Damp Proof Injection

[connolla]

Anyone got any advice on this. Having never done it before I have been researching it.

Basically I'm happy to have a go and I know about the whole process of injecting. What I'm wondering is, would it be as cheap just to get somone else to do the job for me orare there any savings to be had on this type of project by doing the job yourself.

I'm a spark by trade and I have done a bit of cross trading in the past but never into this.

Any advice would be welcomed

Alan

 

[AndersonC]

Why do you think you need a DPC? Do you know whether there is one already there or not, and if there is one, whether it has failed?

 

[connolla]

Yeah it's an old house and I think it's been sat a while so the first step will be to get the heaters in there and see if we can dry it out first. But if all else fails it will have to be a DPC injection. but I have never done one.

I just need to know if it's worth doing it myself or getting someone else to do it?

I can't see a problem in doing it myself because it's just injecting a chemical into either side of the wall at 115mm intervals 150mm above the ground level, so how difficult could that be?

Do you think there would be any problem hiring the kit to do the injection?

I also just want to know if the process I explained above is right

Al

 

[AndersonC]

The first thing to do is establish whether the wall(s) is damp and then whether the cause of this is rising damp. It is very common to have 'damp' walls in houses that have been standing due to the lack of ventilation.

If the damp doesn't go from simple ventilation and heating then investigate the possible causes. These could range from leaks to blocked/bridged cavities, none of which could be prevented by DPC installation.

If the source of the damp is rising damp then along with installing a DPC most people remove the plaster on the ground floor walls to a height of 3 foot. This is because the plaster absorbs hydrosgopic salts from the damp thus making the plaster itself more susceptible to moisture absorption.

Finally, I'd recommend a good search on here to find out the pros and cons of DPC injection. I've had it done myself when I first got an old terrace and to be honest, I think it was a total waste of money now I have learnt about damp and it's prevention. If you need a DPC i'd seriously consider getting a physical one fitted as opposed to perforating your walls and pumping a chemical in.

And remember, if you do it yourself there will be no warranty if, or more likely WHEN, the chemical 'DPC' fails in a few years time (not that the warranties issued by damp-proof companies are worth much anyway).

Hope this helps, please think everything through before embarking on what could be a big, messy, costly and possibly unnecessary job.