Damp Brickwork on house - advice needed

Helen Bradley · 25 May 2019

hello

Could anyone help me out and give me some advice on what I should be doing about this brickwork...

House built in 1910ish.

External wall has what seems to be some efflorescence when sunny outside.
Mortar is disintegrating in those areas and some of the bricks crumbling.
there is some damp on the internal walls in those areas too.

Not sure where to begin or where to go to?

Thanks
Helen

^woody^ · 25 May 2019

Have you fixed the leaking gutters?

Helen Bradley · 25 May 2019

Thank you. I didn’t think I had any leaking gutters. Is this something worth relooking at? Thank you. Helen

Burnerman · 25 May 2019

Things to look for Helen are water droplets, either from gutters or whatever bouncing on the concrete and landing on the brickwork above the damp course level.....the same applies if the surrounding land is too high for any reason.
Can you give us a couple of pics from further back?
John

tony1851 · 25 May 2019

Is the black coating of whatever-it-is entraining rising damp and forcing it further up where it dries out and leaves salts?

JohnD · 25 May 2019

stand back and show us where the drains are.

Downpipes, soilpipes and kitchen gullies, and the manhole covers that indicate where the underground pipes are that go to the sewer under the road. They'll be leaking. Probably been cracked since 1941.

Also the route of the water supply pipe that goes from the stopcock in the front garden or pavement, to the stopcock where the kitchen sink used to be in 1910 where the pipe comes out through the floor.

Have you got a water meter?

tony1851 · 25 May 2019

Why 1941?

JohnD · 25 May 2019

ground movement, bomb damage, WW2, Blitz, inflexible clay pipes, bends and traps.

Helen Bradley · 26 May 2019

Thanks for your replies.
John - yes I do have a water meter. Manhole cover is around where the green table is.
Here are some photos as requested...
Once again, any advice would be greatly appreciated as I have little idea on how to approach this. Thanks again, Helen.

Burnerman · 26 May 2019

There looks to have been an outhouse and window or whatever where the brickwork efflorescence is - nothing to worry about there.
You have an injected damp course there but we really don't know how effective that is.....the original would probably have been slate.
There's a little bit of moth eaten pointing there but its not bad, really - maybe the black coating was applied by a previous owner in an attempt to cure what you are experiencing, do you think?
Does the hopper head shoot water over when you use the bathroom sink?
Give us a pic or two of the internal damp if you can.
John

JohnD · 26 May 2019

So the wet patches are close to drains, rather as I expected.

The black coating was probably put on to hide damp, but since it prevents damp evaporating off the surface, it allows the damp to climb higher.

The gravel/shingle hides what's underneath, and may have been laid for that purpose. If you rake it away around the waste pipes, I think you will see more wet ground, and signs of cracked, repaired or sunken concrete caused by long-term water leaks eroding the ground.

Do you know your neighbours? Chances are all the houses in the street are the same age, built the same way, and have the same problems. Some of them will already have tackled it. The remedy is likely to include digging up the drains and relaying them.

Also, look at your water meter with a torch. It may have a glass window with an air bubble that spins as water flows through. Does it ever stop?

Note the meter reading today, then again in a week.

@Ian H
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Ian H · 26 May 2019

I agree with John. The gravel covering your kitchen gully and soil vent pipe could be hiding a blockage or leak.

I would pull all that out of the way first and check for any obvious drain leaks.

Turn off your internal stop tap and monitor your water meter over an hour period.

Burnerman · 26 May 2019

Anyone spot any air bricks there? Wondering what the internal floors are made of!
Whatever happens, that black coating needs to come off, and it could be a good move to treat the brickwork with a water repellant cream which allows the wall to breathe.
John

tony1851 · 26 May 2019

Burnerman said:
Anyone spot any air bricks there? Wondering what the internal floors are made of!
Whatever happens, that black coating needs to come off, and it could be a good move to treat the brickwork with a water repellant cream which allows the wall to breathe.
John

The outrigger will probably have a solid floor - usual practice in late Victorian/Edwardian semis.
We can't see on the short wall below the middle room window - maybe there are some on the side gable wall?
Yes the black coating should ideally come off to let the walls breath.

^woody^ · 26 May 2019

Those bricks and joints look more eroded from water saturation coming down than could be possible from any damp coming up. In fact, the water coming down may well be coming back up when it reaches the dpc.

The significant problem on the rear is that there is no verge overhang. Rain is saturating the wall higher up. The eaves on the side wing need looking at too, as the brickwork is in similar condition.

Sort the pointing out before looking for other causes of damp, as that may be the single cause.

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Damp Brickwork on house - advice needed

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