ᐅ Moisture on the Bedroom Exterior Wall – What Is the Cause?

Hello everyone,

On the holiday, I noticed that an exterior wall (double brick masonry) in our bedroom looks slightly damp at the bottom. Here are some details:

- Basement is slightly damp
- The basement is only 1.30m (4 ft 3 in) below ground level, so the living space starts about 1.00m (3 ft 3 in) above ground level
- I have a moisture meter, but its probes only penetrate about 0.5cm (0.2 inches) into the wall. At the described spots, I am measuring values between 5-7% moisture
- The bedroom has laminate flooring, which is installed on a wooden subfloor
- The heating in the bedroom is usually off

Here are my questions:
- Could the moisture be coming from the basement?
- Should I remove the laminate and inspect the wall’s condition underneath?
- Is the wall actually “damp” based on the measurement data?

I understand that this is not an expert report and remote diagnosis is difficult. Still, I look forward to your professional advice and opinions.

Best regards

Baumi87 schrieb:
The basement is only 1.30m (4 feet 3 inches) below ground level, so the living space starts about 1.00m (3 feet 3 inches) above ground.

Baumi87 schrieb:
Could the moisture be coming from the basement?

Baumi87 schrieb:
The bedroom has laminate flooring,

I’m having trouble following the explanation: sometimes you talk about the basement, sometimes about the bedroom. Is this a part of the basement being used as a bedroom?

Baumi87 schrieb:
The heating is usually off in the bedroom.

Why? How is the room supposed to dry? Or is this not a new build?

So, the bedroom is located on the ground floor. My explanation was intended to provide an assessment of the situation. It is not a new build. The heating is turned off because we prefer to sleep in a “cool” environment.

I hope I was able to clarify things.

Baumi87 schrieb:
The heating is off because we prefer to sleep in a "cool" environment.

ypg’s question about how it can ever dry out is justified.
At least during the day, I would heat the room to above the dew point level.

So if I had to choose between a heated bedroom or a moldy bedroom, I know what I would pick. I also don’t like turning on the air conditioning in the car during autumn just to have the windows open, but an accident is definitely more expensive...

I am trying to find the cause. This is not a new build!! Or do you think that the lack of heating is already the reason why the wall appears damp? If so, that is not clear from your posts. What about the measured values?