Damp?

[phil1963]

In my kitchen on the ground floor and about six inches down from the ceiling a 6x6 inches lightly stained patch has appeared of late, although the patch itself is only mildly damp to the touch. I have looked outside and the brickwork seems secure and the grouting too ....... so where has this damp bit come from? There is no damp in the room above, the plumbing pipes all seem secure, there is no damp below and no condensation problems in the room.
The house was built in 1884 ......... so would it have cavity brickwork(presumably two bricks thick with a gap between them?) .... if so how has the damp got to mark the inner brick work? The guttering, some fifteen feet above all seems secure.
I am not in the trade, so excuse me if the above is not in very technical terms ................ anybody got any (sensible!) clues? Would there be anything between the bricks along which the water has run from some other point?

 

[gday2uk]

If it's cavity there could be rubbish stuck on a wall tie bridging the cavity? Is it a wall particularly exposed to the weather?

 

[phil1963]

The wall is about 15 feet long and two floors high and faces out onto the rear courtyard, however when the wind and rain comes, it hits the walls in an eddy-swirling style. Rain found its way with ease through a small hole that I had in the window frame as well, a few years ago, so I am getting fed-up of a leaking kitchen!

 

[gday2uk]

Blocked cavity could an issue then, is it directly above / below a window or above a door?

 

[^woody^]

Unlikely to be cavity wall from that age. Even if cavity the problem would be there from day one

Check for soft or defective pointing, and for spalled or cracked bricks

 

[gday2uk]

My 1890 house is cavity.
Excess cement from between bricks; replacing windows, roofs etc. all cause falling debris in the cavity which gets stuck on wall ties causing moisture transmission; therefore not evident straight away.
If you have a solid wall though I would agree defective pointing or cracked bricks.

 

[stuart45]

phil,
To check if its a cavity wall measure its thickness at the jambs. A cavity wall from a house of that age will usually be about 300mm. A solid wall about 240mm. The brick bond can also give you a clue, but cavity walls were sometimes built in Flemish bond with snapped headers and solid walls built in stretcher bond. You can also drill into the wall to be sure.

 

[phil1963]

Thanks for all of ideas and help - I wish that you lived in my road, then you could pop round and view it! The window is about 2ft across and 21/2 ft high, and the damp patch is about six inches about the top right-hand corner of the window, which can be opened easily. The back door is on a different wall and about five feet away.

 

[alittlerespect]

You may have had a soot box built into the wall sometime in the past, which used to be run from a wood burning stove - dimensions and location are about right.

Remedy
You will need to remove the affected area of plaster + 2" around the perimeter to get back to clean brickwork - if affected clean brickwork, apply a stain blocking finish, make good disturbed areas, and redecorate.

 

[^woody^]

Post a picture from the inside - from about 2m away and from the outside showing the whole elevation and one from about 1m showing the wall on the outside of where the leak is and for about 1m upwards

 

[phil1963]

Cheers for the help chaps - much appreciated. Just had a visit from a 66 year-old neighbour who has lived in his house all his life (worth a look as little has changed inside since it was built!!) and he says that where my kitchen window is now located was where the backdoor was originally located (and still is in his house) .......... perhaps then there is a lintel along the top of the window, along which some of the damp has run having got in from the outside and then dripped down and stained my inner wall?

 

[stuart45]

Phil
You need to find out if it is a cavity or solid and put on the photos if possible.

 

[phil1963]

Folks,
I have managed to open an album and have loaded up three photo of the damage. Two are of the interior and one the eternal damaged brick (VERY recent damage too, perhaps though recent icy weather?). Is this damage enough to allow the damp in?

My album is::

//www.diynot.com/network/phil1963/albums/

 

[alittlerespect]

Humm! Not to pretty a picture from the inside!! There was possibly a reason for painting the external brickwork - perhaps they were having problems with damp penetration many years ago - ask your neighbour as he may know some of the history to do with the homes.

First comment: the level of dampness you are getting would suggest more than one problem, you have possibly got damp coming in at a higher level - the first floor windows would be worth a look to see if there are any gaps around the window frames where they meet the reveals and at the window cill, you would be surprised how much rainwater can get in through a little gap!

The external wall is a bit interesting - going by the brick bond you are most likely to have a solid wall, but I will stand corrected on that point if I am wrong. I mentioned the painted walls earlier this may have been an attempt to stop the rainwater penetrating the wall, however, the paint film may be doing more damage than good, its likely that the bricks used are a semi-engineering brick which are extremely tough the only down side is that they have less thermal resistance than a clay brick which brings its own set of problems when it comes to thermal bridging and condensation. The semi-engineering bricks are a lot denser than clay bricks (hence their weight and strength) the problem is in winter you have a cold external and a warm internal and somewhere along the line the two will meet and a phenomena called 'interstitial condensation' will occur. Warm air holds more moisture and when the warm air is cooled it can reach saturation (or technically 'dew point' and moisture will be deposited, the unfortunate part with this type of brick is that the dew point is likely to be reached on the internal face of the brickwork betweem tje brickwork and the plaster. The only way out of your dilemna would be to insulate the interior walls, which would then minimise the thermal bridging and reduce the level of condensation significantly.

Regretfully, I have to go out now - so I will hopefully get back to you in the near future - by which time other forum members will have provided some additional advice.

 

[^woody^]

Patterns seems typical of water penetration and not internal condensation

The walls appear solid and the level and location of the dampness would seem to relate to deterioration of the external weathering - either the paint or pointing or both. And the obvious brick!

Sort out that brick first.

If that is not the cause, then water is tracking its way in via soft mortar due to the weathering face not throwing it off. Cracked paint will hold water within the wall

Unless there is anything else blindingly obvious, then you will have to get the whole elevation sorted - pointing and painting