Damp wall

JonathanAnon

hi,

I have one wall in the house that was looking damp, so I put seal up at the top where it joins the roof (assuming that it was dripping down from the roof) and painted over the cream paint with red paint...

Now this is what I have...



should I just use filler on the entire wall??

thanks,
J

gsxr1

with the weather the way it is, I would take a guess that your problem is condensation and not a leak. If it has only recently occurred , I would bet on it.

There are solutions to excess condensation.

Try the easy options first.
Keep wall wiped dry
Ventilation
Dont dry cloths on the rad. Or anywhere in the house in fact. Use a condenser drying machine or vented normal dryer.
Use an extractor fan in your bathroom where you shower and wash.

Next step would be to purchase a domestic dehumidifier

If all fails .

Dryline the wall and insulate it well.

If you suspect a leak I would advise leaving it till the end of the cold snap. Its not safe to use a ladder in this weather.

JonathanAnon

gsxr1 wrote: »

with the weather the way it is, I would take a guess that your problem is condensation and not a leak. If it has only recently occurred , I would bet on it.

That wall has always been pretty damp, it was only when I painted it that it became more noticable really... Note that the other walls in the same room have any dampness at all.. I think it must be coming through the wall itself, is that possible?

gsxr1

JonathanAnon wrote: »

That wall has always been pretty damp, it was only when I painted it that it became more noticable really... Note that the other walls in the same room have any dampness at all.. I think it must be coming through the wall itself, is that possible?

If it is a very old house it might not have a damp coarse which leads to a damp wall.

If it is a 50-30 year old house if may not have insulation in the cavity. Which leads to worse than normal condensation.

Do you have a hole in the wall . Venting a room is very important .

TBH it could well be a leak making for a damp wall plate.

These things are rarely a quick fix and at the moment are a nightmare for me as I look after a row of apartments.

JonathanAnon

Thanks gsxr1,

I'm gonna start by removing all the paint. Then sealing the top with polyfiller..

It's not a huge deal but I'd like to get it sorted all the same..

michael999999

I think your wasting your time with polyfilla. it wont dry if there is condensation running down the wall. I would guess its an exterior wall on the other side?

my utility walls are not slabbed internally, just plastered block, and they are sopping wet this time of year, every year.

Bar insulating and slabbing the wall im not sure what you can do!

mad m

Aldi are doing a cheap enough De-humidifer tomorrow...Might be worth picking up....39 euro I think...

JonathanAnon

Seems like the damp on the wall has completely frozen over... might just paint over the the ice while it's solid.. lol

JonathanAnon

Hi lads,

I've been thinking about what to do with this since I posted.. thanks for the advice so far... The wall IS an outside wall (as suggested above), I painted both wall in that corner (i.e. one being an external wall and the other not) with the same red paint, and it's only the external one that is damp.



There is an air vent beside that section of wall, which I will check to make sure it's working....

I dont think there is a specific leak, as the dampness seems to be symmetric across that whole wall...

I know you guys are saying there is no easy solution but what I'm thinking of doing is removing all the paint and putting this stuff on it..

C Eng

You need to establish what is making the wall damp in the first place in order to solve the problem. I dont trust those quick fixes in a tin :rolleyes:

Buford T Justice

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Hi lads,

I've been thinking about what to do with this since I posted.. thanks for the advice so far... The wall IS an outside wall (as suggested above), I painted both wall in that corner (i.e. one being an external wall and the other not) with the same red paint, and it's only the external one that is damp.



There is an air vent beside that section of wall, which I will check to make sure it's working....

I dont think there is a specific leak, as the dampness seems to be symmetric across that whole wall...

I know you guys are saying there is no easy solution but what I'm thinking of doing is removing all the paint and putting this stuff on it..

Only good in situations where you are covering up stains from where damp was.... damp needs to be gone first

brendankelly

You have a problem and even if the stuff in the can works as well as it says you will still have a problem. The moisture will not come out in that wall but it will come out in another wall. My view is that you either have a leak in the roof or your external plaster is cracked. Stop the moisture getting in from the outside. Is this a stone building??? Are the ceiling boards fixed to the rafters??.