Can't solve this damp

[chriselevate]

Hi guys,

I'm absolutely desperately trying to get rid of this water coming into my house. It's now been 4 years of trying to sort it and I just don't know what to do, where to turn or what to do next!!

So far we have
1. Had the house re-rendered and painted thinking that it will eliminate penetrating damp
2. Dry lined with a palstic membrane the inside wall you can see which is dry - you can see the damp/water is coming in above this point and down the wall that's been damp proofed.
3. New rook as it was sagging 5-6 inches and there were a few cracked tiles and the felt was pretty brittle and bad in places.

Here it is:

Front of the house, master bedroom/en suite.

I'm absolutely desperate to get this sorted as we've not been able to use this bedroom since buying the house.

The lead work with the new room against the fire wall has been done the other side of the house and I think this might have sorted the problem at the other side of the room but the dury is out on that as we've not had intense rain on it yet to test it.

Thanks guys.... really appreciate any help you can give.

Thanks

 

[joe-90]

Have you climbed in the loft with a torch?

 

[HERTS P&D]

I saw a programme about 3 weeks ago on tv and a guy had the same problem with damp, he had a new roof, re-rendered and re-plastered. The problem turned out to be faulty windows.

So get someone to get up a ladder and soak the windows and frames with a hose and see what happens on the inside.

Also is there any sign of damp in the loft?

Andy

 

[chriselevate]

Thanks for your replies... massively appreciate if. This is really getting me down

I'll have a good look in the loft to see if there's anything going on. It's a 11inch solid wall by the way if this helps.

I can't think that the window is letting anything in as it's been rendered up to and over the edges - what do you think?

Damp can't rise to this sort of level can it?

What other possibilities can there be? What points in the loft would you look at etc?

 

[Blagard]

At that high level I would be having a very long and hard look at your roof.

Next time it starts pouring with rain, do as joe-90 suggested, get in the loft with a decent torch and have a long hard look at the inside of the gable wall to see where the water is coming from. Make no assumptions, check it all including the eaves if you can get to them.

If you can't see where the water gets in, take a toilet roll with you. By stuffing it in awkward places it will soak up any water like a wick and consequently tell you what is wet. - I thought of rephrasing that but my sense of humour forbids it. - But seriously, it is a good indicator of anything that is wet.

 

[chriselevate]

So with it being around the gable area it could somehow be tracking down the inside of the loft? Even though a new roof has gone that front section?

When you say the eaves you mean right in the corner of loft where the roof comes down to meet the wall?

Thanks

 

[r896neo]

leaks in attic rooms or even top floor can sometimes be decieving as often foil back boards are used as so water will easily run quite a distance along the back of the boards and the leak can be right at the ridge but only show at the wall-ceiling junction.

Chimneys are a pretty common culprit so good you have eliminated that.

 

[Blagard]

So with it being around the gable area it could somehow be tracking down the inside of the loft? Even though a new roof has gone that front section?

When you say the eaves you mean right in the corner of loft where the roof comes down to meet the wall?

Thanks

Yes. and yes

As the post above has said, water can track around before it gets to the bit that becomes visible. So don't just look immediately above where the wall/ceiling is getting wet.

 

[chriselevate]

Can I rule out rising damp? Can I rule out penetrating damp?

Thanks

 

[Blagard]

Can I rule out rising damp? Can I rule out penetrating damp?

You can rule out rising damp.

You can't rule out penetrating damp as the issue could be a combination of roof and render problems. However, looking at the photos, I think it would be unlikely.

Other things to consider are exposure. Are prevailing winds driving water off your roof so that it runs off the verge and maybe into the joint to the render? If you get my drift, you need to keep an open mind when you get a persistant problem. Even consider going outside in the pouring rain to see how the water runs off your roof. You can use a brolly to stay dry

 

[chriselevate]

Cool.

So there is no way that damp could rise to that height?

When the front section of roof was put on the roofer rendered the edging tight into the side if the house and then with a decent sandtex paint gave it a coat in order to help rain run off.

Looking at the photo the internal wall (the on that's exposed plaster and the one in the other room that is papered) is actually to the right if the small ensuite window as you look at the side of the house. If you look at the ridge you'll see this wall doesn't fall under it.

The roof section it does fall under wasn't replaced.

Any clues here?

 

[^woody^]

Rather than mess about trying this and that, get a surveyor in to do a proper and full report, including invasive investigation as necessary and act on the findings

The locations of those damp patches are very specific, and so the cause should not be too difficult to determine by a suitably experienced person

 

[Blagard]

The roof section it does fall under wasn't replaced.
Any clues here?

Could be, but as I was saying you can't make assumptions.

I agree with Woody that if you got a Surveyor in to look at it, there is a good chance he/she will be able to identify what the problem is.

If you want to continue solving it yourself you need to start looking in detail. Doing inspections when the problem is active should make it a lot easier to identify. Once you find out where water is getting in you then need to identify why and do whatever is necessary to resolve the problem. A surveyor should also be able to identify areas that may need attention, but have not yet materialised as a problem. It is worth thinking about.

 

[joe-90]

A surveyor in the dry won't be as good as a guy in the loft with a torch when it rains.

Check for wet rafters and the like. Should be a doddle to find.

 

[Nige F]

Get a old retired Sussex guy - to have a look . House looks like it`s in a seaside town