Ive been looking at a Victorian brick built house for sale that has terrible rising damp in the internal walls. It is classic 4 feet high, and the rest of the house seems well aired. The walls have presumably had injection dpc in the past as they have modern cement render and plaster. The floors are solid concrete so they must be a later addition as well. Does anyone have ideas on how to cure the problem other than re-injecting and rendering which doesn't seem to work very well anyway. Thanks in advance.
cure for damp walls
- Thread starter calvert
- Start date
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Damp is an interesting issue and I'm no expert, just someone with my own damp to deal with!
There are many reasons for it and a variety of solutions....I have similar situation (but not very damp at the moment) and have read a book about damp and read up as much as I can online to understand damp better......
The general consensus on many forums is to be aware that many damp proof specialist companies will come out, probe for damp with the noisy flashing damp meter and then quote for an injected DPM and replastering.... while this may help in the short(er) term, it may not actually address the real source of the damp.
Some of the things to check for could include: blocked / insufficient airbricks, cavity wall full of old builders waste bridging the cavity gap, cavity wall insulation gone bad, concrete floor DPM allowing molsture between floor and wall edge, leaking pipes, poor ventilation, no extraction for bathroom and kitchens, people drying out cloths indoors, condensation on walls, bridged DPC, outside ground level about DPC, poor outside drainage away from house, porous bricks, pointing, leaking gutters down wall, splashback onto wall when heavily raining etc.
I'd suggest checking as much as you can before getting anyone in, but if you do get in a damp proof specialist, try and get one that doesn't sell a solution because they're obviously want to sell you a solution rather than you pay for their advice alone.
In my case, I've fitted a couple more airbricks and removed some debris from the cavity when the bricks were removed, I'm waiting to see if it helps when it next rains hard for a few days. I've also removed some plaster to see if the old plaster was causing issues etc.
There are many reasons for it and a variety of solutions....I have similar situation (but not very damp at the moment) and have read a book about damp and read up as much as I can online to understand damp better......
The general consensus on many forums is to be aware that many damp proof specialist companies will come out, probe for damp with the noisy flashing damp meter and then quote for an injected DPM and replastering.... while this may help in the short(er) term, it may not actually address the real source of the damp.
Some of the things to check for could include: blocked / insufficient airbricks, cavity wall full of old builders waste bridging the cavity gap, cavity wall insulation gone bad, concrete floor DPM allowing molsture between floor and wall edge, leaking pipes, poor ventilation, no extraction for bathroom and kitchens, people drying out cloths indoors, condensation on walls, bridged DPC, outside ground level about DPC, poor outside drainage away from house, porous bricks, pointing, leaking gutters down wall, splashback onto wall when heavily raining etc.
I'd suggest checking as much as you can before getting anyone in, but if you do get in a damp proof specialist, try and get one that doesn't sell a solution because they're obviously want to sell you a solution rather than you pay for their advice alone.
In my case, I've fitted a couple more airbricks and removed some debris from the cavity when the bricks were removed, I'm waiting to see if it helps when it next rains hard for a few days. I've also removed some plaster to see if the old plaster was causing issues etc.
'Classic 4ft high'..? What makes you think it's rising damp.. as moisture from the ground wouldn't rise this high..?
Thanks for the reply Spannerzone. Basically I've done much the same research as you and come up with the same conclusions. The problem wall is solid and inside the house so the obvious cavity causes can be ruled out. I fear the problem has been made worse by a concrete floor with membrane thats forcing all the water to the edge and hence up the wall.
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These will not work if the wrong diagnosis has been made. But a chemical injected DPC can be very effective when installed correctly. Just need to ensure that the guarantee is insurance backed, so if the company is liquidated, then the guarantee is still active.
Yes that's kind of what I was saying.... the damp treatments may help or may just mask the real problem for some time and then the problems can sometimes reappear.
Basically there's no simple one shot answer with damp as its can be caused by many different problems,
Basically there's no simple one shot answer with damp as its can be caused by many different problems,
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