Damp Specialist Required in Budapest

Dohany Phil wrote:

.... Some dampness/mould is appearing and needs sorting. .

I don't know anyone who could sort this competently.  My experience is that most construction people do not understand even the basics of moisture, air circulation and ventilation. Construction techniques are quite poor on older property (>10 years old)..

I agree with fluffy2560. You may be on your own to find a solution. You will need to find the source of the moisture and repair it if you can first. The apply some simple corrective actions like running a dehumidifier,. See this site for details:

http://moldblogger.com/tips-for-control … a-problem/

klsallee wrote:

The apply some simple corrective actions like running a dehumidifier,.

I've used one of these on a property and I've been around this loop a couple of times. While a dehumidifier does remove the moisture in the air, it will never dry out a wall or room which is fundamentally damp from specific causes. It'll use a lot of electricity as well.

If one looks at any property in a village street in Hungary, you can see all the external plaster falling off about 1m above the ground.  This is rising damp because there is no damp proof course and the water is drawn up by capillary action.  The water gets too heavy above 1m and  therefore cannot rise further. 

Bodging DIYers and ill trained personnel (Hungarian = kontar) will put cement based renders on the outside and inside which makes the situation worse by trapping the moisture in the walls. Typically people also pile earth up again walls and bridge any damp proof cause already there.  Anywhere earth is in contact with the walls will lead to damp.  Hungarian cellars a very noticeable example - ground water in most cases but solution is to tank but this costs plenty. In the case of earth piled up outside, remove the earth (dig it out) and then block rising damp at the lowest level by inserting under very high pressure chemicals (these block the capillary paths).  Above the newly inserted chemical damp proofing, they should use a lime render which will allow moisture to escape. Or simply rebuild the wall properly but it costs.  There is a "technique" where metal sheets are banged into the gaps to stop rising damp but no idea if these work.  Another cause of mould inside is lack of air circulation or patches on walls.  You see that in the upper and corners of rooms.  That's lack of insulation combined with poor ventilation.  Warm moist air meets cold surface = water, then mould.   It could also be a simple as a blocked or broken drain pipe or water dripping onto a hard surface and splashing back.  Even the people produce considerable amounts of moisture - litres per day.  In this later case, ventilation is the answer.  If there's no mould in the summer (when the doors and windows are open), that's a probable reason.

fluffy2560 wrote:

While a dehumidifier does remove the moisture in the air, it will never dry out a wall or room which is fundamentally damp from specific causes.

I agree. That is why I said the source of the problem will need to be fixed first. The dehumidifier is to remove any residual humidity. And the electrical costs are less, in my opinion, than the health costs from breathing mold. I have spent quite a bit of time drying out our house and damp proofing it. All else what you wrote is correct, but probably much not relevant to an apartment, except the points about insulation, nor can be easily addressed, unless it is on the ground floor.

klsallee wrote:

I agree. That is why I said the source of the problem will need to be fixed first. The dehumidifier is to remove any residual humidity. And the electrical costs are less, in my opinion, than the health costs from breathing mold. I have spent quite a bit of time drying out our house and damp proofing it. All else what you wrote is correct, but probably much not relevant to an apartment, except the points about insulation, nor can be easily addressed, unless it is on the ground floor.

Yes, I agree as well. Dehimidifying can be used to dry out new plaster but I would recommend the natural ways well.  it's a real struggle to put things right  The remedial work is very time consuming and not always successful.  In my apartment building they plastered the basement walls with a special "damp proofing" cement mixture. I did warn them it was a waste of money but they ignored me. Sure enough the damp is back 18 months later with all the paint peeling off. Obvious really. 

I suspect in an apartment, it's mainly lack of ventilation during the winter months, drying of clothes, cooking and just the people emitting moisture.  In older houses, with badly fitted windows, they did not have much of an issue with damp because of course the windows leaked air in and out and this was sufficient.  With new windows, double glazing etc with rubber seals, living spaces have no air leaks at all. 

BTW, in some countries, it's written into the rental contract that adequate ventilation must be maintained otherwise the renter has to pay for the damage.  Worth thinking about.

In new houses they sometimes (now) install forced ventilation as part of the heat recovery system and they have few issues with damp.  It's also possible to use an airconditioner to also dehumidify but it's a pricey way to solve it. Best thing is to simply open windows in the bathroom and where the mound is or was and see if it makes a difference.  One can clean off the mould using a special cleaner from the supermarket (don't remember the name but it was quite effective as it contained an active agent to kill the mould for some time).