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Andrew Gabriel Andrew Gabriel is offline
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Default Internal damp on gable end wall

In article ,
Tricky Dicky writes:
I think I would look at your ventilation. Gable end walls are notorious for
being cold especially if it faces into the prevailing weather direction. S
ince your kitchen is against this wall and is a major source of moisture as
a result of cooking the likelihood your damp/black mould is a result of co
ndensation. The cure is keep the room warmer and ventilate when cooking, if
you do not have a ventilator than open a window. To remove existing black
mould bleach does quite a good job.


You can't put cupboards against external walls unless the walls are
well insulated. Otherwise, the cupboards end up forming the insulation,
meaning the wall behind will be below the dew point, and condensation
is inevitable. Wardrobes are the worst case, because the contents often
form a better insulation than anything in the wall, meaning it will be
cold at the back and condensation and damp clothes is inevitable.

You might investigate if cavity wall insulation can be installed.
Alternatively, internal or external wall insulation might be an option.

If it's one unit/cupboard, you could remove it and put a thin insulation
board behind it. The insulation board needs to be sealed to the wall
all the way around and have a non-permeable inner surface (and edges) at
least. However, I would think carefully before fitting a sheet of PIR
in a kitchen, particularly behind anything like an oven. It will make
any fire in the kitchen lethal in the whole house because it gives off
cyanide when heated in a fire.

--
Andrew Gabriel
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