Hi. I'm trying to solve a "Damp" issue in my room. I have a diagonal strip about 300mm wide and 1 metre long of damp on an exterior wall. I've removed exterior bricks to access the cavity and it's not as damp as I'd expected. I've cleared some rubble out of the cavity and left it open to "breathe". I'd like some advice please on wether I should replace some of the bricks with Airbricks (some airbricks are already in the lower courses of brickwork) and should I re- do the DPC. There are the usual plugs in the lower outer bricks showing a DPC has been done, but in the bricks I've removed the holes aren't drilled through the bricks and the interior bricks don't show any signs of being drilled ! I thought both skins of bricks were injected with DPC ? Can anyone verify this please. thanks Kev.
Damp ?
- Thread starter Greavsy
- Start date
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Is the affected area below a window, or adjacent a chimney? Pictures?
Hi , it's on a wall with windows but not directly below them, more to the right. It's nearer the front door. The door frame is sound and the silicone around the door frame is intact. As I've mentioned I've removed some exterior bricks where the problem is but the cavity is dry. I'll get some photo's up later. Thanks.
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The lower areas just above (& maybe behind) the skirting will also probably be damp only the damp is being masked by the metal foil lining. Foil used to be used quite a bit but it often drives the damp further up the wall. Its not a proper remedy for treating damp.
Your cavity wall would have been built with DPC's in both skins, these very rarely fail. Its usually a case of penetrating or bridging damp that shows inside the room.
By cleaning out the rubble from the cavity and lowering it below the inside wall DPC you should see dryer results in time. Remove any snots on wall ties. Your injected DPC is usually a waste of time and money.
Your probably best to remove the plaster up to one metre high and render in sand and lime.
Cavities dont need air bricks. You use air bricks to vent suspended floors.
Your cavity wall would have been built with DPC's in both skins, these very rarely fail. Its usually a case of penetrating or bridging damp that shows inside the room.
By cleaning out the rubble from the cavity and lowering it below the inside wall DPC you should see dryer results in time. Remove any snots on wall ties. Your injected DPC is usually a waste of time and money.
Your probably best to remove the plaster up to one metre high and render in sand and lime.
Cavities dont need air bricks. You use air bricks to vent suspended floors.
Hi Vinn. Thanks for your reply. It doesn't look like a physical DPC has been built in, perhaps built before this was common practise. The drilling or rather part drilling makes me wonder if it was done as a Con. The work supposedly being done !
Hi Woody. The damp staining was easier to see when the wallpaper was on the wall. No salts showing through the plaster but the strip of wall outlined feels damp. Sometimes the wall is dry but then feels damp again even when the weathers been dry ? There is black mould further along the wall but it's not too bad. Doesn't feel damp like the diagonal strip shown. If the house has a DPC why would it have been (supposedly ) injected ?
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