Damp proofing & removal advice/DPC/recommendations MEGATHREAD

[ttparsons]

Yes, start with any obvious cause of damp such as the ground being higher than the DPC, gutters and drainpipes, holes in the pointing, capped off chimneys with no ventilation etc. A long long time ago I was ripped off by a "specialist" company that injected the bricks and then had to get a builder to solve the actual problem.

 

You can get a moisture meter for about £15 but it does not differentiate between condensation and penetrating damp. Also a few % is quite normal and not necessarily a problem.

[rose06]

It's worth talking to your surveyor as they have to recommend everything that needs looking at in a formal report but can often give you more insight into the urgency or otherwise in a more informal chat.

[Dan_Ashcroft]

thanks for the replies!

 

I guess if the DPC is being bridged it does need sorting though?

 

Sorting the bridging is the key thing to do. Most other things will then sort themselves.

 

Expensive DPC injection and all that nonsense is a con. The slate or bitumen that your DPC is made of will easily be good for another 90 years. Just make sure you've got 2 bricks clear beneath the DPC.

 

That's obviously for damp low down on ground level. Anything higher up will be a leaking gutter or something

[dave1814]

So the simplest thing to do is excavate around the affected area?

 

thanks

[Dan_Ashcroft]

Yes - just look for the black line in the brickwork like this: http://www.preservationexpert.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Bitumen-DPC.jpg

 

And make sure there are two clear bricks beneath it before the ground level starts. Hopefully you will just have paving or soil to dig out, rather than concrete

[deelightful3]

as anyone recently had an older type terraced house damp proofed,if so how much was it and was there a lot of mess inside the house ?

[howard81]

Hi, I am one property landlord and have just lost my first tenants due to a condensation/ damp issue in the front room and the bedroom. Now the house is an old terrace but the walls are dark in patches. I had some solid wall insulation put inside the house and their are marks of darker patches where the wooden frame will be behind the wall and their are huge dark horizontal patches near the ceiling. It has got so bad that my previous tenant complained that their expensive sofa was wet from being pushed against the wall. Next door has an adjoining bathroom so it could be leak from their or could it be a gutter issue or just a change in air pressure so it is damper? The house has had the same in the kitchen but their is no issue with damp/condesation in their. The house has a new roof but the guttering I imagine has not been dealt with in a while. I want to get this sorted but am looking for general advice then a specialist in this area. Thanks.

[geared]

Yes definitely sort the guttering out if you think it needs attention.

 

Do the windows in the rooms have trickle vents in them??

Older houses need good ventilation to prevent damp.

 

Older places can have solid walls which can cause issues, if the damp isn't centred around certain areas like top of the outside wall, by chimney breast, around window frames or by the floor it does suggest poor ventilation is causing the damp issues and not water leaking in from outside.

 

There are various full house ventilation systems should you need it, but many issues can be solved by sorting out simple stuff.

[smithy266]

Has the house got fitted carpets, double glazing, pvcu doors etc? Old houses were not designed to be draught-proof, so if there is no air circulation, the place will become damp.

We had just this in our 1960's bungalow.... and had an Envirovent system installed, which is basically a ventilation system that sucks air from the outside, dries it, and circulates inside.

It sorted our house, the mildew soon went, the musty smell is a thing of the past.

[andrejuan]

Yes definitely sort the guttering out if you think it needs attention.

 

Do the windows in the rooms have trickle vents in them??

Older houses need good ventilation to prevent damp.

 

Older places can have solid walls which can cause issues, if the damp isn't centred around certain areas like top of the outside wall, by chimney breast, around window frames or by the floor it does suggest poor ventilation is causing the damp issues and not water leaking in from outside.

 

There are various full house ventilation systems should you need it, but many issues can be solved by sorting out simple stuff.

 

 

All of the above.

 

These old houses were never dry even when new, however, they were built with draughty windows and often more than one open fireplace. What little condensation there was in those days appeared on the windows and caused no harm if wiped away.

Fast forward to modern times and all the open fireplaces are no longer open, windows are double glazed and draught proofed, and the floors are either carpeted with underlay or laminated etc, hence no ventilation. The condensation goes to the coldest surface and that tends to be a wall if it is solid brick.

Ventilation is the answer, either natural or using a mechanical method.