Major condensation in top floor of brownstone

I am suffering through excess of mould growth in bathroom. I know this happens due to poor ventilation. Condensation in bathroom mainly caused when hot steam hit cold walls and it takes plenty of time to dry wall after someone showers. We have water-repellent paint on our bathroom walls where water can dry easily but condensation happens enough these days and the wall provide perfect breeding area for mould.

alicemurphy

in Walls and Interiors 10 years and 5 months ago

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cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Mold/condensation question I’m going to throw out here: I have a SERIOUS problem with hot, damp air coming in to my top floor apartment via a vent next to the (non working, blocked off) fireplace. It’s an old brownstone that hasn’t had much done to it, our neighbors below have no issue. But the living room smells musty/moldy and feels like someone just took a long, hot shower in it. The paint is bubbling in some spots and condensation collects on the exterior wall, ceiling, crown moulding and windows. This DID NOT happen last winter and is not happening in the other room. Has this happened to anyone out there? Any clue as to what would cause the vent to spit out all this moist air? I initially thought it might be a leak in the chimney, but I’m not sure. I am renting, the landlord is unconcerned and seems to think it’s just “extreme weather” paired with the heat being cranked up. While that may be a contributing factor, I don’t think it’s the main issue. Some photos below. Any advice greatly appreciated!

GreenThinker | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Has the landlord done any renovations in the past year? He might of potentially ran a bathroom vent into a non-working chimney flu.

cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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I don’t think anything has been done to the building in years. All the plumbing is on the other side of the building, as well. This only started being an issue about a week ago when we asked our neighbors on the ground floor (who control the thermostat) to turn up the heat before they left town. I think it was happening, just not as noticeable. The walls were cold/damp to the touch but not bubbling like they are now.

Arkady | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Is it a party wall? Could it be an oozing leak from an ice dam on the roof?

cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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It’s actually an exterior wall; the building next to us is only two stories, whereas we’re three. But I’m sure that ice/snow from the roof plays a part in this, just not entirely sure.

Bessie | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Show us the vent.

cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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The vent in question and its proximity to the fireplace! Currently I have towels tacked over it so condensation doesn’t spew in to the room.

dorkofwindsor | 10 years and 5 months ago

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is it steam heating in the building delivered from that vent? maybe there is a leak in a steam pipe. just a wild random thought.

cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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We have radiators, though truth: they never get that warm. Ever. Normally top floors are very warm, but our apartment is consistently cold. There is an identical vent in the bedroom, but nothing comes out of it, save for the occasional food smell from our neighbors downstairs. Until now I had never noticed anything coming from this vent.

resident2 | 10 years and 5 months ago

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The radiator system is steam? It is definitely a steam pipe leak somewhere behind the wall, probably next to the old hot air vents that are no longer in use, other than as a chase for the steam risers. Steam leaks can happen when the heat & pressure are increased to compensate for the extreme cold.

dorkofwindsor | 10 years and 5 months ago

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You should verify that your boiler is indeed steam and follow the clues. It just looked to me like a virtual steam shower which would cause heavy condensation in this weather between the inside humidity and and outside humidity and temperature. I would not wait on this as it could develop some serious mold in the walls, i would personally not cover up that vent and i might even do a test and crack the top of a window ever so slightly to release the humidity while the repairmen can make a diagnosis.

cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Thanks all for the input. Can anyone reccomend an honest repair person who could take a look at it? Thanks!

Rick | 10 years and 5 months ago

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There’s a good chance that your chimney is not venting as good as it should. Most often the vent for the boiler is running through an old chimney in the fireplace. Any blockage in the chimney makes that musty steamy oily condensation pushed back through the walls of the chimney. Have a chimney repair company check for the blockage. Not unusual that old bricks can fall inside the chimney causing the restriction of proper venting. A new metal lining through the chimney will prevent this. You could get gassed by this situation so it should get fixed asap.

Augustiner | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Unscrew the vent and have a look inside. Before you take off the vent cover, cut around the edge with a carpenter knive to avoid pulling off paint from the wall. Maybe you are able to get a clue. Take a photo with your phone if you can’t see far enough. At least you can see if this vent ends in your room or goes to the chimney. I would not recommend to block it. because that can cause mold behind the walls as dorkofwindsor mentioned. If you want to follow where the air goes, my special invention is to smoke incense at the suspected source and check at the suspected destination.

cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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We have it loosely covered with an old towel just just absorb most of the moisture as it enters the room, there’s a pyrex pan on the ground which is collecting some of that moisture. Better on the floor in one spot where I can easily (and frequently) sop it up. The wall is already pretty gross and I’m sure will need to be stripped/dried out/whatever they need to do to moldy walls. New development: greasy looking drip of strange liquid coming down the mirror mounted in the wall above the fireplace. There’s also not one bit of snow, ice or water on our roof– we just popped our heads up to check. Some steam is coming out of the chimney, as per usual. Thanks all for input and thoughts. Once we have someone look at it I’ll report back. Again, we’re just renters and our landlord doesn’t think there is actually an issue.

Rick | 10 years and 5 months ago

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“There’s also not one bit of snow, ice or water on our roof– we just popped our heads up to check. Some steam is coming out of the chimney, as per usual” Can you look down the chimney with a bright light? If there’s some blockage it would make a backdraft.

cate | 10 years and 5 months ago

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Agree it sounds like a water/steam pipe leak. If the issue were boiler exhaust leaking through the chimney you would most likely smell the exhaust — like what comes out the back of a bus. If you have oil heat, that is. Maybe there is no smell for gas heat. Not sure. If you do have a chimney leak, it’s potentially lethal so be sure it isn’t that. A licensed plumber who specializes in steam heat can take care of the former. A chimney person can fix the latter but may not be able to diagnose. To rule out a CO2 leak, could get someone in there such as a plumber w sensitive equipment to do a reading.

steam_man | 10 years and 5 months ago

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How about a picture of the “vent” in question. That would be helpful in assisting you.

cliftonetc | 10 years and 5 months ago

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I have a few photos posted in the thread above, from Feb. 20. We aren’t able to really see down the chimney. In addition to not being terribly excited about being on the roof in the first place, it does have a newer cap that would prevent us from looking straight down. I could probably get my phone through to take a shot, but again- I’m a little nervous on the roof in general. NEW DEVELOPMENT: the steam seems to have stopped. BUT SO HAS OUR HEAT. Heat has never come in through this vent until now, but seemingly with the heat off all together the problem has paused. Hopefully we’ll be able to get someone in to look at it in the next few days. In the meantime, it is very cold in our apartment.