bedroom damp

[Newsome3]

hi

been ro a job and the customer has mentioned the damp isue on the celing in two of the ceilings and wondered if any ventelation/extracter unit that can aid

any ideas at all

cheers

 

[vernam616]

Would need more info than that pal

Is there a roof above which could be leaking?
Is there opening windows?

 

[telectrix]

or has a plumber been in the attic?

 

[Air Conditioner]

The customer needs to find the cause of the problem first. Using a heater to dry out the ceiling won't help if the origin is from a leaking roof or a leaky pipe!!

 

[Top Cat]

TBO if it is the normal centrally heated, double glazed vacuum that most houses are now, i would just leave a window ajar or on trickle vent.

I live in a 1930's house with sash windows that rattle in the wind. Never get condensation or damp problems!

 

[Newsome3]

no sign of roof leaking no
said been like it for a while

 

[alarm man]

I live in a 1930's house with sash windows that rattle in the wind. Never get condensation or damp problems!

i thought you lived in a metal bin..
:smartass:

 

[Top Cat]

i thought you lived in a metal bin..
:smartass:

I do but my owners live in the house!

 

[sedgy34]

Is it the cat flap left ajar

 

[alarm man]

I do but my owners live in the house!

that makes you a stray then...
:laugh3:

 

[Top Cat]

Yes to both above ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^!

 

[Newsome3]

More info

Its actually mold
black mold on the ceiling in corner of room

 

[HandySparks]

More info

Its actually mold
black mold on the ceiling in corner of room

You need to be looking at insulation as well. If there's no insulation on top of the ceiling in that corner, but the rest is covered, you might have a cold spot that causes condensation.

 

[Guitarist]

I do but my owners live in the house!

At least you get to make free phone calls....

 

[Adam W]

Depends on the type of property. You could consider passive stack ventilation which would ventilate the whole house, but obviously you can't do that if it is a flat in a block.
Often council properties were built with insulation in mind so they were cheap to heat and 'energy efficient' but suffered from terrible damp problems especially when the tenants dried washing over the radiators.

Definitely worth checking what's above the ceiling - no fancy ventilation system is going to stop the roof leaking.

 

[Strima]

If it's really bad the plaster could be soaking, it takes a long time to dry even with a dehumidifier. Make sure there's plenty of ventilation in the room, as pointed out check for leaks, missing insulation etc. Also check the exterior wall so see if the pointing has fallen out or loose, if so this needs sorting ASAP before any other work is done as no doubt the cavity will be damp, it will take months to dry out.

Have they checked the roof lining for damage?

In extreme cases it's better to knock the old plaster off and let the wall/ceiling dry fully, as the mould spores get into the plaster and you'll never shift them.

If it dries quite quickly then I've found H&G mould spray works well, you need the windows open as it has really strong vapours.

 

[MarkieSparkie]

If your investigation reveals no sources external to each room, dry out each room with a dehumidifier, it may take a week or longer depending on the amount of moisture build-up. Meantime treat, remove and kill the black mould with a proprietary mould cleaner (or neat bleach dilluted 4 to 1) and repeat this step cleaning the whole ceiling once the room has dried out to be certain you have killed all the mould spores. In any room that is not a bedroom, particularly the major moisture sources e.g. kitchen and bathroom, the installation of humidistat extractor fans venting to the outside would be a good long term solution. If the problem is severe a fan can be installed in a bedroom, but it's generally undesirable because it may keep the occupant awake at night unless it's timer or sensor controlled to operate in daylight hours only.

 

[Octopus]

Have you been in the loft? I know somebody who had a similar problem and it turned out to be years upon years of build up of mess from a birds nest in the loft space above! Yuk

 

[oldtimer]

TBO if it is the normal centrally heated, double glazed vacuum that most houses are now, i would just leave a window ajar or on trickle vent.

I live in a 1930's house with sash windows that rattle in the wind. Never get condensation or damp problems!

Is that the house you helped your dad to build ?

 

[telectrix]

could be a leaking or overflowing gutter if it's in the corner, on an outside wall.