Removing a block from wall, and refitting.

[bobsuerita]

might be a long shot but is that a fibre glass dummy chimney cos if so are very prone to leaking right down that cavity

 

[Dazza Jones]

It is a dummy chimney, but made of brick. If there was a fault there, wouldn't the damp be shown from directly underneath ?

I have drilled a couple more inspection holes tonight and found a couple of more wet areas. The old inspection holes are now dry which is something I guess.

 

[bobsuerita]

depending on construction normally fiber glass with brick slips stuck on with a fiber glass top flaunched to pot they normally leak around where lifting eyes are attached

the lead should cover the cavity but have seen it done to just hide the joint between chim and brickwork which means it could leak into cavity
might be worth looking under the chim

 

[Dazza Jones]

Thank you bobsuerita, I will look into it.

 

[Dazza Jones]

depending on construction normally fiber glass with brick slips stuck on with a fiber glass top flaunched to pot they normally leak around where lifting eyes are attached

the lead should cover the cavity but have seen it done to just hide the joint between chim and brickwork which means it could leak into cavity
might be worth looking under the chim

Have found out today out is indeed a fiberglass with brick slips.

 

[Dazza Jones]

I thought i would update this for those interested.

I took a block out in the loft as i wanted to see if the false chimney was leaking in the cavity. There is no insulation in the cavity in the loft so i would be able to monitor. It seems there is some sort of damp proof membrain at ceiling level, withe weep holes running acroos the length of the gable every now and then. The block has been out for a while now and there is no evidence of a leak in side, which is good.
The only explanation now is the shower/tray that has now been removed.

The damp patches outside still remain.

One thing i have noticed is that when it starts to rain, these two areas show up wet pretty much straight away, as it rains more and more the rest of the wall gets wet and there arnt so obvious.

I then waited till a dry spell, went up on a ladder and sprayed water on the bricks. The water sat there. I then tryed it on a different unaffected part of the wall and the sprayed water seemed to evaporate, or sink into the bricks as disappear really quickly. The difference was very noticeable.

Is this the behaviour of soaking wet bricks?

It has been a while now and i would have hoped to have seen a change in the patches. The only thing i have seen is the motor start to change to a lighter colour in a few small places, this gave me hope, then it rained and it returned to how it was.

 

[catnick67]

You may have water getting in the cavity from the chimney, running down the inside of the brickwork, and coming out of the weepholes and soaking the brickwork below

 

[Bonni]

All I can do is give some thoughts.

Full cavity fill can often cause problems, worst invention for a house. It can allow water to bridge a cavity and some types can become wet and cause cold bridging.

If the water is from outside, could be from the fake chimney or anywhere on the brickwork which doesn't matter because that's what the cavity is for, unless it's filled up with insulation.

If you haven't got any internal pipes leaking, is it there a possibility the soil stack, which I doubt. Is it from condensation, there's no extractor fan.

As soon as you said white balls (cavity fill), I would put a tenner on that that's the problem.

 

[Tigercubrider]

would fitting an air brick at ground level help him?

 

[Bonni]

would fitting an air brick at ground level help him?

You would have an airbrick at ground level to vent a wooden floor. You wouldn't vent a cavity, plus his is full of cavity fill insulation.

 

[Dazza Jones]

You may have water getting in the cavity from the chimney, running down the inside of the brickwork, and coming out of the weepholes and soaking the brickwork below

I have removed a block from inside the loft so i could see inside the wall cavity. There is no insulation in the wall cavity in the loft. Although we have not had a great deal of rain recently there is no sign of any water getting in anywhere. Extremely pleased that the chimney isn't leaking. I will continue to monitor.

If you haven't got any internal pipes leaking, is it there a possibility the soil stack, which I doubt. Is it from condensation, there's no extractor fan.

As soon as you said white balls (cavity fill), I would put a tenner on that that's the problem.

The soil stack in internal and vents in the loft. The extractor fan also goes through the loft into the roof tiles.

The insulation now seems dry in my test spots i have drilled inside (it wasnt), although that doest mean its not still damp elsewhere. I have tryed to get my endoscope down the cavity but its too hard packed and i cant make any progress pushing it through.

I cant see why there would be any pipes in the cavity in that area. Im pretty much convinced its from the shower and the shower tray leaking through the cavity and soaking the bricks, ive tried to prove otherwise but cant.

Im playing a waiting game now, willing the bricks to dry, although they seem dry to the touch and dont set my damp meter off crazy. Maybe they are now stained? Ive had differences of opinions when it comes to the drying times of bricks from a few months to a year!