More Problems....DAMP WINDOW WALL!

[roughcaster]

Cheers for the info HFH, glad to hear it's not damp. ,, hope you get the rest sorted out.

 

[stuart45]

@ stuart45 - If hard cementing won't help, then what will mate?

Lime mortar to let the walls breathe

 

[noobizme]

thanks roughcaster and stuart.

i've just had a friend around who has been in the building trade and he had a quick look at the patches. He used a car key to scrap the top layer of the plaster and asked me what could i see. I told him it looks like clean dry plaster underneat. He said "Exactly!" He said that the reason its clean from underneat is because there is no damp penetrating from outside. He said these damp patches are a sign of condensation due to lack of heat on the external wall. Even though i agreed with his opinion, i'm not so sure.

Does this sound right? i.e. if you scratch off the top layer plaster and underneat is dry and clean, then its not damp, but condensation?

 

[homefromhell]

i also forgot to add something worth mentioning, that we have a modern wall clock which shows room temperature and humidity and currently the humidity levels range from 75% - 85% with temperature at 20C.

 

[stuart45]

At 20C and 80%RH the dew point is 16C, which means if the surface of the wall is 16C or less it moisture will condense on it. It can be checked with a surface thermometer. BTW the comfort zone is 40 -70 RH.

 

[r896neo]

I mentioned sealant just meaning to redo the silicone arounf the window frame, as it's cheap fast and easy to do and another thing you can eliminate

 

[stuart45]

It could be condensation and penetrating damp. A wall that is damp from the outside will be colder than a dry wall.

 

[homefromhell]

i don't understand why there is so much humidy/condensation as i'm already providing a lot of ventilation.

 

[stuart45]

Condensation isn't normally a problem at this time of the year. The walls, windows etc usually have a surface temp above the dew point. Are you producing a lot of moisture indoors by drying clothes on rads etc?

 

[homefromhell]

nope, all clothing are either hung to dry outside on a washing line or taken to the dry cleaners.

i know its a longshot, but what if there is some sort of a gap between the window frame and cavity..i.e. expanding foam messed up, causing small areas of cold spots?

 

[homefromhell]

hi guys, i just want to thank and update you regarding this problem. I've bought a very cheap dehumidifier and it seems like the humidity has began to drop. Also the marks on the wall have dried up, although they do come back as soon as the humidity level goes up due to cooking.

At least now that i know its to do with condensation/humidity, i can deal with this issue...somehow

I do have other problems, but i think i'll post a new thread for those issues.

thanks very much again

 

[r896neo]

As somebody mentioned before damp walls will attract condensation much more easily so don't rule out a small amount of penetrating damp exacerbating the problem. If it was solely condensation surely more of the wall would be affected?