How can condensation damage to walls be prevented?
It seems that many buildings in Doha suffer from damage to inside walls due to moisture getting into the plaster in the bottom 30cm or so near the floor. I have seen this in apartments in the Zigzag towers and other apartments. I have not seen it in the Pearl apartments. Does anyone know what the cause is? And how to prevent it?
It seems to appear on internal walls, not walls on the perimeter of the building. Also, it is usually only on a few walls, not all internal walls. The plaster seems to start expanding and crumbling into powder as it comes away from the wall. It looks rather ugly. It seems that people remove and replace the section of plaster affected and re-paint it, but this seems to be a temporary fix, as the cause of the moisture has not been removed. I understand that the plaster damage will be back within a year.
I am selling a dehumidifier in case you want one...
http://www.qatarliving.com/node/2421632
It sounds like there is an internal leak somewhere in the building which is spreading slowly throughout the walls and only affects specific areas. You should talk to the building maintenance manager. In the meantime a dehumidifier will help keep the moisture under control. You can leave it running on medium setting 24/7. You will know it is set right if your nostrils don't dry up. Make sure to keep bathroom doors closed as toilets have water which (unnecessarily) will be 'sucked up' as 'humidity' (water in the environment) too.