Yes, after I took the photo I saw the connection between the top patch and the arch, but I have only just painted it and was trying to note any water problems.
I'll check gutters etc better when it rains again.
Cheers, Camerart.
Damp wall
- Thread starter camerart
- Start date
Yes, after I took the photo I saw the connection between the top patch and the arch, but I have only just painted it and was trying to note any water problems.
I'll check gutters etc better when it rains again.
Cheers, Camerart.
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I had a look in the rain.
1/ At the sides of the top window above the door, the seal has gone between it and the wall, and this lines up with the top damp patch.
2/ There is a drip coming from behind the gutter, this drips onto the corbelling that runs around the house a few bricks up, level with the lower damp patch.
I wound up an old TV aerial cable and it lays across the gutter, perhaps it is bridging the water.
I'll get up there soon, thanks for all the help.
Cheers, Camerart.
1/ At the sides of the top window above the door, the seal has gone between it and the wall, and this lines up with the top damp patch.
2/ There is a drip coming from behind the gutter, this drips onto the corbelling that runs around the house a few bricks up, level with the lower damp patch.
I wound up an old TV aerial cable and it lays across the gutter, perhaps it is bridging the water.
I'll get up there soon, thanks for all the help.
Cheers, Camerart.
Earlier in the year I thought that I had cured my damp corner of the front room, but no 
I removed the drippy TV aerial and sealed the window that had gaps.
The corner is still damp. Today I sealed the gap inside the porch below the front door where rain runs in.
I have attached an extra photo, showing the step.
If today's sealing doesn't work, does anyone think that the crumbling brick or step, could allow enough damp to show inside the room?
Camerart.
I removed the drippy TV aerial and sealed the window that had gaps.The corner is still damp. Today I sealed the gap inside the porch below the front door where rain runs in.
I have attached an extra photo, showing the step.
If today's sealing doesn't work, does anyone think that the crumbling brick or step, could allow enough damp to show inside the room?
Camerart.
If the brickwork outside is not getting soaked locally then you may have a residual problem with the plaster that over the years can become contaminated with salts. The normal solution is to hack off plaster to around 1m high and re-plaster with a renovating plaster. Under no circumstances should a gypsum based plaster be used except for the skim coat. The low spot in the corner on an external wall is a classic place to get condensation so that coupled with old plaster could be the problem.
I would add that plaster repairs are only done once the original source of dampness has been resolved. That could be failed DPC's, leaks, water soaked areas, etc. - If the problem is condensation then you would need to look at your lifestyle to see what can be done to minimise the issue. It is worth looking at some posts on condensation to get a better idea.
Having said that could you update on the damp spots in more detail. e.g. is the high one still an issue and is the lower one as bad as it was before?
I would add that plaster repairs are only done once the original source of dampness has been resolved. That could be failed DPC's, leaks, water soaked areas, etc. - If the problem is condensation then you would need to look at your lifestyle to see what can be done to minimise the issue. It is worth looking at some posts on condensation to get a better idea.
Having said that could you update on the damp spots in more detail. e.g. is the high one still an issue and is the lower one as bad as it was before?
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I don't think it's condensation. That corner is next to a radiator, and the room's dry.
I've watched all of the damp spots dry out this summer, except when it rains, when the bottom corner patch gets damp, but I'm not sure the top ones do. (It's not easy to feel damp)
I get the feeling that the damp is from below now, where it could have been rising and falling before. Nine months ago, without removing plaster, I injected the wall above the skirting board. The porch gets a lot of water blowing in when it rains, I'll keep my eye on it, and try to give better details.
Camerart.
I noticed the radiator and thought that as it is around the corner you could still get a cold spot where your patch is. - Condensation may be unlikely for you, but don't rule it out. When coupled with old contaminated plaster it could be the problem.
I have actually just repaired a very old property with a very small damp patch where an injected DPC was done generally but this one small patch occurred low next to a fireplace surround. It turned out the surround had been installed and patched with a lightweight plaster and at low level it was just enough to draw up moisture. Also possibly due to bridged DPC where the hearth is. A render undercoat patch sorted it out. It was an example of don't use gypsum plaster a low level in older properties.
Presumably you still have the damp condition shown in pics 1. & 2?
When you injected a DPC was it from inside the vestibule or inside the front room or both?
Have you actually removed a skirting board(s) in the front room?
Have the main roof and bay roof gutterings been overhauled since the last post?
Can you show a pic of the main elevation including the guttering and eaves?
Splash from high level drips is hitting the plinth bricks and the semi-circular door surround. Moisture could be settling on the flattish surround projection, and then finding its way into the solid wall. Staining indicates some kind of defect.
The "soft" spalled bricks in the bay apron should be replaced.
The ground should be lowered.
9" x 6" air bricks should replace the in-place air bricks.
Have you crawled the sub-area and examined the joisting tails for decay, and checked for thro ventilation under the house from front to back?
The step was originally tiled, and the tile edge in the vestibule is now raw and unprotected. Suggest that you insert new tile to cover the step and the floor gap.
When you injected a DPC was it from inside the vestibule or inside the front room or both?
Have you actually removed a skirting board(s) in the front room?
Have the main roof and bay roof gutterings been overhauled since the last post?
Can you show a pic of the main elevation including the guttering and eaves?
Splash from high level drips is hitting the plinth bricks and the semi-circular door surround. Moisture could be settling on the flattish surround projection, and then finding its way into the solid wall. Staining indicates some kind of defect.
The "soft" spalled bricks in the bay apron should be replaced.
The ground should be lowered.
9" x 6" air bricks should replace the in-place air bricks.
Have you crawled the sub-area and examined the joisting tails for decay, and checked for thro ventilation under the house from front to back?
The step was originally tiled, and the tile edge in the vestibule is now raw and unprotected. Suggest that you insert new tile to cover the step and the floor gap.
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I had a house with exactly the same construction as yours. I had rising damp in one area which turned out to be more then a sackful of mortar/sand which had fallen to the bottom of the cavity. This bridged the cavity and the damp course and was also in contact with the ground.
As for you damp further up, I would look at the window cills/surround to see if there are any cracks/fissures to allow water to get in. Also make sure the drip groove under the cill is functional like wise the mortar joint to the bricks. I had a bad case of "miner wasps"(?) which drilled holes in the mortar. laid their egg then packed the hole out with nectar. very interesting but it turned some mortar courses into gruyere cheese.
Frank
As for you damp further up, I would look at the window cills/surround to see if there are any cracks/fissures to allow water to get in. Also make sure the drip groove under the cill is functional like wise the mortar joint to the bricks. I had a bad case of "miner wasps"(?) which drilled holes in the mortar. laid their egg then packed the hole out with nectar. very interesting but it turned some mortar courses into gruyere cheese.
Frank
I had a house with exactly the same construction as yours. I had rising damp in one area which turned out to be more then a sackful of mortar/sand which had fallen to the bottom of the cavity. This bridged the cavity and the damp course and was also in contact with the ground.
As for you damp further up, I would look at the window cills/surround to see if there are any cracks/fissures to allow water to get in. Also make sure the drip groove under the cill is functional like wise the mortar joint to the bricks. I had a bad case of "miner wasps"(?) which drilled holes in the mortar. laid their egg then packed the hole out with nectar. very interesting but it turned some mortar courses into gruyere cheese.
Frank
Hi Frank,
I suspect you're correct with the front of the house damp. In the photo with the greenery, those bricks are frazzing (I think that's something like the correct word
) and I imagine there could be rubble inside the wall, that I hope to get out someday. I've taken another photo from inside the hall, that is well inside any drips or roof problems, this one is also a mystery.I did fit a new window sill above the porch, which might not be 100%, but I've searched and checked, and sealed and can't find how it could be causing the damp where it is.
Frustrating, perhaps a big green plant in front of it, may be the cure
C.
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