Becoming a damp proofer!!

[stuart45]

I have to Say Ging that my considered opinion of Damp proofers ( nrly 40 yrs Bricklaying experience) is that they are generally a bunch of ne'r do wells that prey on fear & ignorance perpetuated by the greater ignorance of building soc "surveyors".
I don't mean that you are in any way not sincere or honest, just that your industry is basically worse than a waste of time. I would not let a "damp proofer" through the door . I see also that you live in Lincs, as I do,where the cavalier misuse of chemicals is a way of life

Being a bricklayer with similar experience I would 99.9% agree with you. The sale of chemical damp proofing to owners by telling them that their DPC has failed is probably one of the biggest cons in the trade.
A friend of mine used to work for BRE as a damp specialist, and was often called out to give a second opinion on rising damp. He said that most cases were not even caused by rising damp, and the ones that were rising damp were usually caused by high ground levels, leaking pipes etc.
However he had come across a case where the original DPC had failed in places and was the cause of some damp.

 

[foxhole]

Try dipping a piece of chalk in wd 40 and see what happens. Tell me it's not waterproof afterwards.

Just as well we don't build houses out of chalk, try your experiment with a brick and a bucket of water, report back when the water appears on top of the brick, that way we should never hear from you again.

 

[ginger100]

I dont agree with the bucket of water and brick test giving any other result apart from the effects of putting a brick in a bucket of water

and if you need futher clarity on what I have just said then you are not making any distinctions between in situ conditions and a controlled experiment using unrealistic conditions.

However I do agree the industry is full of chancers and I personally would like to help rectify this as good proceedure and accurate investigation should not conflict with providing a damp proofing service

I myself dianose I would suggest 75% of peoples problems with moisture as other than dps related, but you tell some one to open a window and they look at you daft.

 

[stuart45]

I myself dianose I would suggest 75% of peoples problems with moisture as other than dps related, but you tell some one to open a window and they look at you daft.

I wouldn't worry too much about that, some people have paid around £600 to be told that. BRE surveyors take a van load of equipment on a survey and test or all types of dampness, even when the surveyor suspects it's only condensation.
You must be one of the more honest ones to lose 75% of your work.
I have had rising damp in my house where the cenral heating pipe work in the screed was leaking, so I wouldn't argue that it can't go up a brick wall in all conditions.

 

[ginger100]

rising damp is a natural phenomana of that I dont think there is a doubt
when I say 75% of my time is dianosing non dpc related moisture I dont see it as loosing work ( you dont get a coconut with every throw do you )
I do see it as doing my job and trying my best to do as we all should be doing and helping the customer with their situation
I get just as much satisfaction diagnosing condensation related problems as I do sugesting a rising damp problem if thats how I see it

 

[noseall]

Good for you Ginge.

 

[lostinfens]

As Stuart mentioned, it is a rare if known event that a physical dpc ever failed, so rising damp(ness) is generally easily curable. It's also obvious that dampness occurs everywhere that people live & breathe. How then does the dpc industry accurately calculate acceptable dampness & how do they set that level?
Most damp meters I have seen only measure conductivity & would get a reading on the moon, is your method more sophisticated Ginge?

 

[ginger100]

yes my method is more sophisticated I will send brick samples taken from areas that look suspicious and have them properly analysed in the lab facility and then study the results and the chemical analysis and then structure my findings on those detailed findings.

this method seems to do the trick more often than not!

 

[lostinfens]

Good grief!!

 

[ginger100]

beats an ignorant stab at it

 

[stuart45]

Having a lab test done for chlorides and nitrates can be a good indication of rising damp as these are often brought up from the ground.
However this test is not infallible as bricks at the bottom of the stack on site in contact with the ground can contain these salts before they are laid.

 

[hotrod]

as bricks at the bottom of the stack on site in contact with the ground can contain these salts before they are laid.

I can't believe there are builders out there who would not have complied with the requirements of BS5628-3

A.4.1 Checking, handling and site storage of materials and components

 

[gregers]

Having a lab test done for chlorides and nitrates can be a good indication of rising damp as these are often brought up from the ground.
However this test is not infallible as bricks at the bottom of the stack on site in contact with the ground can contain these salts before they are laid.

and do they not find chlorides and nitrates in the building sand???

as i have said previously i have worked for various firms over the years and 1 of the last ones i worked for,i used to go out and help with the surveys etc,
and we used to check not only for rising damp but also,any other problems that could be associated within that could cause the problem and report accordinaly.
outside levels high,bridging on the render,even bridging on the inside plaster from a concrete floor.
ive worked on houses that used to have the old slate dpc installed when 1st built and when this has cracked then it will let by.
so without a chemical dpc installed how on earth would you stop rising damp in this situation without taking the bricks out and rebuilding the whole wall???

 

[stuart45]

Having a lab test done for chlorides and nitrates can be a good indication of rising damp as these are often brought up from the ground.
However this test is not infallible as bricks at the bottom of the stack on site in contact with the ground can contain these salts before they are laid.

and do they not find chlorides and nitrates in the building sand???

They can do, although it's more often in the bricks

so without a chemical dpc installed how on earth would you stop rising damp in this situation without taking the bricks out and rebuilding the whole wall???

There are a few ways of installing a physical DPC without rebuilding the wall, although they are still more expensive than a chemical DPC.
The chemical one only slows it down and still needs the backup of render /waterproofer though.

 

[gregers]

yep tend to agree with you,without that magic additive your gaurantee is void
still waiting for a reply to the question of all the doubters saying rising damp doesnt exist,then why do you install a dpm/dpc in new brickwork and concrete floors????