Chimney & Fireplace

Damp patches on chimney wall in basement flat (Victorian converted building)

Anonymous user 03/03/2024 - 3.12 PM

I am hopeful someone could offer some advice as to what could be the cause and the remedial work needed. Our flat is the basement flat, out of a four storey converted building (Victorian). A few months back now, in the lounge we have painted a coat of white emulsion on top of the existing thick coat of paint, including all over the chimney wall, which has no opening to the flue as this had all been bricked up underneath the plaster, or perhaps cemented beneath the plaster, no idea. We started to notice small damp patches during the summer, unsure if following some rain, and we have gradually seen these spots getting larger. The emulsion seems to be smouldering away letting the pre-existing coat of paint resurface. The damp spots are scattered all along the base of the chimney, in its whole width, some at approx 10 cm up from the skirting board, some others a bit higher at approx 30-35 cm from the floor level. We read there may be more than one case scenario, as the dampness may be caused by moisture accessing from the top, or may be something to do with the lack of ventilation under the floor level (but there is an air brick, not sure if at the right level as that looks like placed there as in a bit of amateurial work), or again raising damp, or anythng else? We were contemplating the idea of knocking through the chimney wall at the base to see if any debris are sitting at the base on our Gf level; should we decide to, would this be a decision second to checking anything else in search of the cause? Please can you suggest what may be causing the problem, how to identify the root cause and the best course of action with appropriate remedy in each case? ....looking forward to hearing an expert opinion please much appreciated Chris

Corrall Construction

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Burton On Trent

This is a tricky one to be honest, it could be that the internal walls may need "Tanking". if a dwelling is below floor level, sometimes to prevent damp from penetrating the walls, a vertical DPC may need to be applied to the Internal walls underneath the plaster....it's always an option

Answered3 February 2015

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