Damp wall in the corner of bedroom

masterboy123

Hi,

I woke up this morning and noticed there is ~ 1 feet long damp area with blackish spots in the corner of the bedroom.

I went outside to check if the rain outlet is blocked on the terrace but it is all dry from outside.

How could I fix this please?
It's only in this bedroom which i use primarily and has heating on and off mostly.

Thanks!

delfagio

masterboy123 wrote:

I went outside to check if the rain outlet is blocked on the terrace but it is all dry from outside.

masterboy123 wrote:

I woke up this morning and noticed there is ~ 1 feet long damp area with blackish spots in the corner of the bedroom.

masterboy123 wrote:

How could I fix this please? It's only in this bedroom which i use primarily and has heating on and off mostly.

Is the ground level outside higher than the ground level inside?? Or can you tell where the DPC is on the external wall and how high this is above ground level outside.

It sounds like there is dampness or moisture getting into the cavity which is making the inner leaf blockwork damp and causing mould to build up.

Is there any damage to the guttering external at the same location roughly.

masterboy123

The ground level outside is slighly lower as compared to inside.

What is DPC?

No damage visible outside. Outside its all dry and clean.

delfagio wrote: »

Is the ground level outside higher than the ground level inside?? Or can you tell where the DPC is on the external wall and how high this is above ground level outside.

It sounds like there is dampness or moisture getting into the cavity which is making the inner leaf blockwork damp and causing mould to build up.

Is there any damage to the guttering external at the same location roughly.

derb12

masterboy123 wrote: »

Hi,

I woke up this morning and noticed there is ~ 1 feet long damp area with blackish spots in the corner of the bedroom.

I went outside to check if the rain outlet is blocked on the terrace but it is all dry from outside.

How could I fix this please?
It's only in this bedroom which i use primarily and has heating on and off mostly.

Thanks!

Is the room well ventillated? I had a similar problem once with a room which had blocked air vents (to keep the heat in).

stickybookmark

masterboy123 wrote: »

The ground level outside is slighly lower as compared to inside.

What is DPC?

No damage visible outside. Outside its all dry and clean.

dpc is damp proof course, it's a layer of plastic that the builder should have installed to stop damp from rising

masterboy123

There is a vent nearby the damp area. Not sure if it's blocked. How do I check?

derb12 wrote: »

Is the room well ventillated? I had a similar problem once with a room which had blocked air vents (to keep the heat in).

masterboy123

I see. Not sure about it as I am renting this place.

stickybookmark wrote: »

dpc is damp proof course, it's a layer of plastic that the builder should have installed to stop damp from rising

stickybookmark

masterboy123 wrote: »

There is a vent nearby the damp area. Not sure if it's blocked. How do I check?

Surely you can see if it's blocked? Or feel that there's no breeze coming through it?

masterboy123

I don't feel any air coming in. How do I unblock the vent please?

stickybookmark wrote: »

Surely you can see if it's blocked? Or feel that there's no breeze coming through it?

julyjane

If it's a foot long chances are it didn't appear overnight. We had similar in our bedroom, started with a few black spots on the ceiling right by the wall. We have a vent but it's on my partners side of the bed and he's fond of closing it. He also showers with the ensuite door open sometimes, even opening the door after a shower will let a load of moisture in.

Quickest and cheapest solution is to mix some bleach and water and wash it off, it wipes off fairly easily. But do it in the morning on a dry day when you're going to be home and can leave the windows open to get rid of the lingering smell of bleach by evening

stickybookmark

masterboy123 wrote: »

I don't feel any air coming in. How do I unblock the vent please?

can you post a photo of the vent ?

masterboy123

The vent had a slider and I didn't know that. Its open now and I can feel the air now.
I sprayed anti-mould on the patch yesterday and it's getting better already. Do you think it will disappear with time?

stickybookmark wrote: »

can you post a photo of the vent ?

Metric Tensor

You need to clean the mould off - don't just spray it.

Then going forward make sure you open the window regularly for ventilation and keep the moisture in your room low.

A couple of tips that may or may not apply to you:
1. If the room has an en-suite you use for showering keep the door closed and use the ventilation fan if it has one (the window if not)
2. If you use the radiator for drying clothes stop doing so!

Then after ruling out lifestyle elements like this just wait to see if it comes back!

stickybookmark

masterboy123 wrote: »

The vent had a slider and I didn't know that. Its open now and I can feel the air now.
I sprayed anti-mould on the patch yesterday and it's getting better already. Do you think it will disappear with time?

No it won't disappear with time you have to scrub it off with bleach.
You can get spray on bleach which would be idea for this purpose.

Hopefully having the vent open will prevent the patch from reoccuring though, and also following the other advice about not showering unless bathroom window is open or fan is turned on.

masterboy123

Thanks for the great advice.

In regards to cleaning, its kind of wallpaper on the wall, i am afraid it would come off if i start rubbing it. Do i use bleach on a soft cloth and try to rub it off? It already much better now. Only the borders of the patch are visible now, the central black portion is gone totally.

Metric Tensor wrote: »

You need to clean the mould off - don't just spray it.

Then going forward make sure you open the window regularly for ventilation and keep the moisture in your room low.

A couple of tips that may or may not apply to you:
1. If the room has an en-suite you use for showering keep the door closed and use the ventilation fan if it has one (the window if not)
2. If you use the radiator for drying clothes stop doing so!

Then after ruling out lifestyle elements like this just wait to see if it comes back!

stickybookmark

masterboy123 wrote: »

Thanks for the great advice.

In regards to cleaning, its kind of wallpaper on the wall, i am afraid it would come off if i start rubbing it. Do i use bleach on a soft cloth and try to rub it off? It already much better now. Only the borders of the patch are visible now, the central black portion is gone totally.

obviously a rented house? In which case not worth making holes in the wallpaper and losing some of your deposit. As long as it's not obvious to someone doing a deposit inspection should be grand

masterboy123

ok, might just inform the landlord about it and better be safe.

stickybookmark wrote: »

obviously a rented house? In which case not worth making holes in the wallpaper and losing some of your deposit. As long as it's not obvious to someone doing a deposit inspection should be grand

stickybookmark

masterboy123 wrote: »

ok, might just inform the landlord about it and better be safe.

These are the kind of things that could be argued in a deposit discussion - you could say it's landlord's fault for a poorly insulated house, he could say it's your fault for not opening the vent.
Do not tell him that the vent was closed!

masterboy123

ok, thanks for your advice and help
good weekend

stickybookmark wrote: »

These are the kind of things that could be argued in a deposit discussion - you could say it's landlord's fault for a poorly insulated house, he could say it's your fault for not opening the vent.
Do not tell him that the vent was closed!

Could be the effects of condensation if the apartment is poorly ventilated and steam from kitchen and showers hasn't been vented out. The moisture in the steam can condense at the coldest surface which might be the wall in this corner.