[Cob] Mysterious foundation moisture issue -- rising damp?

[yewberry at wavecable.com]

Brian Liloia wrote:

>Another guess is condensation. It's 
>very cold here, in the mid-20s during 
>the day, and teens at night, lately. 
>The foundation has no insulation, nor 
>the walls. (All the walls are straight 
>cob). The bottom of the wall is as 
>cold as 40º in some spots (the NW 
>corner), according to an infrared 
>temperature sensor. (The walls are 
>about 53º at eye height.) The coldest 
>walls are definitely the west and north, 
>and these are the walls with the greatest 
>moisture problems. They are also least 
>exposed to indoor air flow, because 
>the bed (and other furniture) is against 
>the wall.

I used to live in an uninsulated rental house here on the 
rainy side of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest. 
 It's nowhere near as cold as where you are, but it's 
relentlessly cool (highs in the low 40s, lows in the 
mid-30s), gray, and rainy all winter.  We had mold on the 
lower third of our walls every year starting in October 
and lasting through May.

I don't have any advice, but I hope others here can be of 
more help.

Brina