Damp reader

[darlingsweetpea]

Hello, I've just moved into a house, which I have discovered has a damp exterior wall. The bedroom is above a kitchen, and below and ensuite.

There is nothing obvious what is causing the damp. I have hacked off 3 sections of the wall back to brick so that I can see what's going on.

Now, my question is, is there a damp reader that will help me to determine the level of damp after it's rained, or the ensuite has been used.

My thinking is, if I can measure the same place, every day I can see if it dries and then if it suddenly gets wet, I can try to make a picture. Am I on to something or is this idea ludicrous?

Oh and I've had someone out who said it was an old problem and thr plaster has gone back to salts. I have another damp company coming in a couple of weeks.

Thanks

The damp readers that you can buy are not very accurate because they are measuring electrical conductance rather than actual moisture so they are affected by the material that you are measuring the moisture of.
You are best off going by sight. You should be able to see if the bricks are damp and where the damp patch is by looking. You could draw round it to see if it gets bigger or smaller.
What is on the outside of the wall? Have you checked the gutters are clear?

More likely to be coming in from the outside I think. Blocked leaky gutters? Cracked render?

when my house had a big flood and took weeks to dry out, we got one of these to monitor the walls each day - it was encouraging to see the numbers go down.

amzn.eu/d/0dgM3YYk

Do not allow a "damp company" into your house if they sell silicone injections.

Consider the possibility of a leak from the bathroom above.

Agree, do not get a specialist damp company in. They will just do the minimal and rip you off.
Get a builder you trust.
Install dehumidifiers. They do wonders. Wait and see if when the wet weather is gone, is there still a problem?

Post a picture of the outside wall.

Thanks! Definitely food for thought here.