Non-motoring > What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: RattleandSmoke	Replies: 31

New Tue 11 Dec 12 20:50   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - RattleandSmoke

...to. The wall next to my bed is extremely damp with black mould spots. I have been waking up with bad head aches lately and not sleeping very well, I am thinking this might have something do with it. I was thinking inserting a membrane between the bricks and the plaster then re plastering it with plasterboard but I am not sure if that will solve the actual cause of the problem. Either way I am not sleeping in this room tonight. i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1010798.jpg i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1010799.jpg i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1010800.jpg i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1010801.jpg The entire house does have damp problems, most the gable end was re-pointed earlier in this year at huge expense (it involved scaffolding) but was told the wall pictures didn't need re-pointing. The house is also built on a swamp (Edwardian build) but I can't see why that is making a wall upstairs damp. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 20:54   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Zero

I'm guessing but that line where its damp below and dryish above is where your bed is. Its caused by lack of ventilation, where the bed is blocking free movement of air. Move the bed away from the wall, and it will dry out in a couple of weeks. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 20:55   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Runfer D'Hills

The wall next to your bed is permanently damp and stained? Need to get out more my old son ?! :-) Reply to this message | Report message       3

New Tue 11 Dec 12 20:59   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - RattleandSmoke

Due to splace limitations it isn't really possible to move it away from the wall, but I could move the room round, so the bed is next to the window should help. I thought it might be a ventilation issue as there is no air bricks in the upstairs of the house and the issue is always worse in winter. And Humph I am always out!, but at week day evenings I am at home in the room. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 20:59   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - MD

You are right not to sleep in there. It may pay you to look at Devonite's thread or topic or whatever it is called in compo' speak, to ascertain some more info. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 21:08   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Dutchie

Is there any heating in the room Rattle? Clean the wall get some air in the room. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 21:10   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Lygonos

Is there an old fireplace behind the wall there? Such damp is a common feature of fireplaces that have been blocked at the top but not left vented at the bottom. Most Edwardian homes had a coal fire in every room - give the wall a tap below the line of the damp and if it sounds hollow drill a hole through to see if there's a fireplace (or pull back the carpet and see if the floor shows sign of an old hearth having been present). If that's the case then making a brick-sized hole and putting a vent over it should sort it out. The other thing to check is if there is an gutter or drainpipe on the other side of the wall that is cracked/leaking down the wall. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Tue 11 Dec 12 21:22   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - rtj70

>> but I am not sure if that will solve the actual cause of the problem. You already know doing that will look okay for a bit... and then you will get damp again. And if it was coming from outside then you need to think about long term damage to the structure of the house. I wonder what the temperature of the wall is above/below the damp. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 21:32   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Dutchie

I re pointed one of the houses I lived in myself using a ladder.Mind you it took me months every day a bit after work.I was young and fit then..;) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 21:50   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - MD

>> I re pointed one of the houses I lived in myself using a ladder.Mind you >> it took me months every day a bit after work.I was young and fit then..;) >> A Pointing Trowel may have been easier Dutchie. (0:-:0) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 22:02   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Ted

I found a lot of mould in the wardrobe in our front bedroom. It had established itself on unused boots and shoes, amongst other thing. The wardrobe was against the wall in the coldest corner...two outside walls. When I moved it for decorating, the wallpaper was hanging off. I came to the conclusion that I was the cause. 8 hours snoring into an unventilated room can't have been doing any good. When I removed the chimney breast and put a second window in the side wall, I also put an airbrick where the wardrobe was going to go back. In the meantime, I slept, even in winter, with a window open. Problem sorted. Never had damp since. Still keep a window open now. So, Rats, don't be a girl.....man up and let the cold air in ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 22:58   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Bromptonaut

The mould requires moisture and that's almost certainly condensation on a wall that's cold and poorly ventilated. First flat Mrs B and I lived in had a similar vertical patch. Pretty sure previous occupants had stood something against the wall there. It dried out and did not return after we redecorated. The 1970s cavity walled house we lived in at other end of this village was prone to damp/mould after double glazing. No more draughts from leaky frames or thermal currents around windows. Move the bed away or re-arrange the room so as to leave that wall clear. See if it dries out. My guess is it will particularly if you leave a window ajar. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 11 Dec 12 23:17   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - CGNorwich

Try not breathing out at night. We exhale over pint and a of water whilst we sleep each night. Without ventilation that will condense on the coldest wall. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 00:44   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Dutchie

That's right Rattle don't breath rest in piece. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 09:47   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Cliff Pope

>> That's right Rattle don't breath rest in peace. >> Death rattle. Seriously though, spores from some moulds can be harmful. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 00:47   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Armel Coussine

We had a terrible problem with damp in the back basement of our London gaff. It was more like water than damp in fact. It wasn't anything to do with the way the house was slung up along with the one next door on what would then have been the end of a terrace in 1846. It was a leaking pipe in a boiler on the ground floor of the house next door, which was run by some sort of charity. The water was seeping through a party wall a foot or more thick, and we realised what was happening because it was still warm! Took ages to sort out. We never got round to suing their plumber... Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Wed 12 Dec 12 at 00:49 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 08:17   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Clk Sec

As others have said, position your bed away from the wall and ventilate the room at night. Just having a window ajar, especially in a small bedroom, should be sufficient. We had a similar problem years ago in a lounge, when we had a settee too close to a wall. When the settee was moved, the problem was resolved. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 09:01   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - sherlock47

Are you sure that an allergy is at the root of of your muliplcity of problems? www.allergyuk.org/avoiding-respiratory-allergens/mould-allergy-advice Endorse everything about ventilation and room layout. Do your symptons go away if you stay away - try your light industrial unit for a few nights? You may even get lucky if you go out earlier in the evening. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 09:55   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - oilburner

Whatever you do about Rats, do it soon. We had a mould problem in our house recently. I knew we had it because I started suffering from mild to severe asthma symptoms and my joints started aching. Sure enough, I went hunting and found mould growing in a patch *behind* the plaster work under the bath. I also found a few other patches on my bedroom around the window and behind the radiator. I removed them with brute force, ripping out plaster (with a good mask on my face) until a got to a few inches worth of good plasterwork, wiped it all down with bleach solution, dried it out and re-plastered. Problem solved, my symptoms have gone away. Just be sure you have the source of the problem. Look for leaks from internal plumbing, roof tiles, broken guttering, damaged pointing between bricks, condensation caused by poor ventilation, etc. In a sense, I'm lucky, because my asthma alerted me - the only thing that sets it off in mild weather is mould. If you ignore the problem, far more serious health problems can be caused by some types of mould, including cancer. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 09:57   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - TeeCee

>> >> The house is also built on a swamp >> "When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp." Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 09:58   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - L'escargot

At the risk of attracting the scorn of most Car4players (and possibly even attracting the attention of the swear filter!) may I humbly suggest a dehumidifier? www.ebacdirect.com/dehumidifier-menu.php Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 11:54   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - L'escargot

>> i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/P1010801.jpg There seems to be a lot of hairs stuck to the wall. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 12:49   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Dutchie

What's Rattle been up to Les? >:) Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 13:24   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Cliff Pope

Ah, I have just got it. The photographs are not of the wall, but of Rattle's back, where he has been lying against it. He needs to get more sunlight and develop a healthy tan. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 15:34   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - RattleandSmoke

They are not hairs, just scratches, which the camera angle made look finer than they are. I have moved my bed next to the window, and bleached the wall. All mould has now gone, I will now repaint, leave the window open a bit and then look into it more over Christmas. Thanks all. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 15:39   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Dutchie

Good for you Rattle don't worry make sure you are safe. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 16:27   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - corax

>> and bleached the wall. All >> mould has now gone, I will now repaint, If you feel the urge to move your bed back up against the wall, you might need to make it warmer and stop the condensation. This stuff isn't cheap once you add cost of adhesive to it but it's very effective and easy to apply. It makes walls much warmer - warms the whole room up in fact. tinyurl.com/dy3tvyf Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 17:15   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - Clk Sec

>> tinyurl.com/dy3tvyf >> but it's very effective and easy to apply. It makes walls much warmer - warms the whole room up in fact. I had forgotten about using something very similar to that on three extremely damp walls in a rented flat that I lived in many moons ago. You are right, it is very effective and would certainly help with Rattles problem. It was my first attempt at hanging wallpaper, and it was an absolute doddle. Just overlap, cut with a stanley knife, and peel off the residue. Can't do that with woodchip! Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 18:10   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - corax

>> It was my first attempt at hanging wallpaper, and it was an absolute doddle. Just >> overlap, cut with a stanley knife, and peel off the residue. Can't do that with >> woodchip! I think it's worth it for the work it involves, compared to going the whole hog and lining the walls with Kingspan/Celotex, although obviously this would be more efficient. One of my uncles has done this to his old bungalow. I find it too hot :) Last edited by: corax on Wed 12 Dec 12 at 18:11 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 19:19   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - rtj70

I assume Wallrock is similar to Rockwool and made from volcanic rock? Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 12 Dec 12 20:00   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - corax

>> I assume Wallrock is similar to Rockwool and made from volcanic rock? All I can find so far is it 'utilises technology originally developed for aerospace'. :) It looks like a polyester felt with a paper backing. A company called Erfurt make it - I think it is separate from Rockwool insulation though I may be wrong. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 13 Dec 12 02:19   What to do about this damp wall I am sleeping next - devonite

stick on a layer of Baco-foil then lining paper and paint with vinyl-silk emulsion! Reply to this message | Report message