Damp

[eldiablo]

Hi
Currently buying a mid terraced property andvit seem it has damp issues on the dividing walls between both properties on either side and in hallway. Haven't stripped anything back yet but having researched possible sources and cures I will look into what I can see the possible cause is, but relating to these damp rods that can be installed and watching loads of videos it's not clear as to how far you drill and install on party walls, measuring the outside wall at the kitchen door it appears around 300mm which suggests cavity and internal are just one brick, so is it safe to assume the dividing walls between my neighbours are cavity? Also if I ended up installing rods how far do you drill, is it just through my side and fit rod or go right through my mortar bed and partially into next doors across the cavity and push rod right across.
Thanks in advance

 

[Koolpc]

Find out where the damp is coming from first.....try your best to cure that before putting things in the wall...

 

[opps]

I have only used the DryZone rods a couple of times. From memory, they are about 9" long- or rather are designed for 9" solid walls.

Approximately, how old is the property?

If you are going to use a chemical dpc, you will need to lift the floorboards and drill below the flooring joists.

 

[eldiablo]

Hi
Not sure on the age yet as not completed on the purchase yet, once in I will get carpet up and get under the floor to have a look. We complete next Friday so that's when I can get into it but after watching various videos the cavity question came into my head, logically I would assume only my side needed treating but unsure.

 

[ree]

OP,
You will have to measure the party wall - dont go by the outside cavity walls.
Be cautious drilling a 4" wall that you dont burst thro into your neighbour's.
The rods can be cut to suit. They shouldn't cross cavities.

But why not hold fire, & post pics of the damp when your in occupation?
What did the survey report(s) say about the damp?

 

[eldiablo]

Cheers for your replies, I will get a proper look and be able to be more specific once in and will post some pics, it is obvious it is damp as it's an old person's house with no central heating and the wallpaper is peeling around the bottom in places as well as evidence of salt in the lower parts of the plaster but will update once I have the keys.

Regards Chris

 

[Lung]

Hi
Not sure on the age yet as not completed on the purchase yet, once in I will get carpet up and get under the floor to have a look. We complete next Friday so that's when I can get into it but after watching various videos the cavity question came into my head, logically I would assume only my side needed treating but unsure.

You shouldn't need to complete to know how old it is, your searches should have confirmed when it was built etc. if the Estate Agent details didn't say. If it's not in any paperwork ask your conveyancer.

 

[JohnD]

damp rods

Where did you get the idea that inserting rods will repair a source of water such as a leaking pipe or a broken drain?

 

[^woody^]

You need to determine the actual cause first before a suitable remedy is chosen.

The Party Wall Act applies to inserting a new DPC (drilling) into a party wall. You will need to also deal with any damp that is coming across from the neighbour's half of a party wall

 

[eldiablo]

Hi
The damp seems to be in quite a few places around the ground floor on both sides and some in the bay window area it is 2 rooms knocked through rear one seems to.be concrete and front maybe floorboards can't be 100% untim I get carpet up but if it was a leaking pipe then would it not really be confined to a particular area rather than in multiple places around the rooms and is it not unlikely both neighbours have leaks affecting this property, from reports 2 houses within 500 yards or so were destroyed by bombs in ww2 and are now just little seating areas and plants, could this shock have damaged the original damp proof course, damp was mentioned in survey but it was pretty much the only thing and not a major fault. Once I'm in I can look properly and hopefully get under the floor to have a better idea

Regards

 

[JohnD]

Slate lasts for hundreds of millions of years and does not wear out.

The same cannot be said for pipes.

 

[^woody^]

Slate lasts for hundreds of millions of years and does not wear out.

The same cannot be said for pipes.

It could be 10,000,000 minutes for Spanish slate in the UK.

 

[opps]

Slate lasts for hundreds of millions of years and does not wear out.

True but overtime, it can snap and and those cracks can allow moisture up via osmosis. That said, I get the impression that it could often be a build up of "stuff" in the foundations that allows the moisture to bridge the slate DPC.

 

[JohnD]

IME cracks are rare, and too small to let significant water through.

Bridging is more of a problem.

Silicone injections are often sold as a cure, but don't repair the cause.

 

[JohnD]

... from reports 2 houses within 500 yards or so were destroyed by bombs in ww2 and are now just little seating areas and plants, could this shock have damaged the original damp proof course, ...

Wartime bomb damage made the ground ripple, and caused drainage pipes to break. The house and the ground moved differently. Most often this is at the curve of a gulley, and where a soil pipe turns from vertical to horizontal. These are both adjacent to the house wall and typically cause long-term damp, and a cavity where the ground has turned to mud and been washed away. Usually there are numerous signs of futile attempts to cover it over with concrete patching and mortar poultices.

Damp from the concrete floor is more likely a leaking water pipe. IME iron water pipes leak after about 50 years, and lead after about a hundred, but it varies.

I think the DPC will not the the cause of your damp.