Damp walls

I had to hang curtains for an old aunt todat, she lives in a terrace house built in the 1950,s, I noticed the front bedroom had no vent and the front wall where the window is seemed to be damp with the bad whether we have had lately. I suggested she leave the small window open as much as possible in the bedroom. also a few years back she got the gas and the boiler is in the same room, should she get a proper vent kangoed out ,and since the wall seems damp will that naturally dry out with air been let in to the room. Is it common for old council houses not to have vent,s especially this been a terrace house, other rooms all have vents except the front bedroom. could there be permanent damage. also would a lump hammer and chisel be enough to make a hole for a vent,

Yes, get a vent put in asap - that's absolutely vital if the boiler is in the room.
Permanent damage - hard to know. The plaster could be damaged and need to be patched - let it dry out and see how it goes. Be ready to treat with mould killer, too. More than likely it's cast concrete construction without insulation, and those houses do have a tendency to condensation on the cold outer walls. Best solution is to put in dry lining and make sure there's proper ventilation - could bring down the gas bill too.

Never thought to look at the gas boiler to see where the outlet goes,

dodo said:

Never thought to look at the gas boiler to see where the outlet goes,

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If you are getting condensation it may be a sign of a blocked boiler vent - I would consider having the boiler serviced as carbon monoxide could also be produced.

dodo said:

I had to hang curtains for an old aunt todat, she lives in a terrace house built in the 1950,s, I noticed the front bedroom had no vent and the front wall where the window is seemed to be damp with the bad whether we have had lately. I suggested she leave the small window open as much as possible in the bedroom. also a few years back she got the gas and the boiler is in the same room, should she get a proper vent kangoed out ,and since the wall seems damp will that naturally dry out with air been let in to the room. Is it common for old council houses not to have vent,s especially this been a terrace house, other rooms all have vents except the front bedroom. could there be permanent damage. also would a lump hammer and chisel be enough to make a hole for a vent,

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also check to see if there is double glazing windows in the bedroom. this could be a reason for heavy condensation.

I would recommend a carbon monoxide alarm ASAP and a service on the boiler, particularly if someone is sleeping there. A vent is also a must for appliances like that - who installed this equipment? Was it recently, because they should know the rules with regards to gas boilers in rooms. Carbon Monoxide alarms are the same size and price as a smoke alarm, you will be one at Woodies, B & Q etc.

The dampness is condensation - it is unlikely the walls are insulated, the air will accummulate particularly in stagnant areas i.e. behind curtains. The cold weather recently is making this worse.

You could do ao DIY job on a vent - they're easy to install for a keen DIYer, a kango might make like easier.

Brianp said:

also check to see if there is double glazing windows in the bedroom. this could be a reason for heavy condensation.

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Yes there is double glazed windows,It seems straight forward enough so should I just use a masonary drill bit and make a hole in the solid wall then put vent casing up, how big should hole be, the outside casing how would I attached that to the wall outside and is pebbel dashed, thanks

Hi all,

I am currently self building my own house, nearly at the final stage!!
Early in the build I was informed by me stonemason that my bloklayers did not put a dpc in the house. There is a radon barrier in place but no dpc above ground level (150mm above ground level). I asked my engineer about this and he said it would be okay as the radon barrier acts a dpc, and just to make sure to put my path level below radon level. He also said that putting a dpc in place is just like wearing two c*ndoms! You are being extra safe!! Has anyone got any thoughts on this? I am worried about rising damp in the future.....

Thanks,

First of all, just to clarify the terminology - the DPC (Damp Proof Course) is placed between the blocks at the top of what's called the 'rising wall' - the bit of wall that's built up from the foundations to the start of the walls proper - and is generally located approx 150mm above ground floor level. The DPM (Damp Proof membrane) is a polythene layer that sits over the entire floor area, and links to the DPC by being overlapped up the inside wall. You engineer is right - the DPM can act as a radon barrier, has the DPM being lapped up the wall and between the blocks?

Rising damp will be casued by the DPC being omitted, as the water in the ground will be soaked up by capillary action - this will leave a characteristic 'tide mark' on the wall, as well as dampness that will lead to mould. It can laso cause wet rot in the timbers of your floor, if the joists are embedded in the wall at ground floor level. This needs to be rectified, and I suggest you get hold of your blocklayer to address this. As you seem to be close to completing your build, a remedial DPC may be the only option (chemical injected / saw cut and retro fitted - messy, and not ideal).

The radon barrier is lapped and hangs on the outer leaf of the walls. it is between the blocks.

Liam, please respect the posting guidelines and [broken link removed].
Leo

Wasn't done intentially! Apologoies..............

No worries.
Leo

dodo said:

Yshould I just use a masonary drill bit and make a hole in the solid wall then put vent casing up, how big should hole be, the outside casing how would I attached that to the wall outside and is pebbel dashed, thanks

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Go to hire shop. Ask for a 4inch (100mm) coring bit and a drill. They might call it a demolition drill. Basically just a bigger drill that can act as a kango as well.

WARNING
When using coring bit make sure you take your time, dont sure too hard. When these get stuck you have a good chance of a sprained or broken wrist. Remember to wear proper Personal Protective equipment.
I dont mean to insult your intelligence but my wrist was sore for quite some time

Just contiuing on from this thread. We're in a bit of a dilemma and want a little bit of advice!

We currently live in a small ex-corpo house which has single glazed windows. We had decided not to change over to double glazed simply due to cost and that we hope to sell the house in a few years. The single glazd thats there appear fine, and dont have any (obvious) draughts.

In winter however, when the heat is on, particularly when we wake up in the morning all the windows are very condensated which takes an age to dry out. The french doors in the kitchen are the worst and i noticed yesterday that the wall immediately along the doors are showing alot of damp. The kitchen is an extension and a single block one as far as i know. We are now debating replacing the doors but do we need to do anything to the walls first or is the damp a result of the condensation? Also, will double glazed doors insluate that room a bit more? it really is freezing compared with the rest of the house?

thanks,