Have I Got damp?

Question

My walls seem dry and so does the floor/carpet but.... we keep getting a green mould in the wardrobes and an unpleasant smell. The room just seems damp!! I Have tried the manual moister removal boxes which have collected quite a lot of water over the last two weeks. Any ideas anyone before I have to splash(no pun intended) out on an expert. Many Thanks

Answer 1

It could be coming from your crawl space or basement. If your basement is wet so will be your house. Same as your crawl space, it has to be dry and the floor joists have to be at least 36" from the ground with a a plastic and pea gravel cover to absorb the moisture. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Any chance the room where you're getting the green mold is on the cool side of the house... north side or under heavy tree cover?

What might be happening is that room is significantly cooler than the rest of the house and/or the outside wall, and you're experiencing an ever-so-slight condensation issue. Not enough for the walls to be running with water, but just enough for that heavy, damp feeling, like a wet basement or cave might have, ya' know?

Consider moving air throughout the room a lil' more effectively... a box fan or a ceiling fan would help..

And consider "warming" the wardrobes a lil'... try a small lamp w/ a 25 watt bulb & keep it burning for 3-7 days and see if this helps.

If it does, you've nailed "overly cool air" as the culprit and should look into adjusting your heat/cool vents appropriately to a) get more air throughout the room and b) lessen the temperature difference between your "damp" room and the rest of the house.

It's also possible you're leaking overly moist air from a near-by bathroom into the "damp" room... bathroom surface materials can handle a very humid environment whilst most other residential finishes can't.

Keeping the bathroom door closed when showering or bathing will help, as will the use of an exhaust fan when showering/bathing. And that box fan will help circulate/dry the bathroom air, too.

Otherwise, you're probably looking at getting an HVAC professional in for a better diagnosis.

Hope this helps,
TX Griff

Answer 3

If the rooms affected are upstairs (you did say the wardrobes were damp, so I assume they are upstairs unless you have a bungalow) then the issue isn't rising damp, as this only affects the first metre or so of the ground floor walls. The likely problem is condensation, and if the dampness problem is manifested in forms such as spotted mould along ceilings, and behind beds/wardrobes then this is definitely the case.Another obvious telltale is condensation on the window, especially in the morning. If you're drying clothes in the affected rooms, or there is more than 1 person sleeping in there, then you will need to install wall vents and preferably window vents to allow air to circulate. Also consider having a positive pressure air system installed, which will circulate air around the whole house. You mentioned using dehumidifiers, but these will collect a certain amount of moisture in any room, regardless of damp issues.

Answer 4

the problem is all most certainly condensation ..do you leave window open at day times ..or at night ...remember air goes round in circles ..it does not get into corners ..and you also have a wardrobe to block it .move the wardrobe away from the corner and see if that helps ..fit a vent top and bottom in wardrobe ..and i would bet that the corner involved has two outside walls ....also try leaving the bedroom door ajar to get extra circulation

Answer 5

Two easy steps, one; place charcoal briquettes in small open containers in the corner of each affected room,space. Two, line your closet with tongue & groove cedar slats. I live in Northern California, in the Redwood forests, and mold is a huge problem if not nipped in the bud. PS. You will want to use bleach to wash walls - take extra care to wear a mask,goggles, and rubber gloves when working with bleach- it's awful stuff, but the only way to get rid of mold. Best of Luck to you.

Answer 6

Check out all your plumbing, is something leaking?

Move the wardrobes to another room. See if that helps or changes the situation.

Are the other rooms the same?

Answer 7

I would say you have some plmg. pipes running through the wall in this area that are leaking (a very fine pinhole leak in a water line inside a wall)this is not uncommon it could have a small screw hole in it from drywall installlation etc.I have seen this happen.

Answer 8

Try an electric dehumidifier. It will remove the moisture from the air. I had this problemin a place where I once lived, and it worked for me.

Answer 9

maybe your wardrobes need ventilation , once you shut tight doors there is no air flow

Answer 10

have a old house?