Whats the best way to repair this damage to my conservatory wall where it meets the ground and protect it from water puddles in the future? Thanks for any advice
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Water damage
- Thread starter dave11
- Start date
The existing protection appears to be working as the damp seems to stop at the point of the dpc. Bricks below dpc get wet because they draw moisture up from the ground as well as the outside. Dropping the level of the path will probably make it all look worse. So maybe some planters kept away from the wall
Thanks for the reply blup. Do you think it would work if I protected the bottom by maybe some small cement tiles or blocks mortered to exisiting flag stones? Its a very small path between the conservatory wall and the house wall and not really on view, I just want to keep those bottom bricks dry and safe from geting damaged by wet.
That would risk worsening the problem. Bricks are designed to absorb and repel moisture, but when they are at ground level and below dpc you will get water colouration. Sloping tne path away from the wall with sufficient drainage or run off on the other side, would prevent or reduce pooling but that may not be practical, financially or otherwise.
Have a look the next time it rains heavily, it may be that the path is actively tipping water into the wall. If so it needs re-laying. They should be damp, but they do look as though they're getting excessively wet.
It's preferable to have around 100mm width of gravel against the building, to allow it to breathe and reduce splashing onto the wall. The staining should naturally weather away once you remove whatever's making them so wet. But GENTLE power washing should tidy them up.
Also check the drains.
Modern buildings are built with much less porous engineering bricks below the DPC, to avoid this sort of issue. It becomes a bigger problem if it freezes, as the expanding ice will spall the bricks, i.e. pop the faces off them. In some cases this can completely destroy them, turning them to crumbly mush.
It's preferable to have around 100mm width of gravel against the building, to allow it to breathe and reduce splashing onto the wall. The staining should naturally weather away once you remove whatever's making them so wet. But GENTLE power washing should tidy them up.
Also check the drains.
Modern buildings are built with much less porous engineering bricks below the DPC, to avoid this sort of issue. It becomes a bigger problem if it freezes, as the expanding ice will spall the bricks, i.e. pop the faces off them. In some cases this can completely destroy them, turning them to crumbly mush.
Thank you Ivor and blup, here is a photo of the area, the water pools after rain on the left, a lot of it bounces off the roof opposite. Space is tight, a similair property had a conservatory built right to the wall on the right, but then you have 2 windows opening into it which is not good either. What about laying 1 course of bricks away from the wall on the left and a filling with some gravel, or would I just end up with wet gravel. The water runs there as it runs away from the wall at the back and pools just on the corner of the conservatory.
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If the water's being actively funnelled into the wall then this is the problem. That was just badly built, there's nowhere for it to go. Basically the wall is the soakaway for the surface water.
It needs an Acco drain along the edge of the conservatory to take the water away. Also clear gutters, check downpipes.
Do you have somewhere to build a soakaway if your soil is suitable? A very last resort would be into the sewer. It looks like the downpipe's already going that way anyway, so you should already be paying the surface water surcharge on your water bill. If they know about it, possibly not if the original downpipes didn't go that way. In which case you should inform them.
If this small sample is representative then probably just do a full survey and possible re-think of all rainwater drainage around the place. Soakaways get clogged, pipes get broken, building gets botched so you need to review.
It needs an Acco drain along the edge of the conservatory to take the water away. Also clear gutters, check downpipes.
Do you have somewhere to build a soakaway if your soil is suitable? A very last resort would be into the sewer. It looks like the downpipe's already going that way anyway, so you should already be paying the surface water surcharge on your water bill. If they know about it, possibly not if the original downpipes didn't go that way. In which case you should inform them.
If this small sample is representative then probably just do a full survey and possible re-think of all rainwater drainage around the place. Soakaways get clogged, pipes get broken, building gets botched so you need to review.
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