condensation under carpet
reg barclay
the side of a hill, which means that the downstairs rooms have around 1
metre of earth against the gable wall. This lead to penetrating damp which
was fixed by a membrane system.
The damp didn't entirely go away, because the rooms downstairs get very cold
at the gable wall end and the window arrangement makes it hard to get air
flowing around.
I've also noticed something very odd.
The floor for the entire ground floor consists of a concrete slab on top of
which is asphalt (this was done during renovation ten years ago). Under the
asphalt is moisture. Nobody knows why - the damp proof membrane under the
concrete slab should be stopping this but doesn't.
However, on the floor, beneath the carpet and underlay, are droplets of
water. This is at the edges of the wall. The nearby skirting board ISN'T
damp, however, and the effect tails off the further away from this gable
wall you get.
Now one of two things is happening: moisture is rising up through the
asphalt (can it?), or moisture is penetrating the carpet + underlay, and
forming on the cold floor (and the floor does get pretty cold). This has
been happening since Winter, and hasn't stopped during this hot Summer.
Anybody got any thoughts? I'm thinking about putting some newspaper down as
insulation, beneath he underlay and carpet. Good idea to will it just get
damp?
BigWallop
"reg barclay" <a@a.c> wrote in message
news:bdnndl$1v5$1...@titan.btinternet.com...
It's a big job, but I'd advise building a retaining wall away from the gable
that has earth mounding up against it. Something with a foundation that
will go slightly below that of the house will do and should force any water
from the slope down and under your property.
It may also help to dig out under the gable and pour a high gravel content
concrete mix under that part of the buildings foundation. This will also
help to push water down and away from the fabric of building and because of
the high gravel content will still allow drainage.
As I say, it's a big job, but it will help prevent any further damage to the
property.
---
BigWallop
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reg barclay
news:WDJLa.10806$hS.77...@news-text.cableinet.net...
>
> "reg barclay" <a@a.c> wrote in message
> news:bdnndl$1v5$1...@titan.btinternet.com...
> > I've had serious problems with damp in my 1880s stone house. It's build
> into
> > the side of a hill, which means that the downstairs rooms have around 1
> > metre of earth against the gable wall. This lead to penetrating damp
which
> > was fixed by a membrane system.
>
gable
> that has earth mounding up against it. Something with a foundation that
> will go slightly below that of the house will do and should force any
water
> from the slope down and under your property.
>
You mustn't have read my original posting - I've fixed the penetrating damp,
so there's no need to dig out any walls/construst new ones.
At the moment I've got droplets of moisture on the asphalt floor, which
don't appear to be coming from the sides. So it must be condensation, but
it's odd that it's managing to form through underlay and carpet, even in the
Summer. My question was whether anybody else has had such problems.
Adrian Chapman
wrote:
> My question was whether anybody else has had such problems.
My house was built in 1919 and the ground floor consists of floorboards
nailed directly onto a concrete base. Some time ago we found brown
stains and dampness on a carpet where items impervious to moisture had
been standing, such as a sewing machine. When I looked under the
sewing machine I found condensation.
I then examined the floorboards which showed no sign of dampness or rot
so I then stuck some polythene onto the boards, carefully sealing
around the edges to see if there was any evidence of damp rising
through the floor, but no condenstaion formed on the polythene even
when the sewing machine was placed back in its original position.
To this day I have not found the cause of the problem but the carpet
has partially rotted where the stain was.
--
Adrian
"Theory and practice are the same in theory, but different in practice"
Devil's Advocate
"reg barclay" <a@a.c> wrote in message
news:bdnndl$1v5$1...@titan.btinternet.com...
Reg,
1. Do you have any central heating radiators in the room or on partition
walls next to this room?
2. Do you have any water pipes either running under the floor or near to
the wet area?
3. Is there a sand/cement screed on top of the concrete slab in ALL the
ground floor rooms and does the asphalt have any cracks, splits or pinholes
in it?
The point of these questions now becomes obvious - many years ago, I was
involved in a problem with 'rising damp' in the middle of the sitting room
in a 1950's built house and after cutting part of the floor to dpm level
(with no result) and a great deal of head scratching after, we finally
discovered a leaking radiator valve that was hidden behind the fridge in the
kitchen. Water from this was finding its way UNDER the screed and
'tracking' through the kitchen door and settling in the lowest point on the
sitting room floor and the consequent 'puddle' was keeping the carpet nice
and wet.
This may not be the answer to your problem, but it may be worth a look for
the "not so obvious" source of water.
Bri
reg barclay
> walls next to this room?
No - the drops of moisture and in the corner away from anything, and
surrounded just by stone walls.
> 2. Do you have any water pipes either running under the floor or near to
> the wet area?
It's on a ground floor so no.
> 3. Is there a sand/cement screed on top of the concrete slab in ALL the
> ground floor rooms and does the asphalt have any cracks, splits or
pinholes
> in it?
I haven't looked. There might be cracks because the previous occupant nailed
the gripper rods to the asphalt, thus smashing it. The asphalt looks to be
in tact but there could be hairline fractures which let up water from the
concrete beneath. I'll take a look. Thanks!