Why is my house so damp when it never used to be this bad?

[CormorantStrikesBack]

I5s an old Victorian house. I know that damp is generally down a lack of heating and ventilation.

so I have the heating at 19degrees. I admit I’m not great at this time of year about having windows open but I manage ten minutes in the morning in our bedroom before going to work, longer if I’m wfh. But I’ve never been great with the windows so no different to normal.

The house is noticeably damper this year than previously. There are damp patches on all external walls, condensation on the walls. We are getting mould.

i am wiping the walls every day. We use a window vac on the windows every morning. I have a 12ltr Meaco dehumidifier running constantly. So it’s been going in my bedroom with the door shut most of the day, I started it at 8am, went up at 6pm and it was full so had stopped. Started it again and the reading is still 80%. Room feels damp. It never used to be this bad.

i move the dehumidifier downstairs overnight. I probably could do with one in every room but can’t afford the electricity! I’ve ordered some of those non plug in ones, not sure how useful they are.

do I need to get anything structural checked with the house? I asked dh and he just said well it’s cold outside so we’ll have more condensation. But I swear a few years ago it wasn’t like this even when cold.

Do I turn the heating up to 20?

When did you last have your gutters cleared out? Next time it rains heavily it might be worth checking they are working properly as if the water runs down the walls then it can cause really bad damp issues.

Not necessarily roofs can develop leaks at any point.

Op you need to check for any tiles that have moved, new roof or not storms can cause damage. Make sure the gutters and downpipes are clear.

Do you have a lot of big trees around you? Is the downpipe choked with leaves stopping the gutter doing their job?

You have water coming in from somewhere you need to find the source

The pointing looks fine to me.

But just because your roof was done 10yrs ago, doesn't mean it will be ok now. Have you an attic hatch? Worth a look.

The chimneys need looking at and ventilation.

Definitely get in a building surveyor. Ours cost £600 and he did a brilliant report which we simply worked through. He lifted floorboards and was able to reassure us that all was good under the house. We’ve used the brick seal that you paint on. He recommended using a breathable type so allow moisture out but not in. It’s best to put on when bricks aren’t bone dry as it helps it penetrate.

The costly items were a DPC that had failed on one wall - £500 to sort out, releading the chimney - £1k plus scaffolding, which was also useful for some repairs to guttering and also treating a wasps nest we found.

My DH was convinced we had a culvert under the house and that was the reason we had a wet wall under our decking. So no need to do anything as it would have been there since the house was built when Victoria was on the throne. But after several weeks of a hosepipe ban and it was still wet, I called in a leak surveyor who found a tiny but persistent leak on a pipe under the sink which if not discovered could have damaged our foundations. The leak surveyor cost £550 but it was worth every penny just to have the pleasure of mentioning it again to my DH every time he comes up with some nonsensical reason for any problem 😂

Same. The north side of our house suffers generally, but is awful this year. Our bathroom is downstairs in a single skin outhouse which wasn't converted properly, so has had issues since we moved in. The east side of the outhouse / bathroom which is shaded due to next door is also worse this year.

Thankfully we rent and are leaving soon. However, our landlord's refusal to do anything substantive to remedy the bathroom will likely bite them on the arse now, as it'll cost more way more to resolve (both because of further damage and the cost of doing work).

They actually did agree to do something when we first moved in, but changed their mind and put a different extractor fan in instead. Which was pointless, in the main, as it's not just the construction, but the design, of the bathroom which causes issues.

Ah well. Not our problem! 🤷‍♀️

I would get a specialist damp surveyor in. NOT one of the companies offering to come round for a free quote.

It could be you need that wall repointing. Are there chimney cowls on each chimney.

I paid about £300 albeit 5 years ago. But budget somewhere in the region of £600 for a decent damp surveyor and the fixes may be quite simple.

Op just a thought, you don't have leaking pipes either under the bath or radiators anywhere do you?

We have a water meter in the pavement which isn’t moving so no leaks I don’t think.

No idea about chimney cowls, will try and look later but they’re so tall I’m not sure I’d see them.

This is very helpful – did you get the low energy model? Or is it best to go heavy duty?

You can get leak detectors but they only work for clean water coming into your house.
They won't show any leaks in the waste pipes under the bath, toilet etc.

I would start at the top of the house and work your way down.
Get into the loft space and look for any leaks there, insulation looking wet. Check any pipes or tanks up there.
Look at the gutters, get them cleaned out.
Check all radiators feel the pipes when the system is running

That dampness is coming from somewhere you NEED to find it. Before you end up with a huge issue of rotting joists and floorboards.

It's rained pretty much all year. That won't help.

I would have windows open more, have heating around 21 degrees & get one of those heated clothes dryers.

Because your house is Victorian...you may need to have it re plastered with lime mixed in.. depends on foundations.

I still think you've got a leak.

Check your meters. Are you using more energy than usual to heat the hot water? Turn off your central heating. Does your boiler keep starting? Do you keep having to bleed radiators?

Get a torch and look at your water meter. Photograph it last thing at night and first thing in the morning. Take daily readings for a few days. See if your meter is the type with a bubble of air in the dial. Is the bubble constantly moving?

Go into your loft. Are there any water tanks? Is one of them constantly running? Any sign of rain penetration?

Did you try closing the doors overnight, and in the morning looking to see which room has the steamiest windows?

Has your house had a kitchen extension since it was built?

Look and sniff under and behind the sink, washing machine and dishwasher for signs of damp. Look under the kitchen flooring if you can.

I’ll turn off the central heating tomorrow and see if the boiler still keeps starting up.

i’ve looked under the sink at all the pipe work and stop tap there and all looks dry.

dh has been up in the loft and no signs of water coming in, no sunlight. Water tank isn’t running.

downstairs is open plan so no doors to shut apart from one to small utility. Upstairs our bedroom window is the worst, DD’s has some condensation, bathroom has none. But that may just correlate to the number of people breathing in the rooms overnight?

we’re not having to bleed radiators. Kitchen floor is tiled so can’t get under it.

I’ll keep a closer eye on the water meter and do some overnight readings and look for a bubble.

thank you @PigletJohn

Has your house had a kitchen extension since it was built?

Please photograph the outside walls. All the way up to the roof and gutters, all the way down to the paving. Show downpipes, overflows, drains, gullies. Look at the brickwork near the ground for damp patches. Please mark the original DPC with chalk if it is not easy to see, and photograph the brickwork above and below.

Look for any signs of cracks, sinking or repairs round the drains and gullies, and photograph them.

No extension at all.

I’ll take some photos but might be a few days before I’m home in daylight 🙈. Thank you.

I agree it's the weather, upto a point.

My property doesn't have a damp issue. This winter I've had to heat it in the evening to 25°C for a few hours. I don't need or want to do this, but the building appears to need it. A few weeks ago I noticed my bed and sofa felt slightly damp, in a 'that's not just cold' type of way.

You've got underlying damp issues that the weather is exacerbating. In property without damp issues, opening the windows in all rooms for an hour or two daily is sufficient. As is drying clothes inside with the window in that room open in the daytime/evening whilst you're home. Shutting trickle vents in the bedroom whilst you are sleeping, or in the living room whilst you're there relaxing evenings, isn't going to cause mould when you've no underlying issues.

You haven't just got damp patches that shows up on a damp meter OP, you've got visibly wet patches and what looks like mould in the bathroom and behind the picture. That's a serious issue with the house, it's not you causing it or the weather.

I recommend a change of bathroom fan as a way of helping deal with it until you can carry out whatever repairs are necessary. And an air purifier to help combat mould spores which will undoubtedly be in the air throughout your home (check they actually do this, I think so but I've not looked into them for this purpose only for pet allergy).

I've got nuaire for my bathroom fan, not sure of model, I have it on whilst bathing and for an hour after with the window open too. The rest of the time I switch it off at the isolater point otherwise it stays on at a low level and sucks all the heat out of the property, increasing the heating bill. You could do with a few of those sucking all the damp air out of your property!

@Taurusandvirgo

From the picture it looks like water is getting inside the chimney and running down making the damp patch on the chimney breast. You need to get that looked at

If you have been there 20 years with no problems then i too think its the sheer amount of rain we have had this year. I work outside and I’ve never seen so much rain constantly than this year, especially in the last couple of months.

The west side of our house usually gets all the weather and the brickwork is always darker ( wetter ) than the other 3 sides. This year the east side is wet which is unusual and its not drying due to the cold weather. We have no problems with damp as its a cavity built house. Constantly driving rain will eventually soak through solid walls (victorian) if there is no let up for it to dry out.

The humidity has been bad this year and we too have noticed a bit more condensation on the windows, as we normally dont get much at all. Its just felt damp all year.

Keeping the dehumidifier running and the heating on is the best you can do. It will take the brickwork a while to dry out if the rain ever stops.
A couple of neighbours have had roof leaks too this year that they have never had before and think its down to the rain driving from a different direction than usual ( storms ).

if I could sum up the weather this year in one word it would be DAMP !

Plus there is no point opening all the windows if the air outside is more humid (damper ) than the air your letting out, which with all the rain and moisture in the air is not doing any good. On cold wet damp days keep the windows shut and the dehumidifier on.

If the air outside is cold, then it will contain less water than the warm air inside your house, so ventilation will help even on a damp day.

Curiously, a bucket of hot, dry air in the Sahara contains more water than a bucket of cold, damp air in Manchester.

Or lovely freezing air at - 0. That's absolutely beautiful fo airing (and airing pillows and duvets)

Water table in uk is very high for last few years during winter. Old houses usually have failed slate damp courses. Exposed more by high water tables!