How Many Bricks Can You Tale Out Of a Wall

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Buckinghamshire
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Hi,

I have got a damp problem in my 1959 built bungalow. On one exterior wall around 4 or 5 bricks in length by two bricks depth are permenantly wet....there is a smell of damp in the corresponding interior room.

These bricks are immediately below the damp proof course and the damp does not traverse the damp proof course. For some reason there is one further course of bricks below the damp bricks and before the ground which are dry as are all the rest of the bricks on that side of the bungalow.

There is no obvious water source, leaking gutter and no water pipes inside the house at that point.


It has been suggested to me that it would be an idea to take one or two of the bricks out and see whats behind them which might give a clue as to why they are wet. it has also been suggested that i should replace at least one of them with an air brick as there are no air bricks below the damp proof course (the interior room has a wooden floor not solid)

I would be grateful for any suggestions as to why this might be damp, what I might find behind the bricks and I guess most importantly how many can you safely take out at any one time

Many thanks,
 
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Could be a choked cavity.
i wouldnt worry about removing a handful of bricks to investigate.
 
It has also been suggested that i should replace at least one of them with an air brick as there are no air bricks below the damp proof course (the interior room has a wooden floor not solid).
Are you sure the property has no air bricks at all??
Ideally you should have air bricks every two metres and on opposite ends of the house so that you get a flow of air under the floor. You'd need to remove a brick in the internal leaf too and sleeve between them...
I would be grateful for any suggestions as to why this might be damp, what I might find behind the bricks and I guess most importantly how many can you safely take out at any one time.
You'd have no worries taking out three bricks at a time. Could be crap in the cavity but strange that the bricks below are dry...
 
Sounds like a text book example of interstitial condensation. Air bricks will help.
 
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No definately no air bricks, grateful for your thoughts...will the bricks out next weeknd and see where that leads....will be good to cure it.
 
Bricks below the DPC are supposed to be wet - that means that the DPC is working.

A damp smell inside the property has nothing to do with this and would be related to another problem

You should not install an air brick to ventilate the cavity. You can install an air brick and liner to ventilate the room but this may or may help remove the damp smell.

A timber floor should be ventilated with air bricks on two opposite sides of the property - typically one every 1.8m or so
 

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