Hi there

Just wondering what the concensus on this moisture is please: water droplets are visible on the face of this brick.

At first i thought it was condensation, but this room is a spare room and has been kept at a constant temperature with nobody sleeping in it for a month or so.

In the vicinity of approx 1m the roof is leaking - however I can see the top of the cavity from the eaves, and partially down into the cavity, and the leak is actually outside/beyond the exterior leaf.

So does the water seem to be coming through the brick? In which case, the cavity must be very wet, and also built up at the base.

Something else I should note - the cavity has polystyrene board insulation - I know for a fact this does not quite extend to the base of the wall, there is a gap of approx 2-3 inches - perhaps creating a cold spot and condensation?

Any thoughts very much appreciated please.

Thanks
Mike



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I think vents in the external wall will help this problem.

I had a property once that had similar issues and when I had the DPC done, they also fitted vents to the external leaf of the property.

Thanks but the cavity is well ventilated already there is a gale running through from bay vents vents when the wind is blowing.

Inner side of outer skin at that level is bone dry.

Anyone else seen this or have any thoughts please? Is it worth trying to remove brick, or perhaps seal it with waterproofer?

Could it be condensation.. i can't tell if its coming through the brick, or forming on the surface. Aware of the cellophane trick but can't get a satisfactory seal

Does this look like condensation or does it look like its coming through the brick - is there an easy way to tell?

Nobody have any ideas?

the draughts you are feeling is underfloor ventilation
i wouldn't worry about a little bit off condensation in a cavity wall if thats what your saying thats the idea off the cavity to stop the dampness bridging

how did you take the picture

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Thanks for the reply

Just to clarify, that picture is taken inside a ground floor bed room, at the base of the wall where the wall meets the solid concrete floor, behind the skirting board essentialy. Skirting is obviously removed.

The draught is coming from the cavity, so the cavity is well ventilated.

So to clarify, these droplets are appearing on an exposed brick face at the bottom of an internal wall! The floor is solid, concrete. The cavity is well ventilated. From looking into the cavity, the inside of the external skin is DRY.

Does this look like water coming THROUGH the brick (penetrating or rising damp), or condensing ONTO the brick is the question, and any easy way to test? There are salt tide marks.

If you look closely some of the droplets are on a grey material. This is a thin layer of waterproof cement. Im not sure if my saying this will confuse things or not, but i wasnt sure how waterproof "waterproof" actually is. The layer is very thin.

Cheers.

try blocking off the airflow as this will be cooling the wall to nearer the outside temperature so causing the warm air to condense on the cold part

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we are all ------------------still learning