IS THIS RISING DAMP!!??

[andymarshal]

Heres my 10 pence worth if it helps.

I had to have my house injected and used rudders and payne a birmingham based company.

They were going to take the plaster off up to 1 metre and then use a render to replace where they took the old plaster off. (maybe your guy should have used render?)

I decided to use slate lathe and foil backed plasterbooard which they accepted as a suitable alternative to their render.

Hope this helps.

Btw i found rudders and payne very helpful i wonder if it would be worthwhile for them to call out and have a look for you?

Cheers and good luck

Andy

plasterboards on battons is not a suitable alternative to render(maybe your guy should of used render). If the damp problem hasnt been sorted plasterboards will only hide it, fungus will form behind the boards you may notice a smell in a few months.

There is no sign of any fungus or damp on the brick at the moment and they walls have been bare for a few months now ?

I dont think that this work was neccesary but the mortage people made me do it.

I believe that the problem was from condensation as the house was never heated and a few of the rooms were like an ice box where as the others were boiling hot (the neighbour told me). also the quarrie were laid on ash and covered with a carpet (maybe this caused damp in the plaster)

Cheers

 

[andymarshal]

Oh and by the way before anyone jumps in and starts tearing me to pieces i want to make it clear form the start that i dont proclaim to be an expert on this topic I am just merely stating my experiences with my property and the damp problem.

And as i say the walls are now dry to the touch

 

[Glassman]

Thanks a lot for the comments. It's really appreciated.

Well after speaking to the plasterer on Saturday morning he came over to take a look for himself and he has bent over backwards to try and help us out.
He is adamant that he has used the correct mix and he has called the damp-proofing company himself only to be fobbed off by some snot nosed apprentice who accused him off not knowing his trade.

I've learned a very valuable lesson from this. It seems to me that anybody can set up a damp-proofing company without any experience or an ounce of common sense and still make a lot of money by charging people for the use of a silicone gun and a few tubes of silicon based dpc filler.

Anyway, I'm going to remove the plaster myself and let the wall breathe for a couple of weeks to let it dry out properly and if I have to I might even dpc inject the bloody thing myself now that I know where to buy the stuff.

Luckily, the plasterer has offered to re-plaster the whole wall free of charge once dried out as a gesture of goodwill which helps us a lot.

We suspect that the dpc injection has not been applied to each end of the wall from the ground upwards and because of this, the water may be coming from the next door neighbours property although nobody knows for sure just yet.

I really can't be bothered to argue any more with the damp-proofing company because I don't want to have to pay out on legal fee's and what-not so I've decided I'm going to do the job properly myself.

My advice to anybody considering dpc injection from any of these companies is to thoroughly check them out first and maybe even pay a real damp specialist to do a paid (not free) thorough damp-proof survey of the whole property starting from the roof down. It may be worth it in the long run.

Thanks again

JEZ

 

[masona]

I'm going to remove the plaster myself and let the wall breathe for a couple of weeks to let it dry out properly

That's the way to go and see how it goes. If it still wet then find out where it's coming from.

if I have to I might even dpc inject the b****y thing myself now that I know where to buy the stuff.

You will be wasting your money as it will not cured the problem

I really can't be bothered to argue any more with the damp-proofing company

Damp-proof company are one of the biggest money rip off.

 

[viewer]

Hi folks,
A bit late in, but I hope you don't mind. I worked for a long time as an EHO and saw a lot of "failed" DPCs. Common problems were:
1. Plastering over DPC or simply plaster touching the floor. There should be a 2" gap hidden behind the skirting- see 3 below -(I guess your plasterer is too experienced for this)
2. Salts in wall left from original dampness. A common problem, especially with some bricks. It is essential to use a salt inhibitor before plastering or the hygroscopic salts will "suck in" water from the atmosphere. Once the salts have moved into the new plaster it is ruined and replastering is needed. Sometimes you can see the salts as a very fine fur - looks like fungus.
3. Any water above the DPC will show as if rising damp. This can be penetrating from outside or condensation inside on a concrete slab (the latter can look like swimming pools in some weathers) or old stone floor. The water goes down, meets the DPC and spreads out, rising and evaporating from the surface.
It may be too late now, but if you have any still plastered wall, have a look at it when the weather has been dry for a day or so. Watch the weather forecast. If rain expected keep looking at the wall. If you have a salt problem the wall is likely to start showing signs of becoming damp before there is time for water to penetrate / rise. People often look askance when asked,"Does it get damp before the rain starts?", but it can be a key question.
Whatever you do physically, keep the guarantee. Your house will be dry when you want to sell anyway, but the buyers mortgage company is likely to need proof of a DPC (even if not necessary!).
Regards V

 

[not5diy]

Hi,
Jbonding is talking nonsense. Rudders & Paynes advice is exactly right. The purpose of a render as a plaster backing coat is NOT to prevent dampness. This is done by the injected dampcourse. The render specification is there to prevent the migration of hygroscopic salts into the plaster surface. Any spec that does this is O.K. Foil back plasterboard on treated battens is a good choice. It will enable the wall to breath and increase the thermal properties of the wall thereby reducing or eliminating the occurence of condensation on the wall surface. Sounds like a clued up company. With regards to the original contractors you used who are dodging their guarantee They cannot negate their responsibilities by refering to the plastering spec. They should attend and carry out a calcium carbide meter test to establish the moisture content of the masonry. If this is above 5% wet weight plus 1% hygroscopic content the damp course is not effective and they are liable. If the problem is due purely to hygroscopic plaster applied by others, then the plastering contractor is liable

 

[noseall]

Foil back plasterboard on treated battens is a good choice. It will enable the wall to breath

how do vapour check (foil backed) boards encourage a wall to breathe?

 

[Softus]

Jbonding is talking nonsense.

Oh my.

The purpose of a render as a plaster backing coat is NOT to prevent dampness. This is done by the injected dampcourse.

Foil back plasterboard on treated battens is a good choice. It will enable the wall to breath and increase the thermal properties of the wall thereby reducing or eliminating the occurence of condensation on the wall surface.

There aren't enough icons in the world to reflect the lunacy of this.