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Been in the loft this morning to bring down xmas decs and roof was dripping with consendation.
Is this normal on a freezing cold morning , and anyway of reducing it. Assume cant be eradicated entirely as rising warm air hitting cold roof surface naturally going to condensate.
Is this normal on a freezing cold morning , and anyway of reducing it. Assume cant be eradicated entirely as rising warm air hitting cold roof surface naturally going to condensate.
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is it a house of bungalow?
I am aware of someone who had a similar problem in a bungalow and all the felt and everything up in the loft was dripping wet. I think they ended up having some electrical dehumidifier fan type of system installed in the roof space which I believe solved the problem.
I am aware of someone who had a similar problem in a bungalow and all the felt and everything up in the loft was dripping wet. I think they ended up having some electrical dehumidifier fan type of system installed in the roof space which I believe solved the problem.
There shouldn't be any warm air in your loft really. Bound to condense on freezing roofing felt.
Not sure depth Jack . 25 year old when house built from new.
Is that the solution Saddo. New /increased insulation??
They recommend two 5 inch layers now I think. I went for it and the downside is I can never never go up in the loft as you cant see the joists.
Certainly not that saddo as i boarded about a quarter of it out in summer so was running pretty much flush with joists.
The boarding doesn't help, it compresses the insulation that is there. They actually sell stilt things to put on the joists so you can insulate and then board above it. Nowt's simple these days.
Ok....In a previous life I carried out building surveys for Local Authorities/Housing Associations etc....
What you have is 100mm when it's now realised, and Building Regs are for 250-270mm
Other than insulation, it's all about ventilation, and what can be done depends on the house type...
If you have gable ends (not a mid terrace) you need to install gable vents Not major work,
but it does involve hacking out a number of bricks and replacing with "air bricks".
Have a look around when you are out and about and you will see them!
In conjunction with that you must have "roof vents"....again you will see them on many houses.
They are plastic raised covers replacing tiles, and typically a couple at the back and front....
What I will recommend to you is to have this done as soon as you can but delay the insulation upgrade till the summer.
You must make sure that the insulation doesn't touch the roof felt at the eaves, so that you don't block any incidental ventilation!
The reason not to do the added insulation till the summer, is to give the existing the chance to dry out!
Consider how long you have been there, and did you pay for a surveyors report, as if this wasn't picked up at the time,
you may have a claim for negligence!
Check if you may be eligible for a full, or partial, grant with your local authority, and energy suppliers...
This is usually subject to status, but not always!
I hope that this helps, and good luck!
What you have is 100mm when it's now realised, and Building Regs are for 250-270mm
Other than insulation, it's all about ventilation, and what can be done depends on the house type...
If you have gable ends (not a mid terrace) you need to install gable vents Not major work,
but it does involve hacking out a number of bricks and replacing with "air bricks".
Have a look around when you are out and about and you will see them!
In conjunction with that you must have "roof vents"....again you will see them on many houses.
They are plastic raised covers replacing tiles, and typically a couple at the back and front....
What I will recommend to you is to have this done as soon as you can but delay the insulation upgrade till the summer.
You must make sure that the insulation doesn't touch the roof felt at the eaves, so that you don't block any incidental ventilation!
The reason not to do the added insulation till the summer, is to give the existing the chance to dry out!
Consider how long you have been there, and did you pay for a surveyors report, as if this wasn't picked up at the time,
you may have a claim for negligence!
Check if you may be eligible for a full, or partial, grant with your local authority, and energy suppliers...
This is usually subject to status, but not always!
I hope that this helps, and good luck!
Agree with saddo that the boarding and compression doesn't help - prevents air circulating in the insulation. But it's the insulation itself which is the basic problem in my experience.
I had exactly the same problem as geoff m in my current house when I moved in. Combination of ancient bitumen roofing felts (the black, non-breathable type) and loft insulation. Spent two days just before that Christmas lying prone in the attic, armed with a crowbar like some escapee in Colditz, prising up the boards and removing 28 bin liners full of filthy, soaking wet insulation.
This solved the problem completely. Heat rises now into the attic, and the air there is warm enough for the water in it no longer to condense on the cold roofing felts. The house itself is no colder, since heat is no longer being conducted away by wet insulation (think how cold it feels in wet clothes, as damp conducts heat away). In summer the bedrooms are lovely and cool, while the attic is a furnace, drying out any damp which might have got in there during the winter. This is how a house and its attic are supposed to work.
Attic insulation works if you have soffit vents and/or venting tiles and breathable felts. Otherwise it's lethal.
So, the cheapest solution imo is to remove the insulation. But if it's been boarded over it's hard work to do (though straightforward). A temporary solution is to leave all the loft hatches open to allow warm air in that way.
(As an aside, it was actually fortunate in my house that there was so much condensation; the moron who fitted the insulation laid it directly on top of the electric wiring up there; it was only the fact that the insulation was sodden which stopped it from catching fire.)
Here's an entertaining explanation/rant on how insulation in general, and loft insulation in particular, wrecks houses:
https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/cavity-wall-insulation-1/insulation-causes-damp.html
Basically, the key to a dry and healthy house is lots of heating and lots of draughts. It's just so depressing the misery, expense and waste caused by all these Green New Deals demanded by global warmingists.
I had exactly the same problem as geoff m in my current house when I moved in. Combination of ancient bitumen roofing felts (the black, non-breathable type) and loft insulation. Spent two days just before that Christmas lying prone in the attic, armed with a crowbar like some escapee in Colditz, prising up the boards and removing 28 bin liners full of filthy, soaking wet insulation.
This solved the problem completely. Heat rises now into the attic, and the air there is warm enough for the water in it no longer to condense on the cold roofing felts. The house itself is no colder, since heat is no longer being conducted away by wet insulation (think how cold it feels in wet clothes, as damp conducts heat away). In summer the bedrooms are lovely and cool, while the attic is a furnace, drying out any damp which might have got in there during the winter. This is how a house and its attic are supposed to work.
Attic insulation works if you have soffit vents and/or venting tiles and breathable felts. Otherwise it's lethal.
So, the cheapest solution imo is to remove the insulation. But if it's been boarded over it's hard work to do (though straightforward). A temporary solution is to leave all the loft hatches open to allow warm air in that way.
(As an aside, it was actually fortunate in my house that there was so much condensation; the moron who fitted the insulation laid it directly on top of the electric wiring up there; it was only the fact that the insulation was sodden which stopped it from catching fire.)
Here's an entertaining explanation/rant on how insulation in general, and loft insulation in particular, wrecks houses:
https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/cavity-wall-insulation-1/insulation-causes-damp.html
Basically, the key to a dry and healthy house is lots of heating and lots of draughts. It's just so depressing the misery, expense and waste caused by all these Green New Deals demanded by global warmingists.
Good advice from Lady Faye Verrit too.
Thanx for the replies guys .Much appreciated.
Was a new build when purchased
Screaming if i leave the loft hatch open arent i letting warm air carrying more moisture up into the roof.
Im a bit confused tho whether i should be putting more insulation down or taking it all up.
Got a couple of roof tiles with vents @ each gable.
Was a new build when purchased
Screaming if i leave the loft hatch open arent i letting warm air carrying more moisture up into the roof.
Im a bit confused tho whether i should be putting more insulation down or taking it all up.
Got a couple of roof tiles with vents @ each gable.
If you open the hatches and warm up the air in the loft, the air up there is then able to hold more water, so it won't condense out on the cold surfaces.
The warmth from below rises, while the cold air above, in the loft, descends. The idea is to get the loft closer to the temperature of the rest of the house.
Look at it this way - the rest of your house is presumably dry, isn't it? And that's because it's warm. So, get the loft warm too, and it'll just be another room in the house, behaving the same way (i.e., remaining dry).
The attic is like any other room. If it's cold, with the windows and doors shut, you get condensation; if it's warm and airy, you don't, and the walls etc. remain dry.
To be clear - my recommendation, which worked for me, is to remove the insulation. At the very worst you'll find one way or another if that solves the problem. The alternative is, as Lady Faye suggests, to increase the ventilation, with more vents, in the soffits, in the sloping tiles. That's going to require scaffolding. If it's a new build, then the roofing felts are almost certainly breathable, so there's no scope for improving matters there.
Look, right now, just leave the hatches open and it might give you an idea as to which way to go. If warming the attic that way improves matters, then you know that taking up the insulation, and making the loft permanently warmer, will be enough to solve the problem. If you're still confused or dubious, look at it this way: if it's already wet, it can hardly make matters worse.
The warmth from below rises, while the cold air above, in the loft, descends. The idea is to get the loft closer to the temperature of the rest of the house.
Look at it this way - the rest of your house is presumably dry, isn't it? And that's because it's warm. So, get the loft warm too, and it'll just be another room in the house, behaving the same way (i.e., remaining dry).
The attic is like any other room. If it's cold, with the windows and doors shut, you get condensation; if it's warm and airy, you don't, and the walls etc. remain dry.
To be clear - my recommendation, which worked for me, is to remove the insulation. At the very worst you'll find one way or another if that solves the problem. The alternative is, as Lady Faye suggests, to increase the ventilation, with more vents, in the soffits, in the sloping tiles. That's going to require scaffolding. If it's a new build, then the roofing felts are almost certainly breathable, so there's no scope for improving matters there.
Look, right now, just leave the hatches open and it might give you an idea as to which way to go. If warming the attic that way improves matters, then you know that taking up the insulation, and making the loft permanently warmer, will be enough to solve the problem. If you're still confused or dubious, look at it this way: if it's already wet, it can hardly make matters worse.
Another way of looking at it is this way - my house is a couple of hundred years old. There are no vents whatsoever in the roof, and the bitumen felts were completely non-breathable. Yet, leaving the loft hatch open was enough to dry up the dripping roofing timbers within hours.
The sodden insulation was a different matter, and that had to be removed just to dry it out. And once removed it permanently solved the problem, with no effect whatsoever on heating bills.
The sodden insulation was a different matter, and that had to be removed just to dry it out. And once removed it permanently solved the problem, with no effect whatsoever on heating bills.
What you're suffering from is the curse of modern building regulations, which prioritise insulation and sealing gaps, in order supposedly to reduce heating bills and save the planet, with no regard whatsoever to the inevitable damp that ensues. There's nothing the builders can do about it. The green fundamentalists are as powerful as they are pig ignorant.
Just scroll down to the last section at the bottom of the page on that link I posted
https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/cavity-wall-insulation-1/insulation-causes-damp.html
Loft Insulation Causes Condensation and Rots your Roof Timbers!
This is another major problem which is starting to affect more homes, as the Government Word gets around, and our nasty insulation companies are promoting free insulation, paid for by the taxpayer. DO YOUR RESEARCH - check the claims the insulation companies make. Research their websites - look for the negatives, the problems - dont just read the "Thank You - our house is nice and warm now" letters that clients send the next day before the damage sets in.. It's all very simple. Trap heat into the house with loft insulation. The house gets warmer, and more moisture is absorbed into the air in the house. This warm moist air rises. It is not totally stopped just by a load of insulation - it eventually makes its way, loaded with moisture, into what is now a very cold loft space. Whoopee! All that nice warm, moist air then condenses all over the bottom of your roof tiles, and runs down the felting. If you've got that horrible black bitumen based felt - condensation just LOVES the stuff - it runs down, drips everywhere, and more importantly SOAKS the roof timbers themselves - so that especially in winter, you get mould, fungus, and rotting timbers. I often do surveys nowadays in which I find rotting and mouldy roof timbers as a direct result of loft insulation being installed. There is nothing wrong with loft insulation as a concept - BUT - the roof space needs to be well ventilated to take account of the increased humidity - airflow needs to be increased dramatically to stop condensation damaging the structural timbers. If you have very modern felt - the monarfil type, which is breathable, the problems will be less - but loft insulation tends to be sold into older homes, which by their very nature have older, bitumen based felt which can't breathe.
Do you see what happens? Loft insulation is keeping your attic cold. Some warm, moist air from the house is rising through that insulation and condensing on the cold surfaces up there. But by opening the loft hatch, the warm moist air will still be rising, but this time into a warmer loft (warmed up via the gap in the insulation which you've created by opening the hatch space). So the warm, moist air from below enters warm air and warm surfaces in the loft, and the moisture no longer condenses out.
Just scroll down to the last section at the bottom of the page on that link I posted
https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/cavity-wall-insulation-1/insulation-causes-damp.html
Loft Insulation Causes Condensation and Rots your Roof Timbers!
This is another major problem which is starting to affect more homes, as the Government Word gets around, and our nasty insulation companies are promoting free insulation, paid for by the taxpayer. DO YOUR RESEARCH - check the claims the insulation companies make. Research their websites - look for the negatives, the problems - dont just read the "Thank You - our house is nice and warm now" letters that clients send the next day before the damage sets in.. It's all very simple. Trap heat into the house with loft insulation. The house gets warmer, and more moisture is absorbed into the air in the house. This warm moist air rises. It is not totally stopped just by a load of insulation - it eventually makes its way, loaded with moisture, into what is now a very cold loft space. Whoopee! All that nice warm, moist air then condenses all over the bottom of your roof tiles, and runs down the felting. If you've got that horrible black bitumen based felt - condensation just LOVES the stuff - it runs down, drips everywhere, and more importantly SOAKS the roof timbers themselves - so that especially in winter, you get mould, fungus, and rotting timbers. I often do surveys nowadays in which I find rotting and mouldy roof timbers as a direct result of loft insulation being installed. There is nothing wrong with loft insulation as a concept - BUT - the roof space needs to be well ventilated to take account of the increased humidity - airflow needs to be increased dramatically to stop condensation damaging the structural timbers. If you have very modern felt - the monarfil type, which is breathable, the problems will be less - but loft insulation tends to be sold into older homes, which by their very nature have older, bitumen based felt which can't breathe.
Do you see what happens? Loft insulation is keeping your attic cold. Some warm, moist air from the house is rising through that insulation and condensing on the cold surfaces up there. But by opening the loft hatch, the warm moist air will still be rising, but this time into a warmer loft (warmed up via the gap in the insulation which you've created by opening the hatch space). So the warm, moist air from below enters warm air and warm surfaces in the loft, and the moisture no longer condenses out.
Related question. Why do we use roofing felt between tiles and rafters/battens when nearly every country in Europe doesn't. I've often wondered.
Ok....it would be good, when addressing things like this, to have comprehensive information!
"New when purchased"....so when was the house built?
If it was within the last 10 years you have a claim against the builders!
It sounds to me that you may also have "Soffit Vents", so very important, as mentioned before, that the insulation doesn't impede
on air flow from these!
"New when purchased"....so when was the house built?
If it was within the last 10 years you have a claim against the builders!
It sounds to me that you may also have "Soffit Vents", so very important, as mentioned before, that the insulation doesn't impede
on air flow from these!
Have a flat I'm thinking about moving into. The windows have recently been replaced with the latest doubling glazing. The flat gets bloody hot in the summer. If I add insulation to the loft (what's there was probably laid in the 60's), forgetting about condensation problems, won't it be even hotter in the summer?
Regarding damp in the loft due to insulation, you only need to vent the loft area in order to cure the problem.
Nothing complicated at all.
You can also add extra insulation while you're at it.
Nothing complicated at all.
You can also add extra insulation while you're at it.
McCoy carp: Yes. If you add loft insulation all the heat will be trapped below the loft, in the living area, during the summer as well as the winter. That's what loft insulation is designed to do, and it does it all year round.
It's already vented.
I'm sure you can work out what my answer to that would be.
I'm sure you can work out what my answer to that would be.
Properly insulated house will keep the heat out in summer and cold out in winter ,have some serious reservations about some of the advice offered here . Respect all opinions but the experts will disagree with whats been said ,if a loft is not a living space it does not need to be vented ,it needs insulated with a modern material ,although some materials can cause probs in certain situations ,the idea that you should remove insulation and allow heat to evaporate condensation and then vent it is crazy . It may cure the problem of dampness but ain't going to help keep the house warm and keep your bills down .Cavity wall insulation can be a minefield but an uninhabited loft space is a no brainer ,get it insulated,the more the better . Keep the heat out of the loft and problem will be solved ,poor insulation has most likely been the cause of damp probs . The idea a loft has to breath is incorrect ,although every roof system is different . Screaming was it yourself that was very knowledgable on solid fuel stoves ?
McCoy carp, when I go up my loft in the summer it's like an oven, that's because the sun's on the roof.
Rather than allowing the heat to escape, that's where the heat in the bedrooms is coming from.
More insulation would keep the house cooler in the summer.
Rather than allowing the heat to escape, that's where the heat in the bedrooms is coming from.
More insulation would keep the house cooler in the summer.
Heat rises. The only way for heat to escape from a hot house at night during the summer is upwards. If you insulate the ceiling, it's trapped.
breadnbutter: Don't know about 'knowledgable' concerning stoves, but I have my woodburner going right now. And I have a dry loft. The previous owners had electric heating, loft insulation and a soaking wet loft. Whatever it is I'm doing, it works, so I'm happy with that.
Keep the heat out of the loft and problem will be solved ,poor insulation has most likely been the cause of damp probs . The idea a loft has to breath is incorrect ,although every roof system is different .
I don't follow this at all. He's already keeping heat out of the loft. That's exactly why he has the condensation. Moisture condenses on cold surfaces, not warm ones.
breadnbutter: Don't know about 'knowledgable' concerning stoves, but I have my woodburner going right now. And I have a dry loft. The previous owners had electric heating, loft insulation and a soaking wet loft. Whatever it is I'm doing, it works, so I'm happy with that.
Keep the heat out of the loft and problem will be solved ,poor insulation has most likely been the cause of damp probs . The idea a loft has to breath is incorrect ,although every roof system is different .
I don't follow this at all. He's already keeping heat out of the loft. That's exactly why he has the condensation. Moisture condenses on cold surfaces, not warm ones.
Its not quite that simple in a flat ,depending on wall build material, aspect of house ,and type of glass ect. .Big tall buildings in full sun can hold a lot of heat in the height of the summer and become uncomfortably warm at night .No easy answers although a modern heat pump system (air/ground )which can cool as well as heat and combined with pwopper insulation is the way its going to go as gas boilers will be phased out ,they are banned from new-builds from 2025.
screaming from beneaththewaves Joined: 30 Jan 05
Replies: 1173730 Nov 19 20:35
Heat rises. The only way for heat to escape from a hot house at night during the summer is upwards. If you insulate the ceiling, it's trapped.
Most people would open a window. Removing loft insulation is madness.
Replies: 1173730 Nov 19 20:35
Heat rises. The only way for heat to escape from a hot house at night during the summer is upwards. If you insulate the ceiling, it's trapped.
Most people would open a window. Removing loft insulation is madness.
Lady Faye Verrit
30 Nov 19 15:04
You must make sure that the insulation doesn't touch the roof felt at the eaves, so that you don't block any incidental ventilation!
This is very important. I would pull all the insulation away from the eaves and see if things improve any.
30 Nov 19 15:04
You must make sure that the insulation doesn't touch the roof felt at the eaves, so that you don't block any incidental ventilation!
This is very important. I would pull all the insulation away from the eaves and see if things improve any.
Yes Smar Tarse very good advice from lady Faye Verrit.
If opening a window is enough, why do so many people complain about being unable to sleep owing to the heat during the summer? If the answer were that simple, there wouldn't be a problem.
It's why people sleep downstairs on hot nights. Heat rises out of the living room and into the bedrooms. If you insulate the bedroom ceiling (or the attic floor, whichever way you look at it), it can't rise any further. Opening a window isn't going to stop the constant flow of heat upwards into that bedroom.
For reference, I quote the bible of atmospheric physics, Hello magazine:
10 AMAZING hacks for getting a good night's sleep when it's hot
7. Sleep downstairs
Hot air rises, so if your bedroom is on the top floor then it's worth sleeping downstairs if you have space. You could also try sleeping as close to the floor as possible by taking your mattress off the bed or sleeping on a futon.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/2019072375614/how-to-sleep-in-a-heatwave/
It's why people sleep downstairs on hot nights. Heat rises out of the living room and into the bedrooms. If you insulate the bedroom ceiling (or the attic floor, whichever way you look at it), it can't rise any further. Opening a window isn't going to stop the constant flow of heat upwards into that bedroom.
For reference, I quote the bible of atmospheric physics, Hello magazine:
10 AMAZING hacks for getting a good night's sleep when it's hot
7. Sleep downstairs
Hot air rises, so if your bedroom is on the top floor then it's worth sleeping downstairs if you have space. You could also try sleeping as close to the floor as possible by taking your mattress off the bed or sleeping on a futon.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/2019072375614/how-to-sleep-in-a-heatwave/
Why not sleep outside on the lawn, and naked as well?
That should cool you down.
That should cool you down.
Its an interesting subject for sure and to be fair i like an airy house myself ,have actually held off from cavity wall insulation and prob wont bother as its so damned complicated and the subject has been so confused by salespeople putting out misinformation . Interstitial condensation is a real issue for sure ,was in a 15th century castle today and in parts the walls were 15ft thick the fireplaces were walk in size .Was surprised how warm it was inside even though it was unheated and temp outside was -2 with a big windchill factor. I was thinking it was probably still retaining heat from months ago and wondered how much wood the place would get through in a winter ,i dont think they had condensation issues and as for insulation there was none although not to say cloth or some other breathable material did not cover walls and straw or similar could have been on the floors ,sorry to diverse.
Your nose is probably the best indicator if damp is present.
It's a good way of detecting dry rot as well.
It's a good way of detecting dry rot as well.
@ McCoy Carp
This probably stating the obvious but hey ho....
You will most likely have been to places in "Continental Europe"....
Have you ever noticed that, unlike here, their house windows open outwards, rather than like ours!
The reason is, so that they can have the shutters closed to keep out heat from the sun and, at the same time have ventilation,
which is why they will often have decorative cut out, but also, because the shutters stand off the wall,
this gives incidental ventilation!
So, the obvious thing is to keep the curtains, or blinds closed, particularly if a room has a southerly aspect!
This probably stating the obvious but hey ho....
You will most likely have been to places in "Continental Europe"....
Have you ever noticed that, unlike here, their house windows open outwards, rather than like ours!
The reason is, so that they can have the shutters closed to keep out heat from the sun and, at the same time have ventilation,
which is why they will often have decorative cut out, but also, because the shutters stand off the wall,
this gives incidental ventilation!
So, the obvious thing is to keep the curtains, or blinds closed, particularly if a room has a southerly aspect!
effing idiot...
their house widows open inwards!!
their house widows open inwards!!
dont leave the loft hatch open, them massive spiders up there will be down 
It's surprising how much error there is in the building trade with regards to the causes of damp in houses.
If you get a damp patch and there's no external reason like water from a drainpipe, gutter, or something up against the outside of the wall, it's almost certainly condensation.
I suppose it could be driving rain on a solid wall with no rendering in extreme circumstances, but it's unlikely.
You can forget the rising damp myth as well. That is simply a money spinner dreamed up by the trade.
The only way to cure condensation properly is to insulate and dry line.
That way you create a surface (plasterboard) which can heat up quickly and stay warm.
No more damp.
Of course if you insist on drying washing in the house you should get a dehumidifier.
I've seen modern insulated flats go damp due to constantly drying washing indoors with no ventilation.
If you get a damp patch and there's no external reason like water from a drainpipe, gutter, or something up against the outside of the wall, it's almost certainly condensation.
I suppose it could be driving rain on a solid wall with no rendering in extreme circumstances, but it's unlikely.
You can forget the rising damp myth as well. That is simply a money spinner dreamed up by the trade.
The only way to cure condensation properly is to insulate and dry line.
That way you create a surface (plasterboard) which can heat up quickly and stay warm.
No more damp.
Of course if you insist on drying washing in the house you should get a dehumidifier.
I've seen modern insulated flats go damp due to constantly drying washing indoors with no ventilation.
My house was dripping wet and covered in black mould when I bought it (it was very, very cheap). On the outside it had pebbledashed cement render, which had cracked, as all cement render does eventually. Rain gets in the cracks and can't escape, as cement is waterproof.
Indoors there was wallpaper over gypsum plaster, with black bitumen damp proofing behind them. Everywhere there were draught excluders, and the windows obviously hadn't been opened in yonks (previous owners were OAPs). Hence, with no ventilation, just permanent condensation, as Dr Crippen describes. Damp, but NOT the mythical "rising damp".
I had the wallpaper, gypsum plaster and damp proofing hacked away, and behind all that were the remnants of the original limewashed lime plaster (you can tell it is lime from the horsehairs used to bind it). Lime plaster is breathable, hence the absence of any damp problems in the original building, before the gypsum and damp proofing had been applied.The bare walls were layers of rough brick, almost rubble, nearly a couple of foot thick. They were sodden with condensation which had run down cracks in the gypsum and the damp proofing.
It took months for them to dry, but once they had, I had the walls replastered with lime, and painted with breathable water-based paint. I removed the draught excluders, made sure the odd window is left on the jar sometimes, and not a single problem with damp or mould in the eight years since. (I also had the outside cement render removed and replaced with lime render.)
So, that's another way of combating damp. To me the key is not to try to keep damp out with waterproof materials (that's impossible, there will always be cracks or imperfect joins), but instead allow moisture to escape, with breathable materials.
Indoors there was wallpaper over gypsum plaster, with black bitumen damp proofing behind them. Everywhere there were draught excluders, and the windows obviously hadn't been opened in yonks (previous owners were OAPs). Hence, with no ventilation, just permanent condensation, as Dr Crippen describes. Damp, but NOT the mythical "rising damp".
I had the wallpaper, gypsum plaster and damp proofing hacked away, and behind all that were the remnants of the original limewashed lime plaster (you can tell it is lime from the horsehairs used to bind it). Lime plaster is breathable, hence the absence of any damp problems in the original building, before the gypsum and damp proofing had been applied.The bare walls were layers of rough brick, almost rubble, nearly a couple of foot thick. They were sodden with condensation which had run down cracks in the gypsum and the damp proofing.
It took months for them to dry, but once they had, I had the walls replastered with lime, and painted with breathable water-based paint. I removed the draught excluders, made sure the odd window is left on the jar sometimes, and not a single problem with damp or mould in the eight years since. (I also had the outside cement render removed and replaced with lime render.)
So, that's another way of combating damp. To me the key is not to try to keep damp out with waterproof materials (that's impossible, there will always be cracks or imperfect joins), but instead allow moisture to escape, with breathable materials.
Rising damp is not a myth. It is caused by untrained surveyors (and estate agents) using damp meters calibrated for wood.
... whose brothers-in-law have a damp-proofing business, whose damp-proofing work results in more damp, which shows up the next time the property is marketed, ad infinitum
A few post here seem to frown on boarding out the loft.
Not so, uncovered insulation allows the air to circulate around it and take the heat away. Boards slow down the heat loss considerably.
And usually, a boarded out loft allows you to stash all manner of boxes and stuff up there, which is all extra insulation.
I boarded out a loft years ago with insulation underneath, the roof is felted with no air vents.
No damp, despite the house having central heating.
Some of the boards were taken up recently for a wiring job, dry as a bone underneath.
Not so, uncovered insulation allows the air to circulate around it and take the heat away. Boards slow down the heat loss considerably.
And usually, a boarded out loft allows you to stash all manner of boxes and stuff up there, which is all extra insulation.
I boarded out a loft years ago with insulation underneath, the roof is felted with no air vents.
No damp, despite the house having central heating.
Some of the boards were taken up recently for a wiring job, dry as a bone underneath.
Very good breadnbutter.
I notice he asked for suggestions on how to improve the system.
Well I'd suggest running an extension lead to the tent and using a blow heater.
I don't know about cooking those sausages though, they look a bit ropey to me.
I notice he asked for suggestions on how to improve the system.
Well I'd suggest running an extension lead to the tent and using a blow heater.
I don't know about cooking those sausages though, they look a bit ropey to me.
Dr C....some good points (as usual)..
No such thing as "Rising Damp"!
If you want to prove/disprove that, put a brick, on end in a receptacle of water, to half up the brick,,,
Make a cup of tea, and come back to watch the water rising!
Ok it didn't so have another cup of tea...same thing!
A thousand cups of tea later, has the water level risen in the brick....has it ***k!
Re damp patches....this will occur on the coldest surfaces, particularly in outside corners, and worse if those corners are, for instance, inside of a wardrobe!
If they are random patches, in the middle of outside walls, they are definitely wall tie problems!
No such thing as "Rising Damp"!
If you want to prove/disprove that, put a brick, on end in a receptacle of water, to half up the brick,,,
Make a cup of tea, and come back to watch the water rising!
Ok it didn't so have another cup of tea...same thing!
A thousand cups of tea later, has the water level risen in the brick....has it ***k!
Re damp patches....this will occur on the coldest surfaces, particularly in outside corners, and worse if those corners are, for instance, inside of a wardrobe!
If they are random patches, in the middle of outside walls, they are definitely wall tie problems!
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