|
|
|
|
"Damp" internal wall - initial measurements made. Any ideas?
(Clive Long,UK) wrote in message om...
"Damp" (condensation?) wall
Hello,
A brief description. The lower part of an internal wall in a purpose
built flat is suffering from "damp". The wall paper has lifted way.
there is no mould growth.
Now I have borrowed a Protimeter (damp meter) from a surveyor friend
, taken about 100 readings and I am reading the excellent "Dampness in
Building" Oxley / Gobert ISBM 0-7506-2059-5.
snip
Initial thoughts
1. The radiator is causing the problem. But how? And what to do? I
can't move the rad.
2. Damp is coming from the floor. How do I investigate that further?
Any ideas on what to investigate next to try to isolate the problem
before I call someone in who may attempt the wrong treatment because
they haven't understood the cause ?
Many thanks
Clive
Presumably the flat is modern?
Does this problem occur all year round or is it just in the colder
months?
Is it causing degradation of the decorations?
If you're reading oxley, you'll know that rising damp will give a
reading showing a rapid cut off approximately one metre above the
floor level, is this what it's doing?
I had a very similar problem a few years ago in an end terrace. The
wet wall was a gable wall at the bottom of the stairs. Next to the
bulding and separated from the gable wall by no more than nine inches
was another building. This ruled out penetrating damp because the
wall was protected and rising damp wasn't an issue because there was a
basement and this wasn't damp. I finally figured out that the gable
wall in question was being ultra cooled by the draught blowing through
the gap between the two buildings and, because there was a radiator at
the bottom of the stairs, this was causing severe condensation. Double
glazing compounded the problem of course and in the end we moved the
radiator.
You say that next to your problem wall, in next door's flat, is a
corridor without a radiator. It's a posibility that this too is a
very cool area and your wall is consequently losing heat to it and
becoming an ideal condensing surface.
If this only happens in the colder months then condensation is your
prime suspect! However, if the moisture content of the skirting is
above 18 percent wme then it's in danger of rotting.
Patick
|