Damp in coal chute - would like to fix!

[smifts]

Hi,

I recently bought my first house so am totally new to DIY. My flat has a cellar which was quite dirty/musty. I cleaned it out - put some self levelling cement on the floor and painted the walls with masonry paint. After three months there are signs of damp because there is not much ventilation - no airbricks - plus there is an old coal chute which has a metal grate. I have a dehumidifier down there and during the summer it was taking a full tank per day.

I have a few questions which I hope can be answered as I cant really afford to get a tradesmen round - had a few bad experiences in my first few months.

1. Does it look like condensation? The damp patch is only in that part of the wall. There is a drain behind it but builder said it isnt related to that.

2. I read condensation smells but damp doesnt - do you think the metal grate is causing that as from the pictures it looks quite damp/mouldy in that section.


I was thinking of trying to fix this and wonder if the following sounds sensible

3. for the chute- get a fan and dry the area inside the coal chute. silicon around the metal grate to seal it. paint some thomson water seal onto the brickwork. install some batons/fibreboard in the chute and put some expanding foam into the gap.
4. for the wall - paint some waterseal onto the paint and repaint it

Apologies if this is not the type of post but just newbie looking for some advice! I've put a few photos but can do more if helpful. Many thanks.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Is the top of the Shute in your garden or the road?
A mate covered his with a small lantern type enclosure.

But your cellar may need tanking to be waterproof

 

[smifts]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Its right in the garden but by the front door. I googled lantern enclosure and couldnt work out what you mean - do you have an example?

I got a quote for tanking and it was thousands... there is no chance I can do that. Was trying to think of a cheap fix I could try myself.

 

[Tigercubrider]

what I meant was ( depends on how the coal hole is accessed)

a mate's cellar had a coal shute who's entrance was below the front window.
He opened it and put a small pyramid type glass cover over it, obviously sealing the ground/join
This made a window to allow light but no damp into the shute/cellar.
quite a few houses around here just have a square framed, sloping roof made of timber/brick and plastic to cover the area.
(like a cold frame)

 

[TheVictorian]

It will always be damp and your walls will always do that unless you spend a fortune having it tanked/lined. I'd only bother with that if you really need to use it as a habitable room but there are other considerations that might make that a no goer.

The best thing to do with a cellar like that in my view is to make sure it is very well ventillated to keep it as dry as possible but ultimately accept it will always be a bit damp down there.

 

[smifts]

Thanks for the replies. Yeh I'll try to think of a way to get it ventilated. I dont want it habitable but the smell is quite strong and gets into the flat so wanted to see if i could fix it a bit.