Rising damp?
- Thread starter bullethead123
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Thanks for your detailed response Tel.
I assume the exterior wall is solid. It doesn't sound hollow when I knock on it.
It is about 9 inches thick from o/s brickwork to interior plaster. Here is a pic of the interor of the o/s wall
As you can see there is v little damp on it.
Here's the pic showing full elevation.
I do remember the neighbours mentioning that they had had an issue with their floor, right next to where my problem is. I remember them saying that the floor was wobbly and the cause was due to a lack of air bricks. I saw my airbricks and no wobblyness so thought I was OK. How wrong I was.
I am hoping to have a conversation with the neighbour this afternoon. Are there any questions on particular I should ask?
Would it be a good Idea if I were to ask her to take some pics or maybe share some pics that she may have taken at the time?
Looking round the house, there are 3 further airbricks. All of them, like the one pictured, are above floor level and don't seem to go anywhere. i.e. directly on opp side of them are skirting and plaster. It's all a bit confusing.
I'll return with any new info when I've spoken to the neighbour.
Thanks, Chris
I assume the exterior wall is solid. It doesn't sound hollow when I knock on it.
It is about 9 inches thick from o/s brickwork to interior plaster. Here is a pic of the interor of the o/s wall
As you can see there is v little damp on it.
Here's the pic showing full elevation.
I do remember the neighbours mentioning that they had had an issue with their floor, right next to where my problem is. I remember them saying that the floor was wobbly and the cause was due to a lack of air bricks. I saw my airbricks and no wobblyness so thought I was OK. How wrong I was.
I am hoping to have a conversation with the neighbour this afternoon. Are there any questions on particular I should ask?
Would it be a good Idea if I were to ask her to take some pics or maybe share some pics that she may have taken at the time?
Looking round the house, there are 3 further airbricks. All of them, like the one pictured, are above floor level and don't seem to go anywhere. i.e. directly on opp side of them are skirting and plaster. It's all a bit confusing.
I'll return with any new info when I've spoken to the neighbour.
Thanks, Chris
Photo's of her wobbly floor at the wall/floor abutments, and the walls above it - ie, party wall & outside wall.
Pics of her outside elevation like the pic you've posted.
If you go into her house then try and get low and see if you can smell rotting wood or a mushroom smell near floor level - sounds odd but it works.
The yard dividing fence last upright post should have a strip of DPC material isolating it from the wall.
To do a proper pointing job then the post and last fence panel should be removed for the pointing and DPC strip.
The fence base brickwork should be isolated from contact with the wall.
Back later
Pics of her outside elevation like the pic you've posted.
If you go into her house then try and get low and see if you can smell rotting wood or a mushroom smell near floor level - sounds odd but it works.
The yard dividing fence last upright post should have a strip of DPC material isolating it from the wall.
To do a proper pointing job then the post and last fence panel should be removed for the pointing and DPC strip.
The fence base brickwork should be isolated from contact with the wall.
Back later
Hi Tel and everyoneinputting to this thread,
I'm pretty sure that the neighbours, once they had fixed their wobbly floor, installed an engineered wood floor over the floorboards. However, there was a musty smell noticable when I took the floorboards on my side up.
I'm meeting with the neighbour tomorrow afternoon, so I'll ask her to take the o/s pic like you asked. I don't imagine there is any point in taking interior pics. She has said there is no damp present on her side and, like I said, had the wobbly floor fixed and covered.
I had a look over the fence and saw a long airbrick at ground level underneath her french doors with no step in place. I guess this is the sort of thing I need doing. When possible I will post a pic of this.
Once again, genuine thanks to you for your input, and to everyone else who has posted in this thread.
Chris.
I'm pretty sure that the neighbours, once they had fixed their wobbly floor, installed an engineered wood floor over the floorboards. However, there was a musty smell noticable when I took the floorboards on my side up.
I'm meeting with the neighbour tomorrow afternoon, so I'll ask her to take the o/s pic like you asked. I don't imagine there is any point in taking interior pics. She has said there is no damp present on her side and, like I said, had the wobbly floor fixed and covered.
I had a look over the fence and saw a long airbrick at ground level underneath her french doors with no step in place. I guess this is the sort of thing I need doing. When possible I will post a pic of this.
Once again, genuine thanks to you for your input, and to everyone else who has posted in this thread.
Chris.
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Your house:
Your house is on a slightly lower level than your neighbour - which could mean your houses are on a slope receiving more ground water than more flat locations.
The new pic of the party wall implies penetrating damp from the pointing & maybe the door sealing? The neighbour's have painted their brickwork which might give a bit more protection from penetrating damp - but i'd imagine some damp signs would be on their walls?
Remove the air brick and remnants of a S&C plinth on both sides of the step - remove any plinths from around your house.
After re-building the step etc (as above) then install the kind of vent your neighbour has in the step riser.
From the interior have you examined above and below FFL on the left hand side of the doorway?
Have a look at the kitchen wall/floor while you are at it.
Neighbour's house:
Perhaps you can go inside if appropriate, it will probably benefit her as much as you to find out how things are. Show her this thread.
Pics of the finished floor/ skirting and walls would help.
Putting your pressure on her floor in that corner to see if there's still any movement?
Does she have any info, details, pics or reports of what was done in the past?
Ask what is the purpose of the air brick high on her wall?
Your house is on a slightly lower level than your neighbour - which could mean your houses are on a slope receiving more ground water than more flat locations.
The new pic of the party wall implies penetrating damp from the pointing & maybe the door sealing? The neighbour's have painted their brickwork which might give a bit more protection from penetrating damp - but i'd imagine some damp signs would be on their walls?
Remove the air brick and remnants of a S&C plinth on both sides of the step - remove any plinths from around your house.
After re-building the step etc (as above) then install the kind of vent your neighbour has in the step riser.
From the interior have you examined above and below FFL on the left hand side of the doorway?
Have a look at the kitchen wall/floor while you are at it.
Neighbour's house:
Perhaps you can go inside if appropriate, it will probably benefit her as much as you to find out how things are. Show her this thread.
Pics of the finished floor/ skirting and walls would help.
Putting your pressure on her floor in that corner to see if there's still any movement?
Does she have any info, details, pics or reports of what was done in the past?
Ask what is the purpose of the air brick high on her wall?
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In the bedroom ?
D
dontbelieveawordofit
youll be remedying that until youre blue in the face. chop it all off , tank the whole wall and corner. render 4:1:1/2
sand cement lime with waterproofer/salt inhibitor and skim.
youre welcome!
sand cement lime with waterproofer/salt inhibitor and skim.
youre welcome!
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Just hack it off and replace in lime, its hygroscopic salts leaching out of the plaster which draws moisture into it when humidity levels rise. Ive got a few spots of this in my old victorian house. In places where water cant physically get! Its merely salts...
Spoke to the neighbour last night and he tells me the wobbly floor was on the other side of the house, next to the party wall of the next terraced house along and that it was due to loose floorboards. They noticed a musty smell when they removed them and got the builder who did their kitchen to install two airbricks at the back to go with the two at the front of the house. One is the long 3 airbrick assembly below their patio doors (pictured). The other is a single airbrick below their kitchen door which provides airflow through a pipe buried in their concrete kitchen floor, to the suspended floor of the rest of the house
Full elevation
My own airbricks.
Although all my (5) airbricks are above sub floor level, I have removed floorboards close to three of them and found air flowing through all 3. The outside vents seem to go into a cavity which has an opening a foot or so lower thus allowing airflow, or rather would so allow if they were not partially blocked by debris such as the already described sandy mixture and roughly applied cement and a whole loose brick in the cases of the two at the front.
I have a suspended floor in the kitchen and
I haven't investigated the two airbricks there yet. They also are above sub floor level on the outside. They are very close together and have what I can only describe as green scouring pads fixed to them. The other three had this modification too but I removed them when I painted.
Does anyone know what the point of this arrangement is? And is it normal to have S bend style airbricks?
I'm thinking of placing a few fan heaters (on cold setting) in the subfloor for a couple of weeks just to get some air movement.
Good idea?/poor idea?
Full elevation
My own airbricks.
Although all my (5) airbricks are above sub floor level, I have removed floorboards close to three of them and found air flowing through all 3. The outside vents seem to go into a cavity which has an opening a foot or so lower thus allowing airflow, or rather would so allow if they were not partially blocked by debris such as the already described sandy mixture and roughly applied cement and a whole loose brick in the cases of the two at the front.
I have a suspended floor in the kitchen and
I haven't investigated the two airbricks there yet. They also are above sub floor level on the outside. They are very close together and have what I can only describe as green scouring pads fixed to them. The other three had this modification too but I removed them when I painted.
Does anyone know what the point of this arrangement is? And is it normal to have S bend style airbricks?
I'm thinking of placing a few fan heaters (on cold setting) in the subfloor for a couple of weeks just to get some air movement.
Good idea?/poor idea?
The pads are to stop the draught
people don't like air moving under their floors. The S bends are common too - if kept clear as you say. One small extra point - make your waste pipes longer so they go through the ( new plastic) gulley grid - that'll stop splashing on the wall. Fan heaters are a bad idea
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D
dontbelieveawordofit
the musty smell is perfectly normal. every house in your street probably suffers the same problems.
The three brick vent under the neighbour's sill is a good solution to be built into any new threshold on your side.
Some of the S air bricks you describe could be telescopic vents - google them.
The two kitchen air bricks you show need to be fully open and clean - maybe the screens are to keep out rodents or are some kind of repair?
As advised above the ground level has been raised & it needs lowering. Your neighbour's have lowered their ground level.
Likewise, the plinth needs removing and the pointing angle grinder'ed out and then repointed with a sand & lime mix - feeble previous attempts have been made to repoint in cement and sand, the S&C has failed, and might be trapping moisture esp. outside your dining room?
The air brick high on you neighbour's dining room wall might have been installed to alleviate condensation - do they have gas appliance? They also have a recently installed air brick in the bedroom?
Fan heaters are a bad idea.
OP,
I've noticed a number of difficulties in your house but dont let it get you down - you can do things gradually.
There are no big jobs or structural issues - its all simple everyday work.
Dont look for, or leap on, easier or softer options - they cost more in the long run.
Identify any Dry Rot - it must be dealt with sooner than later.
I've noticed various other problems but they are not directly connected with this thread.
Some of the S air bricks you describe could be telescopic vents - google them.
The two kitchen air bricks you show need to be fully open and clean - maybe the screens are to keep out rodents or are some kind of repair?
As advised above the ground level has been raised & it needs lowering. Your neighbour's have lowered their ground level.
Likewise, the plinth needs removing and the pointing angle grinder'ed out and then repointed with a sand & lime mix - feeble previous attempts have been made to repoint in cement and sand, the S&C has failed, and might be trapping moisture esp. outside your dining room?
The air brick high on you neighbour's dining room wall might have been installed to alleviate condensation - do they have gas appliance? They also have a recently installed air brick in the bedroom?
Fan heaters are a bad idea.
OP,
I've noticed a number of difficulties in your house but dont let it get you down - you can do things gradually.
There are no big jobs or structural issues - its all simple everyday work.
Dont look for, or leap on, easier or softer options - they cost more in the long run.
Identify any Dry Rot - it must be dealt with sooner than later.
I've noticed various other problems but they are not directly connected with this thread.
Are they imaginary drains ?
The "musty smell" is far from "normal" - it most certainly is not normal, & its foolish to say so especially in the above context. Is it your intention to give the OP further difficulties and expenses?
Do you consider the possibility of Dry Rot to be "perfectly normal"?
A musty smell is an immediate giveaway of damp difficulties to any experienced surveyor or Remedial worker.
Adding a superlative such as "perfectly" to "normal" doesn't reinforce your point.
You say things are "normal" but they "suffer" - sounds like a contradiction to me.
Do you consider suffering to be "perfectly normal"?
Another contradiction starts out as "perfectly normal" & ends up as a "problem".
Do you consider the possibility of Dry Rot to be "perfectly normal"?
A musty smell is an immediate giveaway of damp difficulties to any experienced surveyor or Remedial worker.
Adding a superlative such as "perfectly" to "normal" doesn't reinforce your point.
You say things are "normal" but they "suffer" - sounds like a contradiction to me.
Do you consider suffering to be "perfectly normal"?
Another contradiction starts out as "perfectly normal" & ends up as a "problem".
You think you are normal but you suffer from delusions . Keep taking the pills ted.
Are you a Remedial worker or a part time Philosopher ?
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