Damp!

amytomjerry

8 years ago i got an extension-(new bedroom and kitchen) built onto an old cottage...
The problem lies in the bedroom..it feels dampish and cold and a black mould is growing in a corner of the ceiling...
Today i used a dehumidifer and it collected over 4 pints of water within a few hours..
There is no vent in the room but everyday i have the window open for hours..

Any idea what has gone wrong? And what on earth am I going to do with it?!

I thought this was going to be the warmest room of the house being the newest!

MicktheMan

amytomjerry wrote: »

8 years ago i got an extension-(new bedroom and kitchen) built onto an old cottage...
The problem lies in the bedroom..it feels dampish and cold and a black mould is growing in a corner of the ceiling...
Today i used a dehumidifer and it collected over 4 pints of water within a few hours..
There is no vent in the room but everyday i have the window open for hours..

Any idea what has gone wrong? And what on earth am I going to do with it?!

I thought this was going to be the warmest room of the house being the newest!

1. What orientation is the bedroom?
2. How and how often is the room heated?
3. Is the damp/mould problem seasonal?
4. Is it a single storey extension and if so have you checked the gutters / roof for water ingress? Is there a tide mark on the ceiling?
5. What other ventilation is there in the rest of the house?

amytomjerry

It is a south facing extension...a single storey.

The mould is year round.

No line on wall and i checked tiled roof and gutter which seem fine.

Bedroom has an open ceiling. Went into attic to check for leakage but cant access the mouldy corner.

Oil heated house so room has 1 radiator. No heat on all summer but heat now on couple hours a night.

I did install a stove couple years ago in living room and have noticed increased condensation everywhere in mornings.

Old cottage with no vents present in any room.

MicktheMan

amytomjerry wrote: »

It is a south facing extension...a single storey.

The mould is year round.

No line on wall and i checked tiled roof and gutter which seem fine.

Bedroom has an open ceiling. Went into attic to check for leakage but cant access the mouldy corner.

Oil heated house so room has 1 radiator. No heat on all summer but heat now on couple hours a night.

I did install a stove couple years ago in living room and have noticed increased condensation everywhere in mornings.

Old cottage with no vents present in any room.

What do you mean by "open ceiling"?

If the mouldy corner is inaccessible, then I suspect that there is no insulation. Does the mould form a particular pattern (e.g. square)?

Ventilation is probably an issue and will be part of the solution.

The sentence in bold is key.
If the window condensation is all winter long then it shows that the inter-relationship between your heating, ventilation and moisture load is gone out of whack and needs to be addressed. With this type of issue there is rarely a single silver bullet solution but a combination of solutions in order to eliminate the issue including education of the homeowners. If you're interested in knocking this on the head then it is something that really needs a proper investigative survey including monitoring of the internal conditions for a period.

amytomjerry

Thanks very much for reply...yes mould spot is a square shape indeed...

When i say open ceiling i mean i left room open to the rafters basically to give height...perhaps this isnt a good idea?!

Yes ventilation seems to be a serious issue so think it is time to get a professional in.

MicktheMan

pm sent

macadam

amytomjerry,

Did you get this problem sorted? As I have a similar problem no under investigation and looking a solution.

amytomjerry

Hi there...nothing done yet as hoping to extend soon and will get builder to have a look. All comes down to money or should I say a lack of it.
To be honest, the mould is gone but the room remains freezing. Turns out I found an even bigger problem in another room with the floor badly soaked.

Powerhosed and stripped paint off outside walls and turns out I have huge cracks in cavity walls where water is at its worst. I think the walls have render on them which seems to hold the moisture...

Sorry no update to help you with...regards



S