Trev45 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question but my daughter lives in an end terrace house in Woodhouse . It was built around 1900 I believe and has been modernised including double glazing , central heating, loft conversion and the fireplace blocked off . The house has a damp problem in winter with condensation running down the walls . She has two dehumidifiers that collect loads of water and go some way to solve the problem but I wondered if others have experienced similar problems . I suspect part of the cause is lack of ventilation possibly linked to blocking off the fireplace and having the windows closed to keep in the heat as there are no ventilation slots in the window frames unlike the windows in my home . Having seen loads of similar terraced houses in Sheffield has anyone come up with a cheaper solution than moving house ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy-Lastic Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Is it definitely condensation? We live in an end terrace of a similar age and found that our end wall was sucking up moisture when it rained (you should be able to see it on the bricks on the outside if it is something like that). We treated the wall with a silicone treatment I think it was (a bit like Aquaseal but from Screwfix or Wickes) and this helped considerably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 You mention damp in your title , but mention condensation the actual thread. As Lucy infers, they are different. You need to establish which is causing the problem first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev45 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 I'm fairly certain it is condensation as it happens even when it isn't raining but worth a try . I know the type of product you mentioned and it isn't too expensive . Thanks for the interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trev45 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 You are right Mart but my dictionary defines damp as ' slighty wet ' which is what the walls are . The house had a new roof when being modernised and the water runs down the wall not coming upwards making me believe it is linked to condensation . I also looked at the definition of condensation but I'd rather this thread come up with solutions than develop into a 'I'm cleverer than you ' battle over precise wording . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandem Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 The trouble with older houses is if you block them up, ie double glazing, close fireplaces off, the damp and condensation can't go anywhere. We live in an old house but we have kept the fireplaces, no double glazing, and also keep the cellars open slightly, and we have no damp. The house next door which is identical to ours has double glazing, has had the fireplaces taken out and bricked up, and also have had the cellars blocked off, and they have a shocking problem with damp, and have dehumidifiers running all the time. Old houses need to breath, they have solid walls unlike new houses which have cavity walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicken Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 stick a vent in the chimney breast where the fire was failing that, fit a positive pressure ventilation system, http://www.google.co.uk/search?gcx=c&sourceid=chrome&client=ubuntu&channel=cs&ie=UTF-8&q=positive+pressure#hl=en&client=ubuntu&hs=Kw3&channel=cs&q=positive+pressure+ventilation+system&revid=399812712&sa=X&ei=Q-sCT5HsO4eVOpjYlJsB&ved=0CDUQ1QIoAA&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=9b9cf807851d05d7&biw=1280&bih=874 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 You are right Mart but my dictionary defines damp as ' slighty wet ' which is what the walls are . The house had a new roof when being modernised and the water runs down the wall not coming upwards making me believe it is linked to condensation . I also looked at the definition of condensation but I'd rather this thread come up with solutions than develop into a 'I'm cleverer than you ' battle over precise wording . Hi, Trev. No, one is “being clever than you”-take it easy fella, I was attempting to help you. Whether water comes through your walls because it is running down them (from problem guttering for example), or through your walls due to rising damp, it is not condensation it is penetrating damp and the problem is treated much differently. Condensation is simply moisture on the air that will “condense” on the coldest surface-in this case it would appear to be the wall you refer to. If your daughter is putting wet or damp clothes on radiators for example, then that would make the problem much worse, In conclusion, I would say you have a much more serious job to deal with than condensation, and much more costly too. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 When was the loft converted? The roof provides ventilation and can be sometimes blocked by a conversion if the company hasn't put the correct vents in. And does she dry clothes in the house? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Macbeth Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I used to deal with housing repairs for a local authority. Many complaints from tenants about damp very often turned out to be condensation. Even without any vents or fireplaces, if a house is kept warm and aired (windows are opened regularly) it will dry out if condensation is the issue. Houses without carpets, fully tiled bathrooms/kitchens are very prone to condensation. In my last home our bathroom was tiled floor to ceiling and the only way to stop condensation was to open the windows every day after we'd bathed or showered. Vents in the outside wall might help too. Treating an outside wall for damp won't necessarily help if condensation is the main problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.