help........mould/condensation

[^woody^]

You don't have a DPC problem. Your problem is condensation, not rising dampness. Deal with the root cause.

All that poor pointing won't help, it allows the wall to become damper than it should, for longer than it should, and be colder than it would otherwise be. All this lowers the dewpoint for condensation to form.

 

[Martynrbell]

Cool so, repoint the brickwork outside.

As for condensation, i dont know what else to do other then install a dehumidifier, but can you recommend one that is installed rather then a standalone one?

Also ... one last thing regarding that wall.
In the image where you can see the gate, there is circular patch up.
This was where a rat was making its way in and out of the wall.
Would a rat in the wall do any damage in the cavity?
It was only recent mind so the issue was already present, but just a thought

 

[JohnD]

Rats need constant access to drinking water and often live near leaks.

A dehumidifier will not repair a leak or a building defect.

From the pictures, I now see that you do not have blue bricks, you have red bricks that have been painted black, probably with a bituminous paint, in a futile attempt to keep water out. In fact, because this prevents water evaporating off the bricks, it makes damp worse.

Please photograph the gullies and drains around the house, especially any signs that they have sunk or cracked, or are below the current paving level, and of lush plant growth around them. Photograph patches of moss or algae around the house.

Added to the evident futile attempts to reduce damp by injecting a chemical, which I see all along the wall, the house clearly has a long term damp problem. I do not agree that condensation is indicated, though it may be a secondary problem since you have damp.

Keep looking for the original DPC

it will typically be a horizontal black line of slate in a thicker mortar bed, at least two bricks above where ground level used to be when the house was built. It may be easier to see beside or under a doorstep. Once you have found it, it will be continuous, all round the house, at the same level, unless you are on an unusually steep slope or there is a later addition. Slate lasts for millions of years and does not wear out, but it is often prevented from working by numbskulls who raise the ground level, typically by adding paving or concrete beside the house without digging out the old.

By all means continue validating the condensation hypothesis by taping plastic sheet to the wall, this may identify particular area with a particular problem. At what height above ground level do you see the damp?

Are all the ground floors concrete? Or do you have any wooden floors with a ventilated void beneath? Are these rooms equally damp?

 

[^woody^]

I would suggest that you get some advice from a suitable building surveyor or a member of the PCA www.property-care.org

An independent person, not one who seeks to sell products that they may recommend.

Your issue is condensation. You need advice how to deal with that and how to use your PP fan, heating and alter your lifestyle to reduce and deal with the humidity produced that the building can't cope with. A properly fitted PP fan should deal with condensation and mould, so it's surprising that you have mould, so something is wrong.

You don't want to be using a PP fan, extract fans and a dehumidifier. That's a nonsense situation.

You do not need to go looking for your DPC. It's clear that there has already been an injected DPC. You have no signs of rising or structural dampness, so don't waste your time on a goose chase.

Your pointing is a mess. It needs all doing, not patching. And doing correctly.

You have frost damaged bricks. They need dealing with as they aid water absorption and water retention.

You need a single strategy/solution which normally involves rectifying the several causes of condensation, as it may be one or two main causes and some contributors.

 

[Martynrbell]

I did initially think that about the rat, but the exterminator said it was leaving the property through the wall not likely for food since he had access to a full kitchen / house with toddlers running round dropping food hah, and it had chewed through a pipe under the bath for water.

My conern was could a rat damage something in the cavity adding to the wall been cold?

The entire house is sitting on floorboards with a cavity below apart from this section with the concrete block.
If you look above i posted an image of the kitchen with all the floorboards removed. (Previous owner had left rotting floorboards where the sink pipes were leaking, he had replaced one section with a crap bit of ply wood so i had the whole thing replaced)

I think i found the DPC

Looks to be really close to the floor as you mentioned.


As for the location of the issue.

In behind the kitchen cupboard on that corner is the main issue.

It does have signs of spreading
Up the wall to the tiles and up behind the upper cupboards.
In side the cupboard, anything that is in there ends up with mould on it.

 

[Martynrbell]

I would suggest that you get some advice from a suitable building surveyor or a member of the PCA www.property-care.org

An independent person, not one who seeks to sell products that they may recommend.

Your issue is condensation. You need advice how to deal with that and how to use your PP fan, heating and alter your lifestyle to reduce and deal with the humidity produced that the building can't cope with. A properly fitted PP fan should deal with condensation and mould, so it's surprising that you have mould, so something is wrong.

You don't want to be using a PP fan, extract fans and a dehumidifier. That's a nonsense situation.

You do not need to go looking for your DPC. It's clear that there has already been an injected DPC. You have no signs of rising or structural dampness, so don't waste your time on a goose chase.

Your pointing is a mess. It needs all doing, not patching. And doing correctly.

You have frost damaged bricks. They need dealing with as they aid water absorption and water retention.

You need a single strategy/solution which normally involves rectifying the several causes of condensation, as it may be one or two main causes and some contributors.

From your link there.

Im guessing i want damp control and independent surveyors?

 

[aveatry]

Rats need constant access to drinking water and often live near leaks.

A dehumidifier will not repair a leak or a building defect.

From the pictures, I now see that you do not have blue bricks, you have red bricks that have been painted black, probably with a bituminous paint, in a futile attempt to keep water out. In fact, because this prevents water evaporating off the bricks, it makes damp worse.

Please photograph the gullies and drains around the house, especially any signs that they have sunk or cracked, or are below the current paving level, and of lush plant growth around them. Photograph patches of moss or algae around the house.

Added to the evident futile attempts to reduce damp by injecting a chemical, which I see all along the wall, the house clearly has a long term damp problem. I do not agree that condensation is indicated, though it may be a secondary problem since you have damp.

Keep looking for the original DPC

it will typically be a horizontal black line of slate in a thicker mortar bed, at least two bricks above where ground level used to be when the house was built. It may be easier to see beside or under a doorstep. Once you have found it, it will be continuous, all round the house, at the same level, unless you are on an unusually steep slope or there is a later addition. Slate lasts for millions of years and does not wear out, but it is often prevented from working by numbskulls who raise the ground level, typically by adding paving or concrete beside the house without digging out the old.

By all means continue validating the condensation hypothesis by taping plastic sheet to the wall, this may identify particular area with a particular problem. At what height above ground level do you see the damp?

Are all the ground floors concrete? Or do you have any wooden floors with a ventilated void beneath? Are these rooms equally damp?

I agree with this Its looking more like a leaking drain/gully to me rising up the bricks, someone may of attempted to stop it with injection.

 

[JohnD]

From your link there.

Im guessing i want damp control and independent surveyors?

Do not allow anyone who sells silicone injections or ceramic tubes near your house. Many of them masquerade as "damp experts"

 

[Martynrbell]

Is there a test for leaking drains or gullys that doesnt involve digging up the driveway?

 

[JohnD]

Show us the photos. It may be easy to spot.

You can also pay someone to poke a camera down it if you prefer.

There might also be a nearby manhole.

 

[Martynrbell]

Thanks, ill go out in the morning and take pictures of the drains.
Ill look, but im pretty sure there isnt a manhole on my property, or atleast one that is visible.

But ive never looked for one so ill take a look tomorrow

 

[aveatry]

Is it constantly wet around there on the outside path even when everywhere else is dry

 

[Martynrbell]

Not really, at the back where the issue is.

Ive been out and taken some images of the drain.

So it looks like the drain which is closest to the issue area has a pipe coming from a drainage area in front of the garage.

Ive taken the lids off for a better look.

The last image is the middle drain and is nowhere near the issue but i took the image anyways.

Garage


Drain nearest to issue



Drain at middle of house



Thanks

 

[aveatry]

That is pressed concrete faux slabs with a new plastic gully as they would of put that in at the time of the pressed slabs.
Hmmm thinking the fact that the drive is cracked would imply to me that they did a crap job of it which would get me thinking did they also do a crap job of connecting the new plastic setion they put in to the old origional pipe.

 

[Martynrbell]

I had an idea of blocking the drain in the gully and then pouring a bucket of water into the garage bit, if it drains then its leaking right?
But would it have enough water to cause the damp since its just rain water?