Damp smell

[leftie]

Calling builders and know it alls..

When bought my house 2 years ago the surveyer noted a smell of damp in the loft, due he thought to the extractor fan from the bathroom pumping steam straight into the loft. There was a white crytsaline residue on the roof timbers but it felt dry up there. I have now removed that substance, and installed some ducting for the extractor. I have run a dehumidifier for 10 days on and off..put some big angry air freshers up tehere but still the smell persists.

What can it be and how do i get rid of it?

I have checked for dead bodies.

[MrV]

Is you roof vented at all either in the eves (the bit at the bottom of your facia ) or in the roof either vented tiles or vented ridge tiles

You need to get some air running through it to get rid of the smell

[tallbloke]

Get some vented ridge tiles installed pronto and keep the hatch to the roofspace open to let dry air from inside the house up there. treating the timber which seems damp with some cuprinol 5 star might be a plan too. Don't be put off by the price, it's a lot cheaper than re-roofing your house in 5 years time. Trust me on this.

[Parrot of doom]

1) Age of house?
2) Type of roof?
3) Eaves blocked?
4) Chimney capped and leaking breast (ie mortar loose)?
5) Water running down outside of Chimney stack into loft?

>> Edited by Parrot of doom on Saturday 22 October 00:00

[mybrainhurts]

Try changing your underpants.....

[leftie]

Parrot of doom said:

1) Age of house? 2) Type of roof? 3) Eaves blocked? 4) Chimney capped and leaking breast (ie mortar loose)? 5) Water running down outside of Chimney stack into loft? >> Edited by Parrot of doom on Saturday 22 October 00:00

1) about 1760 but the roof is about 1860
2)Chuncks of pine tree I think, complete with bark but with a modern felt and tiles.
3) Could be actually, in fact I am not sure it has eaves as such. It has ridge vents, which is where I have led my ducting.
4 and 5) not as far as I can see, I'll get up there and lok. It is actually very dry in the loft. There is a lot of dust in one bit as I think is is the original roof (took out 4 bags of dust, bits of tile etc from an area 6 x 6) and no sign the dust is damp in any way.

[tallbloke]

The 'modern felt' may be restricting the airflow more than the timbers like, especially if it doesn't have open eaves. Bark is not good, better to remove it and expose the timber to the air so critters can't lurk in there and munch your purleins and rafters. If any of the timber looks dry and cracked across the grain, you may have rot problems which need treating.

A stitch in time....

[ZR1cliff]

It needs venting by the sound of it,most modern houses use methods already mentioned plus you can buy a long plastic strip that has airing slots that runs the length of the soffit(under side of roof that juts out from wall to fascia board),these ideas may not suite your property because of the age,its worth going along to your local council and talking with someone in the buildings Dept to see what they might recomend as they would have architects that deal with local building types and most of all the advice would be FREE.

www.swishbp.co.uk/swish-26

[leftie]

It has been sprayed for critters, but not before they had eaten most of it.

I will have to find a awy of increasing the airfplor, perhaps a few more vent ridge tiles.


Many thanks.

[MrV]

leftie said:

It has been sprayed for critters, but not before they had eaten most of it. I will have to find a awy of increasing the airfplor, perhaps a few more vent ridge tiles. Many thanks.

You need some more ventilation lower down the roof,it doesnt matter how many vented ridges you put in, you need something be it soffit vents or vented tiles lower down to create some sort of through flow