Rising damp

Discussion in 'Builders' Talk' started by Nick Woodrow, Sep 12, 2019.

  1. Nick Woodrow

    Nick Woodrow New Member

    Hi

    I’d be very grateful for advice on this. I live in a one-bedroom basement flat. It’s been badly affected by water escaping from a leaking wastepipe in the bathroom. It wasn’t until August 2018 that rising damp became visible, and not until the second half of September 2018 that the cause was found. My best guess is that water was escaping for at least a year, so much of the water used in at least 300 different showers has found its way into the floors and walls of the flat. It’s about 30 foot in length, with the bathroom at one end. The loss adjustor came in April, when water damage was already apparent at different spots along the entire length of the flat. However, new water damage only became visible in one of my cupboards, at least 20 feet from the bathroom, at some stage between April and August, when I first noticed it.

    The insurers are going to pay for the repairs and redecoration, including stripping the bathroom and drying it out. However, I really don’t feel I can have the redecoration of the other rooms done until all the water now logged in those rooms has evaporated or caused any damage it’s going to cause. Would anyone have a rough idea how long that might take in a situation like this?

    Very many thanks
     
  2. gadget man

    gadget man Screwfix Select

    How long's a piece string?~just leave as many doors and windows open whenever possible and it will probably become obvious when it's OK to decorate.
     
    KIAB and Joe the Plumber like this.
  3. Joe the Plumber

    Joe the Plumber Screwfix Select

    I'd agree with that. It's impossible to say. And it's not 'rising damp' (no such thing, unless you're a cowboy chemical salesman), it's just damp, incidentally.
     
    gadget man and KIAB like this.
  4. KIAB

    KIAB Super Member

    Takes months to dry out,brick,stone,etc will soak up a lot of moisture,need good through air flow to dry a place out.
     
    gadget man likes this.
  5. Nick Woodrow

    Nick Woodrow New Member

    Many thanks for responding. So clearly v difficult to say, but months rather than years.

    Best wishes
     
  6. Nick Woodrow

    Nick Woodrow New Member

    And many thanks as well, Joe and gadget man.

    Best wishes
     
  7. glob@l

    glob@l Active Member

    So why do builders bother using a damp proof course?
     
  8. Astramax

    Astramax Super Member

    Get a dehumidifier to speed the drying process up.
     
  9. Joe the Plumber

    Joe the Plumber Screwfix Select

    To help prevent damp.

    It's the term that's a load of salesman's rubbish. The inference is it's a slowly creeping 'problem' that has a specific treatment
    (ie their chemical snake oil). But once the source of the water is dealt with, it disappears of its own accord.
     
  10. Nick Woodrow

    Nick Woodrow New Member

    Many thanks for that, Astramax

    Best wishes
     

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