Damp problem - please HELP!

[wrighty208]

Hi all,
My mum's 1910 house has a single story kitchen at the rear.

A few months ago, due damp smells in cupboards she had a builder inject a damp course into the wall (9" wall without cavity). Since then, the paint has flaked off BELOW the DPC - see photo. It seems to be getting worse.

Untitled

• wrighty208
• 1 Dec 2013
• 1

Also, about halfway up the wall (above kitchen worktop) there are water marks coming through the paint - sometimes this gets soaking wet...

Untitled

• wrighty208
• 1 Dec 2013
• 1

(this picture is taken above a microwave on the worktop and below the wall units)

We have had several people round to have a look but keep getting told different things so not really sure what to do. Some thoughts:-

- Could there be a leaking pipe in the wall?
- Could there be a leaking pipe in the floor?
- Could it be rising damp?
- Could it be the wrong paint on the outside wall? (it's starting to flake off in places now)

Any ideas how we can identify the problem in order to understand the work required to rectify?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Blagard]

Did the DPC injection company do both sides of the 9" wall?

Did the plaster on the inside get hacked off and redone and was it kept above the DPC ?

In any event a wall that is damp will not be dry overnight after a DPC is correctly installed. It can takes a few months for the brickwork to dry out.

Edit: What pipes have you got buried in the wall anyway - It's unusual to do for a 9" brick wall

Masonry paint flaking off wet bricks (below DPC) is common. Not really a problem but unsightly. Painting a wall can seal in moisture and as a moist wall gets colder than a dry one it could be the problem is condensation.

One other point, that wide bed joint looks like a typical slate DPC. - Do you know what is in the joint? If it is slate, pointing over it in ordinary mortar actually creates a bridge for damp.

Knowing the history of what has been done in the house may help. i.e. Did the walls use to be dry? what changed ?

 

[adamr7747]

Surely that injection job is a disaster? The chemical is supposed to go into the mortar bed, not the brickwork.

Adam

 

[Johnmelad]