1900s House - Damp

Discussion in 'Builders' Talk' started by thnom, Nov 9, 2020.

  1. thnom

    thnom New Member

    Hello,

    I've been googling this issue for weeks and not found anything that seems to fit. I bought the house last May (2019) and we keep getting damp that appears a day or two after it rains. I recently bought some storm dry against my better judgement and it appears to have made my damp issue worse. The patch seems taller and more defined. I'd also say it had extended more to the left (you can see it just above the skirting

    Outside, there seems to be nothing that indicates where it is coming from. The only thing to note is that it is above the coal chute which appears to have been bricked up.

    Any suggestions as to what my next actions should be? I've got a damp man coming round Saturday but I'm worried they'll insist on some creams.

    Any help would be much appreciated
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select

    Post pictures of the exterior. Is the floor solid concrete or suspended with joists?
     
  3. thnom

    thnom New Member

    I will do, couldn't tonight as we've got a lot of fog since bonfire night! Floor is floorboards on joists above a cellar. I'll post pictures of that tomorrow too.
     
  4. Joshuaojs

    Joshuaojs Active Member

    How high is the outside ground level
     
  5. Joe the Plumber

    Joe the Plumber Screwfix Select

    You don't need a 'damp man'. It's clearly rain water, and he's not going to stop it raining.

    There will be a gap outside where the water is getting in. You need to have a close look at it
    to work out where the gap is, and then repair the gap.
     
  6. thnom

    thnom New Member

    I've attached pics of outside, inside the cellar and looking up from the cellar to the room. You can see light coming through the cellar, through the coal chute but the cellar isn't damp and the damp patch is far higher.
     

    Attached Files:

    Joe the Plumber likes this.
  7. thnom

    thnom New Member

    Yeh, I don't think I need a damp man it is just infuriating trying to find the source. Any tips or anything I can buy that can help me trace it?
     
  8. Joe the Plumber

    Joe the Plumber Screwfix Select

    As I said, just having a really close look for any cracks outside. Is there any mortar missing behind that waste pipe where the wall is a bit green? Or a cracked stone in the wall?
     
  9. Bob Rathbone

    Bob Rathbone Screwfix Select

    The patio is too high, rain is splashing up off the patio and entering the air bricks and wetting the wall. Using any waterproofing solution on this will prevent the water in the wall escaping to outside, it will all have to go inside the house, as you have noticed.
     
  10. Bobby Dazzler

    Bobby Dazzler Active Member

    Has the bricking up of the coal chute bridged the dpc? (if there is one)
     
  11. thnom

    thnom New Member

    I'll take a closer look but I don't think so. The mortar, whilst thick, doesn't appear to be missing from any areas. I did look at the waste pipe as I saw an earlier thread on here and the damp was being caused by that. All looks okay though. The stone work appears fine and I think any cracks would have appeared when applying the solution but will double check
     
  12. thnom

    thnom New Member

    Would the suggestion then be to bring up the garden and drop it down? I did suspect this but my garden height isn't any different to next door and I don't think they've had any issues. I know it isn't a done thing but would block the air bricks help this then? I'm thinking of an angled "deflector" rather than actually blocking it up entirely
     
  13. thnom

    thnom New Member

    Daft question but how do I check I have a DPC?
     
  14. dray

    dray Screwfix Select

    Could there be any leaking pipework behind or just above the skirting, but I would think that would also show damp on the basement ceiling.
     
  15. thnom

    thnom New Member

    Don't think so. I'll take a look when I finish work but I don't think there is any pipes there.
     
  16. Abrickie

    Abrickie Screwfix Select

    Your pointing looks good shame it’s cement not lime. Look at the area of stone around the pipe to the left hand side, looks damper than the rest and the pointing below the pipe in that area hasn’t been done. Just saying ;)
     
  17. thnom

    thnom New Member

    Thanks everyone for the responses so far. I've just taken a few exploratory photographs outside. Could any of these be the culprit (if it isn't the patio being too high)?

    The white stuff in the coal chute is the storm dry that hasn't cured. It looks bad with light coming through but it feels far too low.
     

    Attached Files:

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