Lower bricks wet on external wall

[sylvester2345]

Hello,

We had our gutters replaced 3 months ago as they were leaking and were causing water damage. Time has passed and our lower external bricks are still wet. I'm not sure the reason for this and whether repointing will fix it. There are pictures attached. Any suggestions would be so helpful. We have no damp inside the property.

Thanks
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[ree]

I can see your red painted step and assume that that is the height of your FFL, or is there a second step-up?

Where is your DPC in the pic?

There are two air bricks set at different levels in the wall, and both appear to be too high for ventilating the sub-area? The air brick on the left appears to have been fixed in recent times - for what purpose?

When, if ever, did you last crawl under the suspended floor & examine the joist tails (for damp rot) in that wall, and see if any cross ventilation is present and active under the floor?

The water staining in the lower brick courses is due to rising damp. Splash damp (eg. from the gutters) would be greenish.

 

[Alastairreid]

The air bricks are on the same course...assuming the dpc is set on course beneath the airbricks.

If the bricks have been getting saturated it will take some decent weather before they start to dry out.

 

[ree]

Correct the air bricks are on the same course - my mistake.

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

As said, wait till next June before getting worried. If you have cavity walls the airbrick should be sleeved through the cavity and there should be an airbrick on the inside skin. if you don't do this you will have a gale blowing through your cavity which will cost money to heat.
Frank

 

[sylvester2345]

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Unfortunately, I am not able to have a look under the floors as this would mean ripping the wooden floors up. The first floor is located on the level above the airbricks. We have no signs of damp inside.

Can I ask why the lowest bricks are so discoloured, is that just from the water damage? I can tell that the bricks need to be repointed. Would this stop any future damage?

 

[ree]

I have never seen an air brick on the inside brickwork of a sub-floor void.
If a liner is used then the inner bricks are merely left out.

 

[ree]

Most all houses of that age had access traps cut-into the ground floors when they were built,
typically in the understairs area. How do you go on when pipe or cable runs need to be accessed?

The brickwork above the stained courses has been re-pointed in the past. Its not deep pointing, very shallow hacking out was done.

The stained brickwork could probably do with hacking out to 20mm - 25mm and pointed up - some bricks might be perished and need replacing.

Maybe, in he past the garden level was much higher? Are your gullies proud or level with the surface.

 

[sylvester2345]

Hi Ree,

I am from the UK and to my knowledge there never is a trap door or a way of getting under. If there was a problem with the pipes you would be ripping the floors up. I don't think there is any time of gully outside. Water just comes down the drainpipe and into the soil/grass.

 

[ree]

FWIW: all UK houses with accessible suspended floors were required by Bldg Regs to have an access trap, precisely so that floor broads would not have to be lifted.
BCO's would look for the trap. It was traditionally cut below the stairs ie. out of the way of traffic.
First fix cables & pipes were hung from the joists.

 

[goldeagle]

I've never seen an understair trap door either in any of the old houses I have lived in. Must be an American thing

 

[ree]

Why would i advise on "American" construction details when i preface my remarks with: "all UK houses" and "BCO's would ... "?

Why do you assume that what i suggest: "Must be an American thing"?

Perhaps you never looked under the stairs, perhaps you didn't recognise what you were looking at - traps were often cut and then screwed back down, perhaps a new finish floor had covered the trap, & it was occasionally the case that later more convenient traps were cut somewhere else?