Damp/condensation issue

5 years ago

As I've mentioned in previous posts we live in a old 1700 farmhouse which is now showing some signs of condensation on the exterior walls. We've had a damp specialist round last year and they confirmed it's a condensation issue rather than damp.

One wall is in our kitchen dinner which is the original part of the house, it's been dripping wet round the skirting. We're getting a new radiator put in to warm the area and frequently use a dehumidifier. We also have mould forming round the walls of french doors and window in utility room. One of the older bedrooms upstairs also has condensation on the walls.

Does anyone have experience of this and know how to solve the problems? We keep all rooms warm and have trickle vents on windows in the utility and bathrooms. We also use extractor fans in the kitchen and bathrooms and dry clothes in the tumble dryer or outside. We've tried to follow advice as much as we can.

We've seen an air vent system can be installed in the loft space to circulate air throughout the house. Has anyone got experience of these and do they work?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

GardenFairyGodmother GFG
5 years ago
my house is a 1920's semi so it isn't a good comparison with your old farmhouse. We had condensation running down the exterior walls of the all bedrooms , the windows and the stair wall. When we removed the wallpaper, there was black mould! This was despite the house having double glazed windows, GCH , extractors in the bathroom and kitchen and an insulated loft. We had the house rendered, trickle vents put on all the windows and radiators moved to under the windows. All the plaster was blown, so we had this replaced as well. Because the whole house was replastered, I put those plastic moisture traps in every room. I think that this combination has really helped with the condensation, we haven't had any since.
Coldwater
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you GardenFairyGodmother, it's handy to hear someone had similar issues and how they've been resolved. We added new less drafty double glazing in the winter after we moved in and wonder if that's caused the issue as there is now no air movement! Unfortunately we can't recall if we had the problem during the winter with the old windows. Either way, we need to resolve the issue as living with mould is not good. What render did you opt for? Was it EW
I? We eventually need to rerender our house. Though I wonder if EWI will again make the house too insulated and cause more of an issue.

We are considering the PIV systems which seem to have good reviews. Anyone had experience of those?
Related Discussions
Cold water pipe condensation problem
Q
Comments (1)
Sounds like you need a plumber to cap off that particular pipe lower down the building- it is after all redundant now.
...See More
Bathroom, potential damp issues
Q
Comments (4)
Thanks guys. E D, I don't have a dehumidifier nor any idea how long it would take to dry a wall in a humid environment (assuming it would be kept ventilated). It's a question I've asked myself but I guess how long is a piece of strong. We had an industrial dehumidifer in our own house for 2 weeks, it was amazing (not in a good way) what came out! However having said that, Jonathan I assumed you'd be happy water hadn't penetrated the brick if it wasn't visible on the plaster? The last photo I saw just showed peeling paint but that was some time ago. My concern was obviously putting an impermeable (or nearly) tile over a potentially damp wall and making it worse
...See More
Victorian Basement - Damp issues?
Q
Comments (1)
You can realistically only use this as a proper room if you have it tanked. I think the advice and quote you have had from the basement specialist is the same advice you will get from any builder looking at it.
...See More
Basement in London with damp issues - what to do?
Q
Comments (2)
Hi Zi, Without a survey it is difficult to say if the paint would work for you in the same way as your neighbour. It may be that she has extra block work inside that acts as a barrier to any leaks which your side may not have. I understand why you would want to go for the more cost effective option, but best to get a damp survey to be sure and save paying for works that may fail in the short term. Tara Taylor Project Manager Essex and London Construction, Basements, Extensions and Loft Conversions Limited tara.taylor@essexandlondonconstruction.com www.essexandlondonconstruction.com
...See More
GardenFairyGodmother GFG
5 years ago
I have no idea what the builder used to render the outside, sorry. We had considered cavity wall insulation, but our inter war semi was built without any cavities! The external wall on the side needed re pointing, so we made the decision to render the the entire house and paint it white.(it was red brick and yellow front) Our neighbours have old speckled pebble dash on theirs, they are now complaining that my brilliant white house makes theirs look old and tired! BTW the previous owner had ripped out all the original fire places and boarded them up. We had a small vent put in all the chimney breasts to improve air flow in all the rooms. I'm sure this and all the trickle vents helps with the air circulation.

Damp/condensation issue

Comments (3)

GardenFairyGodmother GFG

Coldwater
Original Author

Related Discussions

GardenFairyGodmother GFG

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Damp/condensation issue

Comments (3)

GardenFairyGodmother GFG

ColdwaterOriginal Author

Related Discussions

GardenFairyGodmother GFG

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Coldwater
Original Author