Blinkin Damp!!!

[enjomarty]

Help - I am at my wits end!!! Any help would be appreciated!!!

Please see the attached pics. I live in an old west cumbria end terrace with solid walls. There is damp in the corner of the house were the front wall meets the gable end. The damp is all the way from top to bottom in this corner of the house (in living room and bedroom above).

There is also the odd damp spot appearing on the front wall of the living room. Below is the action I have taken so far to try and solve this problem;

1. Had slate roof refurbished and fitted with breathable felt and new lead flashing.
2. chimmney stack repointed(with flaunches added) & waterproofed with waterseal.
3. Original gutter was mounted up too close to wall so was moved away and high spot in middle of gutter has been corrected so water drains away.
4. I am currently in the process of painting the outside with masonry paint to try and waterproof the render, which is in sound condition.

There ia a damp patch in the middle of the front bedroom gable end wall and one in the rear bedroom in an alcove in a corner where the chimney breast meets the gable end wall. These two damp patches seem to be directly below where the front and rear of the chimney is, hence me having the stack repointed. This has not solved the problem of these two damp patches as I expected.

The damp through the corner of the house quickly gets far worse with damp weather.

Damp pic 2

• enjomarty
• 10 Sep 2011
• 1

Note that the damp is now appearing on the ceiling. On the left of the pic the wall paper has...

Damp

• enjomarty
• 10 Sep 2011
• 1

Note that the damp area gets wider at the bottom

Damp

• enjomarty
• 10 Sep 2011
• 1

Note that the damp area gets wider at the bottom

 

[cantaloup63]

Did you have the lead flashings around the chimney replaced?
Are the chimneys in use? Have you had cowls fitted?

 

[foxhole]

Render will slow the drying process, waterproffing it with slow it even more, once any problems are corrected it will take 3-6 months of dry weather to stop damp showing thru.The render is the main problem as water is getting behind it and it holds it there.

 

[enjomarty]

Hi cantaloup63,

Yes the flashing was done. The chimney stack only has one metal gas flue vent/cowl, which has a flexible flue liner fitted. There is cement/mortar all just been done around it.

We don't use the gas fire as we have central heating and only use the gas fire when the boiler packed in a couple of times last winter.

Cheers.

 

[enjomarty]

Hi Foxhole,

I see what you mean - many thanks!

I just don't get why it is just getting worse. I am preventing the water getting in as I have got the roof and chimney stack done etc, so why does it get so wet again so quickly?! I appreciate that it would take months to dry out, but within a couple of hours of rain the wall is visibly more damp and you can definately smell it. How is it getting in there? The render seems to be sound. It looks as though the water is coming down from the top of the corner of the house, running down and 'pooling' up at the bottom of the corner downstairs (damp patch gets wider at the bottom as can be seen in the pics)

The bedroom above was fine when we first moved in a couple of years ago and it had been re-lined with plasterboard using 'dot n dab' to attach to the walls. It is now showing through and stinks!

This problem is doing our heads in, we want to decorate to put our stamp on the house, but can't until we sort this!!! We also have two small children and want the house to be a healthy one!! Arggggh!!!!

 

[catlad]

sounds like roof to me

 

[enjomarty]

I have had a good look at the roof and so has a builder - there is no obvious way in for rain to be getting in, so frustrating!

 

[catlad]

well you could get a large tarp and put it on one of your effected areas like a rain jacket it wont look pretty but if it dries out you would have to assume the render is not working.

 

[foxhole]

Difficult to tell if render is sound, appearances can be deceptive, rain may be going straight thru .

 

[catlad]

It may be easier to put a few batons vertically on your property and then staple some roofing felt to the batons to create your covering.