New DPC but the damp rises higher!

[dann09]

1. Your past attempt at "tanking" has failed.
Who disturbed the skirtings?
There is a distinct shaded band about 1m high in the south pic. indicating a temp change along that line.

2. The north pic floor/wall footprint is odd - it doesn't match the exterior pic.

3. An access trap might be anywhere in the property GF - from there you crawl the whole sub-floor oversite. If no trap visible, then cut one in an unobtrusive location.
Your joist tails are at fungal risk - crawl the site, and examine all joist seatings - probe with a screwdriver.


4. Vents are req'd every 2m and within 1m (both sides) of a corner. Your hallway is vulnerable. Research vents on here.

5. Sand & Cement plinths in 20thC buildings are often inadequate attempts to deal with damp, or perhaps aesthetic features. Unless they are 18th or 19th c originals they are questionable distinctions

6. Open the man hole and observe for a flush from the WC, and from the side gulley(s). Perhaps the soil drainage runs round the south side and picks up the gulley(s) on it's way to the m/h?

7. Depending on item 6 the sump will have to be led away from the property.

8. Dont cut and channel out 6" of the top step unless you provide a cover/tread (a grill?) for the gap.

 

[joe-90]

Dan stop waffling eh? On and on and on.... Either tell him what the problem is or leave him in peace.

 

[RichieWest]

Thanks Dan. I probably didn't make clear that the pictures of the internal damp damage (where the walls are white) are taken prior to the the damp proofing repair, the current problem is in my third post on the thread (yellow walls).

1. The skirtings were knackered and being pushed off the wall by the plaster swelling. I probably removed them myself a couple of years ago to have a peek then put them back. Obviously the damage wasn't as bad back then!

2. The north pic confusion might be the white exterior wall with the trellis on perhaps? That trellissed wall isn't part of the structure, it's a 2 brick thick dividing wall between my neighbours garden and mine. Just had a peek at it and it doesn't appear to be interleaved in the brickwork of my place, it just abuts it. Possible source of penetrating damp I hadn't previously thought of, but then I didn't have a damp problem at that end of the wall previously.

3. I'm not aware of any access trap, the only place I could unobtrusively cut in would be the kitchen floor but even then I reckon there's barely more than a foot of clearance, I'm not going down there! Anyone know any 'small people joist inspectors'?!

4. Ok more vents I can do, especially on the corner, that shouldn't be a major task. I think I neglected to mention that my house is mid-terrace so there's not much I can do in terms of hall ventilation I think.

5. Aaaah Sand & Cement, should have guessed that was S&C! The house is 1900's-1910 and all the houses in the street have the plinths, pretty sure they're original. Knock em off or leave 'em in place? I expect when the exterior render comes off the rear wall and a couple of vents go in the plinth could go to. Might be a chance to have a look at the joist tails whilst the vents go in to.

6. Will do, I'll get the missus on flushing duties. I suspect the side gulley flows under the house somewhere to the main sewer rather than the soil pipe going south to the gulley. I reckon the soil pipe is only about a foot north of the axis of the sewer pipe, as is an understairs WC the previous owners put in, which suggests to me the pipe runs east/west roughly under the line of the hall and the drain leads off to it.

7. Difficult to know where to lead it to on a clay soil mid-terrace property! It's been raining for a couple of days and the lawn already looks fairly saturated.

8. Sound advice. No grill has 'broken ankle' written all over it!

 

[Nige F]

Dan stop waffling eh? On and on and on.... Either tell him what the problem is or leave him in peace.

 

[Nige F]

6. Open the man hole and observe for a flush from the WC, and from the side gulley(s). Perhaps the soil drainage runs round the south side and picks up the gulley(s) on it's way to the .

Good point , Dan - first thing to do and repot back to us 2nd thing is to ignore Joe

 

[joe-90]

Dan is a serial time waster. He asks a load of irrelevant questions then drops out of the thread.