Worried about damp

[tom1975]

Hi all,

My house is a standard victorian terrace circa 1890's. When we moved in a survey revealed a couple of damp sections on a number of external and shared (with neighbours) walls.

We had Kenwood in who stripped the relevant walls and put in a chemical damp proof course. So far so good - there was no visible damp anyway at the time and we've had no sign or smell of it ever since.

Here's the problem - my neighbour has now just told me that he's always had a damp patch in the exact same spot (where we share a wall) and it's always been there. There's no pipe or anything wet nearby, no bathroom above and no sign of anywhere that the water could be coming from, other than rising from the ground.

So i guess we must have rising damp and maybe we don't notice it because of the chemical damp proof course that we have. But on their side its coming through? Should i be worried that the damp from them will damage our wall or is the damp proof course protecting it?

What do I need to do?

 

[Burnerman]

Time, Tom is the great prover here.....it would have been a good idea to have the neighbours side done at the same time, but for now you need to check that the damp doesn't spread any more.
Investment! Toolstation 55818 damp detector can measure damp up tp 42%. Its worth buying one so you can see whats happening. At the end of the day a dehumidifier may be a good purchase.
Do you have a suspended timber floor at this point?
John

 

[foxhole]

I would be checking roof, often have parapet walls between houses with little more than a cement fillet sealing the roof.Rain will travel right down thru brickwork till it hits an obstruction [damp course] where it then moves thru to surface.
Don't waste money on a meter, only detects surface moisture which is not the same as penetrating damp.Unless the survey used drilled samples to detect the damp the results are useless.

 

[Hattiewall]

You need to be really wary when dealing with this type of damp. The moisture in the air can not only damage the structure of your house but if will also damage your furnishings. Along with woodwork, if excess moisture gets into your bed (if its not the best latex mattress type) and fabrics, these will all need replacing at great cost. Do not wait on this

 

[Harbourwoodwork]

Where about in the house is the damp area,