Damp (again)
- Thread starter No23
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JohnD said:
Why's that John?
JohnD said:
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The last time I saw anything like this it was a leak from a neighbour's dishwasher that was drenching the wall on their side and soaking through. I would strive to determine what's on the other side of that party wall.
Lifting a floorboard or two is a good idea.
Since the paper is peeling off anyway, I would remove all paper from the damp area and whether the water is coming through the wall or creeping up between plaster and brickwork.
Another possibility is some embedded pipework that has sprung a leak.
Don't go wasting your time and/or money on a chemical DPC - it won't achieve anything.
Lifting a floorboard or two is a good idea.
Since the paper is peeling off anyway, I would remove all paper from the damp area and whether the water is coming through the wall or creeping up between plaster and brickwork.
Another possibility is some embedded pipework that has sprung a leak.
Don't go wasting your time and/or money on a chemical DPC - it won't achieve anything.
Softus, thanks for replying.
The thing is, there is damp on the party walls adjoining the houses either side of mine. In both properties the room on the other side is the dining room (same as mine). Also, I'm unsure if the party wall is single brick or cavity wall though I don't know if this would make a difference or not. I also have damp appearing in the front sitting room.
In regard to chemical dpc's, I would be very reluctant to go down this route anyway as I have experience of having this work done in a previous property I owned and it did nothing to solve the problem (which turned out to be penetrating damp). My current property has evidence of a chemical dpc being installed, but this was done some years ago before I owned it. And after reading these forums I'm even more convinced a chemical dpc would be a waste of time.
It's got me stumped as those photographs I posted are in three different areas and all on different walls.
The thing is, there is damp on the party walls adjoining the houses either side of mine. In both properties the room on the other side is the dining room (same as mine). Also, I'm unsure if the party wall is single brick or cavity wall though I don't know if this would make a difference or not. I also have damp appearing in the front sitting room.
In regard to chemical dpc's, I would be very reluctant to go down this route anyway as I have experience of having this work done in a previous property I owned and it did nothing to solve the problem (which turned out to be penetrating damp). My current property has evidence of a chemical dpc being installed, but this was done some years ago before I owned it. And after reading these forums I'm even more convinced a chemical dpc would be a waste of time.
It's got me stumped as those photographs I posted are in three different areas and all on different walls.
Then you need to find out - it makes all the difference. For example, if some debris was bridging the cavity and either soaking water up from below, or from a leak above, then this could be a cause.No23 said:
If the second damp path is close to the first one, then it's possible that they're related.
Sorry, I hadn't realised that they were different walls.
Do the damp patches ever change in size? If so, is the size related to the weather?
Well my reply may have been a long time coming, but better late than never
Anyway, I took the paper off the affected parts of the wall before Christmas so I have posted some pictures of the bare walls. Today I finally had a look under the floorboards. It was a bit difficult due to the laminate flooring, but I managed to have a look and take a couple of pictures. I wouldn't say it was wet under there, but certainly moist and there seems to be a decent enough airflow. I need to get this sorted out anyway, but even more so now as I want to sell the house.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7778/imgp0115hr5.jpg
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8796/imgp0116sd1.jpg
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8228/imgp0117bu9.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7853/imgp0118et0.jpg
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3680/imgp0119xn8.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/9813/imgp0120wi8.jpg
Anyway, I took the paper off the affected parts of the wall before Christmas so I have posted some pictures of the bare walls. Today I finally had a look under the floorboards. It was a bit difficult due to the laminate flooring, but I managed to have a look and take a couple of pictures. I wouldn't say it was wet under there, but certainly moist and there seems to be a decent enough airflow. I need to get this sorted out anyway, but even more so now as I want to sell the house.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7778/imgp0115hr5.jpg
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8796/imgp0116sd1.jpg
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8228/imgp0117bu9.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7853/imgp0118et0.jpg
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/3680/imgp0119xn8.jpg
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/9813/imgp0120wi8.jpg
Image 218 I can't seem to load at all, and it's very hard to see anything in the most interesting one (image 101), except for a half-buried length of T&E.
So, the thing I'm most interested in is still:
What, if anything, covers the brickwork on either side of the wall at a point so low that is might be sitting in a pool or water or some moist yuck?
Another thought: if the brickwork is visible, is there any cracking to the mortar joints that might offer a moisture path? And don't dismiss any hairline cracks as being unimportant - smaller ones may well aid capillary action better than bigger ones.
So, the thing I'm most interested in is still:
What, if anything, covers the brickwork on either side of the wall at a point so low that is might be sitting in a pool or water or some moist yuck?
Another thought: if the brickwork is visible, is there any cracking to the mortar joints that might offer a moisture path? And don't dismiss any hairline cracks as being unimportant - smaller ones may well aid capillary action better than bigger ones.
Is it built on a concrete raft or oversite concrete, or is that stony earth?
Does it seem drier on one side of the house than the other?
I still like the idea of a dripping pipe under someone's floor.
How high is the oversite compared to outside ground level? Can you crawl around down there?
How many unobstructed air bricks are there, on the front and on the back of the house?
Does it seem drier on one side of the house than the other?
I still like the idea of a dripping pipe under someone's floor.
How high is the oversite compared to outside ground level? Can you crawl around down there?
How many unobstructed air bricks are there, on the front and on the back of the house?
Given that the wall is a mess anyway, why don't you take the skirting board off and, as suggested previously, see whether the plaster extends right to ground level?
(you're going to have to remove the skirting board at some point anyway)
(you're going to have to remove the skirting board at some point anyway)
No23 said:
Can this part of the post please be re-posted as a sticky?
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