Gap in between plater/window and possible damp?

[Nikki79]

Hi,

We are currently selling our house and the surveyor damp meter brought a 'high' reading up under our kitchen/dinner window. This window is not opening, just seems it was put in for light, The previous owner fitted it so at least 10 years old.

As the window doesn't open we have tended to keep the blinds shut so have noticed anything other than the blown window and that was from the outside.

We have bought our own moisture meter and taking random readings, a cm to the left or right of the wall that isn't under the frame has a 'normal' moisture reading.

Could the gaps between the frame and the plaster be letting condensation into the wall?

I've looked outside and can't see any holes in the brick work or the sealing, there is a bit of moss growing under the frame in one corner. There is also one almighty draft coming from between where the frame ends and the plastic cill starts, this draft runs along the length of the window.

Can I seal these gaps to stop the draft or are they supposed to be there? And what is the best way to fill the gap between the plaster?
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Thanks

 

[Gazman16]

I expect the drafts are just due to the lack of foam and sealant on the inside and are just coming from an open cavity but the damp is another problem.

It is possible that the cill was not sealed correctly (damp mainly at the 2 internal bottom corners is usually a sign of this), It should be sealed all the way along the back edge and at the ends of the windows but there is no way to be sure without taking the window out.

As this is probably something that could hold up your sale Id say your best bet is to have the window removed and refitted and have cavity closers fitted while its out.

In fact to get the sale moving along you could just get a new window fitted, The cost of a window like that is probably £60-80 and the majority of the cost would be the labor, Total cost by a window company would probably be £250-£350. A new window with 10 year garentee would hopefully put the buyers mind at ease.
Make sure you get them to include cavity closers in the price assuming they can be fitted.

Unfortunately anything else would be a case of trial and error and could take months to be sure you have solved the problem.