Wet walls in a brick or panel house: causes and consequences

The problem of damp corners and walls often worries both residents of high-rise buildings and owners of private houses. Due to the fact that the corner of the room is damp, the walls begin to darken, the wallpaper peels off, mold appears, and the air in the room becomes heavy. Plus, during the cold season, the temperature in the rooms drops, windows are opened less often to ventilate the room, a lot of precipitation falls, and the walls themselves are not dried by the sun's rays.

Damp corners and walls are a fairly serious problem that should be addressed immediately. Damp indoors can cause various diseases and also become a gathering place for fungi and mites.

Therefore, the question of why the corners in the house become damp worries many.

Causes of dampness

The sources of dampness in the corners of rooms can be obvious or hidden. Some are easy to spot, while others will require searching. However, all the reasons why corners in the house are constantly damp are divided into two subcategories - internal (poor ventilation, insufficient heating) and external (increased thermal conductivity of the wall, penetration of water from outside, etc.).

Damp and blackened corner

Dampness often appears in the corners of a room in the following cases:

• the wall is “leaking” (water can enter through cracks in the wall from the attic, drainpipes or eaves);
• the wall freezes (the corners are “crying” because a “cold” bridge has formed due to the increased thermal conductivity of the walls);
• heating in the room is insufficient;
• there is no ventilation or it is ineffective;
• fungus has formed on the walls;
• the foundation of the house is poorly waterproofed;
• there is a lot of washing and drying in the house;
• there are no hoods in the kitchen and bathroom;
• a void has formed in the seams that are not filled with mortar;
• external walls are too thin;
• voids have formed in the floor slabs;
• cooling occurs through metal beams or reinforced concrete structures;
• there is too much water and moisture in the basements;
• balcony slabs are poorly sealed into the wall;
• Condensation appears on ventilation pipes due to improper vapor barrier.

Optimal microclimate in the house

Much depends on the indoor microclimate, including the health of the inhabitants. But the structure of the house, the safety of the walls, floors, and ceilings suffer no less from temperature and humidity.

To avoid costly repairs, it is important to maintain an optimal microclimate in the premises. This for humidity is no more than 60% in the winter and 65% in the summer. For air temperature – at least 15°C. It is not difficult to notice a deviation from the norm; dampness is manifested by the following signs:

• Condensation on glass and sections of walls connected to the ceiling;
• Characteristic “wet” smell;
• Swelling of wooden structures; expressed, for example, in poorly closed doors;
• Damp salt and sugar.

At the first sign of high humidity, do not hesitate. If you do not remove dampness from the walls in time, mold will soon form. Removing it will take weeks and may lead to the need for cosmetic repairs. Determining humidity above normal “by eye” is problematic; a simple home hygrometer will help with this.

Note that high humidity has a destructive effect not only on wooden structures, leading to their rotting, but also on stone ones - brick, concrete. Soaked in water, they crumble, a process that accelerates in regions with cold winters. Metal structures suffer a little less, but they are also susceptible to corrosion.

Eliminating dampness in corners

Attentive owners will always notice damp corners in time and determine the cause of the appearance of phlegm.

After identifying the culprit of the problem, you can begin to eliminate it:

• If the wall freezes, you need to take measures to insulate it. The most effective way is to insulate the walls from the outside. It will not only reduce dampness, but also reduce heat loss. This is done either with mineral wool or polystyrene foam. However, for owners of apartments in high-rise buildings, such insulation is quite a troublesome task. If problems arise with external insulation, you can insulate the wall inside the room.

When applying insulation from the inside, thermal calculations should be made to avoid the appearance of condensation and moistening of the insulation material, as a result of which its insulating properties are lost.

• To make the correct calculations, the humidity in the room, climate, degree of thermal conductivity of the wall, etc. are taken into account, so in such cases, expert advice is simply necessary.
• If the heating system is inefficient, additional sources of thermal energy should be used. This could be an electric fireplace, a stationary battery, a radiator or other alternative heaters, which are recommended to be installed in places where there is the most dampness.
• If condensation appears due to excessive tightness of the room after installing plastic windows, the room should be ventilated more often.
• If the walls are not thick enough, it is recommended, if possible, to line the outside of the building with an additional ball of brick or apply insulation under the plaster. You can insulate the walls from the inside with slab insulation (foam plastic, mineral wool), placed on the frame with 5 cm wide walls to fill it with expanded clay. This building material will absorb moisture from a damp wall and prevent the spread of mold.
• Ventilation can be improved by installing an additional hood, and at the bottom of the door at the entrance to a separate room you can make a gap to regulate the air. Ventilation should also be improved in the bathroom and kitchen, which are most often sources of dampness.
• If there is a basement underneath the home, moisture can penetrate through microcracks in the floor, causing the walls to become damp. To eliminate this problem, the floor is treated with an antifungal agent, a moisture-resistant base is laid on it, and all cracks are sealed with sealant.
• If the cause of damp corners is fungus and mold that has appeared in the wall on the plaster, then all affected areas are treated with antifungal solutions, plastered again, if necessary, with a high-quality mixture, and only after that new wallpaper is glued.
• If balcony slabs are installed poorly, moisture penetrates into the seams, so the joints between the slab and the wall should be sealed so that there are no leaks that lead to damp spots.
• When caulking seams in external walls, care should be taken to ensure that closed and open joints provide air protection, and that the latter are well protected from moisture.

Heat capacity of the wall of a monolithic domed house

Now about the heat capacity of the concrete shell of a monolithic dome.

Heat capacity coefficient of concrete = 0.84 kJ/(kg•°C). Density of concrete shell = 2720 kg/m3.

Tb = 2720 kg/m3 x 0.84 kJ/(kg•ºC) x 0.10m = 228.5 kJ/(kg•°C).

Let's take into account the reinforcement of the dome's load-bearing frame (note 3t.), which, without affecting the thermal conductivity of the walls, increases the overall heat capacity.

So the total calculated heat capacity of the dome will be in the range of 260-280 kJ/(kg•°C).

But the heat capacity of the dome is not only its shell. The entire domed house must be taken into account. This includes warm concrete floors, interior partitions, furniture, etc.

Here it is important to understand what is made up of what and what it influences.

At least to know that such a dome can be installed in Antarctica. Withstands severe cold and hurricane winds.

Or that the walls of this dome are much higher in heat capacity than walls made of 150x150mm timber.

And most importantly, such a domed house does not ruin the owner with “breathing walls.” But it only pleases with healthy and comfortable living conditions.

The corners on the upper floors of the building are damp

In private houses or on the highest floors, the walls are often damp due to the attic.

This happens in the following cases:

• the corners turn gray due to violations in the insulation of the attic; dampness and black spots appear most of all in places where the attic floor adjoins the external walls;
• the attic space is poorly ventilated (few ventilation holes, no through ventilation); with good ventilation in the attic, the same temperature is maintained over the entire surface of the roof in the autumn-winter season.

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Dampness in corners on the top floor

Prevention

So that residents do not have to worry about how to remove dampness from the walls, it is important to know effective ways to prevent its occurrence. It is enough to take a number of simple measures:

• Ventilate the room for at least 10-15 minutes every day, creating a draft;
• Dry clothes only on the balcony or outside;
• Equip a ventilation system in the kitchen;
• Use air filters - models equipped with a Nera filter are more preferable;
• Install air conditioners in combination with fungicidal filters against mold fungi;
• Do not overuse wet cleaning.

It is not so easy to completely remove fungus from dampness on the walls. It often reappears from spores that survived treatment deep in the floor structure.

Ensuring your own health and safety of your home is not so difficult. To do this, it is enough to follow the basic rules for caring for the premises. And when mold appears, under no circumstances should the problem be left to chance.

Preventing the appearance of dampness

Following certain rules will help reduce dampness to a minimum and prevent its occurrence in the future.

• Laundry should be dried outside living rooms or with the hood turned on for air removal.
• When cooking, pots and pans should be covered with lids to prevent steam from escaping.
• In the bathroom, where the highest concentration of humidity is, as well as in the kitchen, hoods and ventilation openings should be regularly cleaned to remove excess debris, and these rooms should also be ventilated daily.
• In a private house, you can insulate the attic and also cover the walls with a waterproofing material, preferably with pores.
• All flammable substances that form a lot of moisture, in particular paraffin, should be used extremely rarely indoors.
• All rooms in the house should be ventilated daily.
• Correct errors in the heating system in a timely manner.
• Use a dehumidifier to reduce humidity. This household appliance can easily cope with the problem of dampness, and its compactness allows you to move the dehumidifier from room to room.

The main reasons why walls become damp

To find out why a wall gets wet, you need to understand that there are obvious and hidden factors. The reasons for the problem are:

• water gets inside through cracks in the base or from the attic, eaves, or drainpipe;
• a wall in a private house becomes wet due to insufficient thermal insulation;
• the room is poorly heated;
• the ventilation system does not perform its functions properly;
• foundation waterproofing was carried out incorrectly;
• brick walls get wet if washed clothes are often dried in the house;
• there is no hood in the kitchen or bathroom;
• small thickness of external walls;
• the presence of voids inside the seams or floor slabs;
• a large amount of water in the basement;
• excessive cooling of the base due to the presence of reinforcement.

The wall in a private house becomes damp also because the balcony slabs do not connect well to the base. Improper vapor barrier also leads to condensation on the pipes.

Recent renovation

After carrying out repairs using plaster mixtures or putties, the problem of wet walls arises. These finishing materials contain a large amount of water, which is absorbed by the base. This phenomenon is normal, and the moisture remains inside the walls for some time. The problem is also caused by poor ventilation of the room during renovation work.

If in this case the wall gets wet, the problem goes away on its own within a week. You can speed up the process if you constantly ventilate the room. The use of heaters or other technical devices is not always permitted.

External moisture

If a wall becomes damp, the reason for this is often insufficient waterproofing. Moisture can seep through the smallest cracks, accumulating inside the base. The walls in a panel house get wet more often than in buildings made of other materials. The weak point here is the seams between the slabs. If the construction technology is violated, their depressurization occurs.

If the walls of a house on the upper floors become wet, this is caused by poor quality of the drainage system, improper installation of the roof covering or insufficient level of roof waterproofing. Most often, moisture spots can be seen in spring and autumn, with the arrival of the rainy season.

Insufficient ventilation

If the walls in an apartment get wet, the reason for this is often a malfunction of the ventilation system. Most often, older buildings face this problem. This is indicated by foggy windows, the formation of condensation on the walls behind the curtains, as well as on nearby objects. Air circulation and microclimate in the apartment deteriorate.

You can detect the problem by checking the efficiency of the ventilation system. To do this, open the window and apply a sheet of paper to the grille. If it sticks and does not fall off, then the system is working properly. If functionality is impaired, it needs to be cleaned or redesigned. Particular attention is paid to the hood in the bathroom, since this room is deaf.

High indoor humidity

Regardless of whether dampness appears from the inside in winter or in other seasons, the reason for this is often the increased level of humidity inside an enclosed space. This occurs due to the presence of a large amount of fumes, as well as the installation of plastic windows that increase the airtightness of the room.

Wall freezing

The walls in the apartment may become damp due to freezing. Most often, this situation occurs in an old brick house. Previously, the process of insulating structures was practically not carried out, so at negative temperatures in winter they freeze. In this case, moisture is always present on the walls, and the building is cold, despite the heating. The costs of heating living rooms are rising.

If there is a wet wall in the apartment, this indicates a shift in the dew point in the wall closer to the room. If heating is poorly organized, this leads to the structure sweating. So, why the wall in the building becomes damp is already clear. Now we need to figure out how to deal with the problem.

Reducing humidity

If walls often get wet in interior rooms with high moisture (bathhouse, bathroom), then the problem is most likely in the ventilation system. Therefore, first of all, you should check the ventilation openings for the presence of unnecessary objects that may interfere with air circulation.

It’s easy to check how clogged the ventilation channels are: hold a burning candle to the vent and watch how the flame reacts: if it reaches towards the grate, then the channels are not clogged and there is a draft. When there is no flame response to ventilation, additional devices need to be installed in order to establish air circulation.

When the holes are not clogged, but the draft is still weak, additional slots can be made at the bottom of the door for air intake. If this does not help, a forced exhaust is installed in the ventilation duct. Such fans are turned on only when there are no people in the room, as they can seriously harm your health.

Experts advise installing fans with a built-in humidity controller in the bathroom. When humidity rises, the fan operates automatically, eliminating air oversaturated with dampness.

Standard

The normal humidity level in an apartment or residential building is considered to be from 40 to 60% (depending on the purpose of the room), the optimal value is 45%. In winter, the air dries out, so the percentages “drop” slightly. You can measure the humidity level yourself using a special device - a hygrometer.

Such troubles cannot be left to chance. Both excessively humidified air and mold, which thrives on damp surfaces, can very quickly ruin property. In addition, fungal spores in the company of dampness negatively affect the health of home residents: they cause coughing, shortness of breath, aggravate respiratory tract diseases, and allergies.

Some nuances of sealing joints

If the tightness of the seams is broken and cracks appear in the walls, the corners in the room begin to become damp. In this state of affairs, there is only one way out: the waterproofing of the joints between the panels needs to be repaired, and microcracks in the walls need to be repaired.

After high-quality sealing, the walls should not gain moisture. They can become damp and leak only when the technology for sealing the seams is broken.

The main mistakes are applying sealant without prior repair or using a low-quality sealant.

This should also be taken into account: if waterproofing of joints is carried out in one apartment, and not in the whole house, then the problem of dampness will not disappear. Moisture will penetrate into poorly sealed seams in an apartment on the floor above or on the technical floor, so although more slowly, it will find its way into the desired room.

Where to contact

If all possible options for eliminating dampness do not help, then you need to write and submit a statement to the management company. It is drawn up in writing and in two copies. The paper should contain detailed information about when the corners or walls began to get wet, and an exact indication of the location.

ATTENTION! After submitting your application, it is important to ensure that it is recorded. The applicant must keep one copy with a mark.

The next action of the management company should be to send a technician to inspect the residential premises, based on the results of which a report on the presence of dampness and the reasons for its occurrence will be drawn up. The apartment owner must request a copy of this document.

As soon as the act is drawn up, the management company must decide on the option for repair work, as well as the time frame by which it will be completed. It is advisable for the apartment owner to take a copy of each document. If the repairs are not carried out or the period is significantly delayed, then these copies can be contacted with the relevant authorities.

Foundation waterproofing

It happens that dampness in the house is caused by the fact that the foundation is poorly insulated. If its waterproofing is insufficient, groundwater when raised above 1.5 m can penetrate into the walls. In this case, they will get wet, mold will appear under the baseboard and in the corners, the plaster will begin to fall off, and the wallpaper will deteriorate. However, if horizontal waterproofing of the foundation is done correctly, it can prevent the penetration of groundwater.

Why does the foundation get wet?

What is condensate

Dampness in an apartment or house often provokes a phenomenon called condensation. In simple terms, where waterlogged air and a cooled surface “meet”, water droplets form.

You've probably noticed that glass on windows or loggias, heating radiators or pipes periodically “cry” - this is condensation dripping. The reasons for the appearance of moisture can be different: improper installation of double-glazed windows, insufficient air circulation, presence of sources of moisture, poor ventilation.

Condensation after installing new windows

It happens that pockets of dampness appear in the corners of an apartment after replacing ordinary windows with plastic ones. The installed windows are very airtight; they tightly close the openings, as a result of which the ventilation of the room deteriorates. You can avoid damp walls in such cases if you know what to do.

Ventilation is often sufficient to exchange air in a room. However, if this is not enough, you can improve ventilation by installing an additional fan on the vent. Then the humidity in the room will decrease, and there will be no condensation of moisture on cold walls, in particular in corners where air exchange is reduced.

The problem of damp corners often becomes a concern during the cold season. Many people don’t even notice damp walls at first, but when the moisture turns into mold, the problem should be taken seriously. Constant dampness in the room causes fungi, mites and centipedes to multiply, and residents may develop various diseases, shortness of breath, cough, and allergic reactions.

Causes of damp walls in the apartment and corners in the rooms: ways to combat mold

In houses or apartments, a situation often arises when corners or walls begin to become damp. As a result, the wall darkens, the wallpaper begins to peel off, and a characteristic smell of dampness appears in the apartment.

Such consequences do not add to the attractiveness of the room. But besides this, a damp surface in a room is an ideal environment for the development of mold.

And fungal spores are the cause of the occurrence and development of numerous respiratory tract diseases.

What is the reason for the appearance of moisture on the surface of the walls, and how to deal with this problem? What causes dampness in an apartment?

Reasons may be:

External moisture

The cause of dampness can be external moisture falling on the walls and penetrating through microcracks or poorly sealed seams inside. More often, such a nuisance is typical for apartments on the upper floors with a poor-quality drainage system, for walls along which drainpipes run, as well as panel houses with poorly sealed joints between the slabs.

moisture in corners

In order to eliminate the problem, it is necessary to clean the wall of the old coating, re-plaster it from the outside, prime it, cover it with waterproofing mastic, and only then completely paint the resulting surface.

You can independently carry out such a cycle of operations either in a private house or on the first floor of an apartment building. In other cases, solving the problem of damp walls on your own will be very problematic due to the need to carry out high-altitude work.

Therefore, you will have to turn to professionals.

Excessive indoor humidity

The simplest reason, in terms of elimination, is high humidity in the apartment. It is possible that the appearance of pockets of dampness was preceded by the replacement of windows in the room. New windows closed the openings more hermetically and worsened the ventilation of the room. In some cases, in order to avoid dampening the walls of the apartment, it is enough just to ventilate the room more often.

If this is not enough, or the problem occurs in a room with potentially high humidity, for example, a kitchen, then you can try to improve the quality of ventilation. To do this, you can put a fan on the vent. Thus, ventilation will turn from natural into forced supply and exhaust with greater productivity.

Wall freezing

The most common and unpleasant reason for the appearance of moisture on the walls in a room is their freezing. Experts involved in thermal insulation of premises use the term “dew point”.

Without going into too much technical detail, this is the temperature at which steam turns into liquid.

That is, in our case, condensation will appear on the inner surface.

If the air temperature outside is low and the air in the room is not warm enough, then there is a chance that the wall will freeze. After which moisture will appear on its inner surface. The probability of dampness of the walls indoors is even higher if there are “cold bridges”. Their role can be played, for example, by microcracks in walls or leaky joints in panel houses.

dampness in the apartment's internal walls

How to deal with damp walls in this case?

Sometimes increasing the room temperature helps. In this case, the “dew point” goes inside the wall.

But without unnecessary labor costs, this can only be done in private houses with an autonomous heating system. At the same time, the consumption of gas and money to pay for it will increase.

In apartments with central heating, the temperature can only be increased by increasing the number of battery sections.

The most effective way to combat freezing of external walls is their additional insulation. This can be done both from the inside and outside.

Insulating the wall from the inside is considered less labor-intensive. For this, one of the many insulation materials that are commercially available can be used. Most often, polystyrene foam and mineral wool are used for these purposes. Less often - polystyrene foam.

Work on internal insulation can be done independently. But this option has a number of significant disadvantages. Firstly, the insulation sheets will “eat up” precious centimeters of room space. And for rooms with dimensions of one and a half dozen squares, this will be noticeable.

Secondly, despite all the manufacturers’ statements about the absolute harmlessness of their materials, there is a possibility that harmful fumes will appear in the room. Thirdly, if the thickness of the insulation is incorrectly calculated, it may turn out that the “dew point” will be at the junction between the insulation and the wall.

And then you will get a hidden source of moisture and mold formation. The situation is even worse than damp walls in the apartment.

When adding additional insulation to walls, it is better to give preference to exterior work. But, again, such work can be done independently only on the ground floor and in a private house. In all other cases, the involvement of professionals is inevitable.

When insulating walls externally, the heat-insulating material is attached to the wall using special adhesive mixtures and plastic dowels. Then a mesh is laid on top under the plaster and the surface is plastered.

After cleaning and sanding, you can begin painting.

To prevent moisture from rain and melting snow from getting between the insulation and the wall, a protective canopy made of galvanized metal sheets is mounted along the upper end of the insulation.

Source: https://remont-ekspert.ru/307-prichiny-syrosti-sten-i-uglov-v-komnate-sposoby-borby-s-plesenyu.html