Wet Floor in under stairs cupboard???? HELP!!!!

[actiongirl5]

Hi,

After buying a 1930's house and overcoming many problems we had with the property we have come across one more thing to add to out list. On giving the under stairs cupboard a good clear out the floor was found to be wet and the walls damp. We have a few boxes in there which had softened with the moisture so we new something was not right and mould was found under the vinyl that was lay on top of the concrete floor and on the wall in areas.

There was a DPC done in this cupboard well over 15 years ago, which damp experts say had supposidly failed, we believe it "failed" because there was no rising damp in the first place. The paint on the walls are bubbled in areas but that could be due to the level of moisture in the air. There are no salt deposits on the brickwork, not that i can see. The wall you can see straight a head in the picture is an outward facing wall that backs onto a brick built shed with a drain next to it. The mortar or what looks like mortar is like a black fine crumbly sand that just brushes out. When you go into the shed there are no obvious signs of penetrative damp. Could water be getting in between the shed and the wall??? If so what are the options as funds are very low and we really could do with some constructive views on this matter.

Many thanks in advance

Mandy
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[Burnerman]

The mind boggles about this one, but it sure isn't due to moisture in the air.....
I would doubt that the floor has any vapour barrier under it at all and it would be my guess that there are rising damp and external water penetration issues here - the floor seems just to have been laid onto the earth.
Is there any chance that water could be draining from the shed roof down towards your under stair area?
How does the shed get rid of water from its roof?
Can you ascertain that the nearby drain isn't cracked below ground?
Is the shed floor higher than the house floor?
Are any other floors affected?
Sorry for the barrage of questions here - in the mean time allow as much ventilation as you possibly can, and consider a dehumidifier to help dry things out....if the area will dry, you will be able to see if its coming from the ground or through the walls.
John

 

[JohnD]

is an outward facing wall that backs onto a brick built shed with a drain next to it.

I would be viewing this drain, and any waste pipes that lead into it, with enormous suspicion.

It is not unusual for gullies, traps and bends, especially if made of salt-glazed earthenware or cast iron, to crack due to different movement of the house and the ground.

Excavate a bit round the drain.

 

[actiongirl5]

More pictures have been posted in the original post.

Mandy

 

[Burnerman]

Its still difficult to offer a complete explanation, but that outhouse roof is in a poor state, and water could be entering the brickwork there.
Its good to see that air brick - are there any more?
Is the problem area in the place where we can see the vacuum cleaner?
John

 

[actiongirl5]

Its still difficult to offer a complete explanation, but that outhouse roof is in a poor state, and water could be entering the brickwork there.
Its good to see that air brick - are there any more?
Is the problem area in the place where we can see the vacuum cleaner?
John

Hi John

I know it is a tricky one, but i thought i would post it on here to see the thoughts of other folk who are more experienced in this area. We thought the roof as when we looked on the inside of the shed you can see straight through the mortar flashing, but there are no outward signs inside the shed of dampness, which baffled us alittle. We are a mid-terrace and although we have not ruled out a cracked pipe, i would have thought it would have affected the guy who lives next door to use. As our damp wall backs onto his kitchen. The strange thing is that it is literally concenctrated in that right corner mainly and no really anywhere else.

We are maybe going to repair the mortar roof flashing with some flashband and seal it properly and see what happens.

Mandy

 

[JohnD]

does the gutter drip?

drill a hole through the concrete near that soil pipe and see if there ia (1) a gap (2) wet soil and red worms.

where does the air brick go?

that iron pipe looks like the joint is open so it will leak

 

[Burnerman]

As the troublesome wall backs onto his kitchen, could the problem be coming from there, do you think?
John

 

[actiongirl5]

does the gutter drip?

drill a hole through the concrete near that soil pipe and see if there ia (1) a gap (2) wet soil and red worms.

where does the air brick go?

that iron pipe looks like the joint is open so it will leak

Hi,

The air brick you can see in the pictures goes under the floor boards in the kitchen itself and not the cupboard. The pipe joint on close inspection looks sealed. I will check again on the pipe over the shed and the guttering this week as we are expecting some serious rain over the next few days.

What are the red worms?

Mandy

 

[actiongirl5]

As the troublesome wall backs onto his kitchen, could the problem be coming from there, do you think?
John

Hi,

We will be speaking to our neighbour on the weekend as we will be at the house doing some work....so hopefully he might shed some light on our recent find.

Mandy

 

[actiongirl5]

Its still difficult to offer a complete explanation, but that outhouse roof is in a poor state, and water could be entering the brickwork there.
Its good to see that air brick - are there any more?
Is the problem area in the place where we can see the vacuum cleaner?
John

Hi John

There are about three air bricks in the kitchen but none in the cupboard. The vac is just to clean all the building dust we have in the house as we are struggling to get rid of it all. We had been looking at the shed roof and i think it will be our first port of call. We are meant to be getting a whole heap of rain this week so we will really see what is happening.

Mandy

 

[JohnD]

the bright red worms are found wriggling in the soil wherever a sewer or drain has been leaking. I believe they are useful as fishing bait. I hate to think what they eat.

 

[maltaron]

In your second picture there appears to be a pair of old sink supports and an old pipe with valve. Could this pipe be leaking or is there an old sink waste lurking around.

 

[JohnD]

good point, and that style of sink support is often back-to-back with another stoneware sink on the other side of the wall. There would have been a waste pipe as well as an incoming water main supply for the cold tap in an old house. Either could be leaking.

 

[actiongirl5]

good point, and that style of sink support is often back-to-back with another stoneware sink on the other side of the wall. There would have been a waste pipe as well as an incoming water main supply for the cold tap in an old house. Either could be leaking.

Hi John,

I am sure the two metal supports that are coming out of the wall is not not for a sink but an old gas meter, according to my gas safe engineer. Plus the the two metal supports are only 2/3 bricks up from the concrete floor and i would be very suprised if a sink at that height would serve a purpose at any point in the lifetime of the house.

Mandy