Moisture Found in Living Room

Mould growth and dampness were found in the apartment, and I have no idea where the water was coming from!

I was summoned to inspect an unexpected damp issue inside an apartment by the owner. He reported that the carpet in both the living area and the bedroom was wet, and he could never figure out the water source. The dampness has begun to grow mould on the carpet and the lower section of nearby partition walls. He is pretty concerned about this as moulds can affect health and deteriorate affected building elements. He even called two different plumbers previously to check on the plumbing pipes as he initially thought that the water must be from a leaking pipe, but to no avail. No pipe leaking problem was found, and both plumbers could not crack the case.

I quickly used my thermal imaging camera to scan the apartment and found the dampness instantly on my arrival (see Figures 1 and 2). My moisture reading meter also detected active moisture in the tiled flooring in the kitchen area that is just directly beside the living area and bedroom (see Figure 3).

Knowing the pipes were in good condition, I went straight into the bathroom to inspect the shower walls, and sure enough, I found evidence of waterproofing failure in the showers. In addition, I found moulds on the shower wall, discolouration on the tile grouts and dampness in the adjacent walls.

Using less than 10 minutes, I found out that the waterproofing in the shower had failed, thereby resulting in the water migrating through the flooring and wetting the carpet. I tracked the moisture using both instruments, and it eventually led me to the living area and bedroom. So was it the builder’s fault? It turned out that no basic maintenance work had been carried out on the shower tiles for almost a decade.

The replacement of shower waterproofing can be very expensive and this can be prevented by applying regular maintenance, such as tile regrouting, resealing and keeping the shower ventilated and dry.

If you found unexpected moisture somewhere in your house and need a professional inspection service, you can contact us at admin@altezbuildinginspections.com.au