Leaking Coal Cellar

[sayou]

Hi all,
I live in a mid terrace house and since moving in nearly 2 years ago, have had constant trouble with a leaking coal cellar. The coal cellar sits beneath a paved garden, which has visquine lining underneath the slabs. The slabs themselves have been treated with a silicon coating but yet the problem still persists.

There is no obvious way the water is coming in, but the ceiling is constantly wet and remains this way even after the rain has long stopped. The last builder to have a look at this has said it may be condesation. My concern is can condensation cause me to empty almost a litre of water out of buckets catching the leak everytime I venture down to the cellar???

I am now thinking it may be a backed up drain, any advice on how to tackle this issue would be a godsend, I am now sick of throwing money at this problem with no resolve.

Thanks

 

[masona]

The only way to beat condensation is plenty of ventilation

 

[foxhole]

The only way to beat condensation is plenty of ventilation

Agree if it's unvented the condensation will be very bad.

 

[sayou]

Hi,

Thank you for your replies.

There is an airbrick in the coal cellar, I think the coal cellar itself is too narrow to build in extra ventilation. Is there any I can ventilate from above ground?

The builder who diagnosed the condensation said I should maybe look to sealing that part of the cellar off with a door to reduce warm air from the rest of the house reaching the coal cellar. Would this be right?

Thanks

 

[masona]

Any photo?