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- 14 Jun 2016
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Hi All
First time here and first time solver of damp issues so please be gentle!
I have a terraced house built in 1902 and the lounge smells strongly of damp which the owner has ignored for many years. The paint has bubbled on one wall which backs onto a yard which is concrete. There are two 'damp' areas on the wall. The house has cavity walls.
Now I have found a large hole in the concrete seal surrounding a 1st floor toilet waste pipe and its cistern overflow pipe which has either broken away or never been there in the first place. The missing part of the seal is hard to see from the yard as the missing part is between the big pipe and the wall. I assume that this is the main cause of the damp as rain can easily enter the wall cavity and it lines up with the main damp patch inside.
There was also a 'nice patio' where earth was very close to the bottom of the wall which always keep the gap between the patio and the wall dark with damp - I've cleared that back and now the concrete is always dry and light grey.
Also (through reading things on the internet) I have routed away all the nice plastic waterproof paint covering the outside wall that was stopping the mortar from 'breathing'.
Hopefully this will have 'cured' the source of the damp problems - stay with me, there is a question coming!
I've taken up the floor boards and determined the general wall construction as shown in the attached drawing and photo. There are some items that I have guessed at, like the plastic sheet jumping beteen the two sets of bricks so if you think the drawing may be wrong please say.
My question is about the general design of the wall and how it does do whatever it does to protect against damp? It seems to me that the plastic sheet is some sort of damp proofing but I can't find any reference to this design on the internet. Can anyone tell me if this was a standard practice and/or direct me to a reference document please? I want to know what I should do if anything to aid keeping the damp at bay. I assume that I should clear all the debris that has dropped down from the walls into the plastic 'bag' (for want of a better word). Also there is one air brick in the wall concerned and three on the other side of the room - should these have air vents on the inner walls of the cavity to let air under the floor? I think that the plastic will block any such air flow.
Was this plastic a bodge that should be removed?
Cheers
James
First time here and first time solver of damp issues so please be gentle!
I have a terraced house built in 1902 and the lounge smells strongly of damp which the owner has ignored for many years. The paint has bubbled on one wall which backs onto a yard which is concrete. There are two 'damp' areas on the wall. The house has cavity walls.
Now I have found a large hole in the concrete seal surrounding a 1st floor toilet waste pipe and its cistern overflow pipe which has either broken away or never been there in the first place. The missing part of the seal is hard to see from the yard as the missing part is between the big pipe and the wall. I assume that this is the main cause of the damp as rain can easily enter the wall cavity and it lines up with the main damp patch inside.
There was also a 'nice patio' where earth was very close to the bottom of the wall which always keep the gap between the patio and the wall dark with damp - I've cleared that back and now the concrete is always dry and light grey.
Also (through reading things on the internet) I have routed away all the nice plastic waterproof paint covering the outside wall that was stopping the mortar from 'breathing'.
Hopefully this will have 'cured' the source of the damp problems - stay with me, there is a question coming!
I've taken up the floor boards and determined the general wall construction as shown in the attached drawing and photo. There are some items that I have guessed at, like the plastic sheet jumping beteen the two sets of bricks so if you think the drawing may be wrong please say.
My question is about the general design of the wall and how it does do whatever it does to protect against damp? It seems to me that the plastic sheet is some sort of damp proofing but I can't find any reference to this design on the internet. Can anyone tell me if this was a standard practice and/or direct me to a reference document please? I want to know what I should do if anything to aid keeping the damp at bay. I assume that I should clear all the debris that has dropped down from the walls into the plastic 'bag' (for want of a better word). Also there is one air brick in the wall concerned and three on the other side of the room - should these have air vents on the inner walls of the cavity to let air under the floor? I think that the plastic will block any such air flow.
Was this plastic a bodge that should be removed?
Cheers
James