could be getting in. From the inside, I'd tap the walls, see if they sounded hollow - as if the plaster had blown too while I was at it.
Water could be getting in round the actual window frame itself, or coming through from the outside. You need to pay close attention to where there are black patches that might be black mould near the windows, and think hard about how they could have got there.
Also, look outside for where the downpipes are, are they in good condition, is the water able to drain from the downpipes into the drains.
Water can travel quite a way in seemingly odd directions before causing what might be damp patches on a wall.
we have green mould in the bedroom in the internal wall and it feels damp it keeps coming back. its quite bad.it is a old house as welldo you think we need profesinal advise
i've just recently started renting an old 4 in a block flat that lay empty for a long time, the walls have all been replastered and new central heating has been fitted but it has a horrible damp smell and when you leave the house you can smell it on your hair and clothes. how do i get rid of this problem?
i've just recently started renting an old 4 in a block flat that lay empty for a long time, the walls have all been replastered and new central heating has been fitted but it has a horrible damp smell and when you leave the house you can smell it on your hair and clothes. how do i get rid of this problem?
ive just moved into a rented house there has been damp issues in thbe past but my landlord paid to have a full dampcourse done inside and out but black mould still appears inside around windows on walls i also run a commercial dehumidifier also there is constantly a wet patch just on one corner of a carpet but cant see where moisture is coming from the problem is that bad there is black spores appearing on my beddin within a week i dont like to keep gettin on to my landlord as he has invested hundreds of pounds in a matter of a few weeks already i have a young baby and am worried as to the health issues surrounding mould growth wat can i do oh yes iv also used a anti mould growth solution everywhere to no avail please help
Melanie, if you are in the UK, then you can call your local Council. Ask to speak to the Environmental Health Department and get them to come out and look/advise. Then, you need to speak to the Department that deal with Private Tenancies to find out how to make the landlord address the problem.
Do everything in writing. Keep a paper trail.
Hi there I have recently moved into a flat with my brother which he has owned and been renting out to tenents for last 12 months. It is a ground floor flat with another flat above it and has no central heating, but there is a gas fire in lounge. Both of the bedrooms are next to an outside wall and appear to be the dampest areas of the whole house, with possible rising damp. My brother does have an old dehumidifier, but this has cost nearly £10 to run on the elecrtic meter in the space of just 4 days. We live in cornwall so the house is not really that cold. The house has double glasing though some of the windows are sticking and have difficulty opening and closing. The house is about 50 years old. As mentioned there appears to be some possible rising damp in the 2 bedrooms and though a mould spray has been used on the walls and I have painted my walls, it looks like is is coming back and in the main bedroom which is my brothers room there is always alot of condensation on the windows. What is the most cost effective way to minimse damp in this house. My bro is a bit strapped for cash and I am a nursing student but i am very tempted to buy a new dehumidifyer for the flat, how often would we need to use it for and how much might it cost to run each month? Also should we be regularly opening windows and having gas heating on at same time in order to try to reduce damp or dry place out. I don't think we have the funds to do any majour work to the house to prevent damp in walls but it does look like there is rising damp or damp coming in from the outside. Any tips and advice would be very helpful. I did try searching internet for advice but most people seem to be trying to get me to buy something and it was difficult just to get some straight forward advice. Many thanks for your help.
ahmed says:
2 years ago
getting black patches and wet mark in kitchen and living room on external walls