liquid damp proof for cellars

[CharlieB1981]

hi,

background is i have a small coal cellar that i want to make usable, not looking to make it a living space just dry for storage mainly, theres plenty of ventilation- 1 window and 3 brick vents and will also have a radiator in there- possibly cheap underfloor heating to save anything that can rust as i can put the manifold where its dry.

3 walls are packed behind with soil - its a solid 9inch brick wall. and slightly damp - not massively just cold and slightly damp to the touch, no real issues with mould or anything. they'd previously been rendered and plastered which was falling off so i've cleaned this off back to the bricks.

I dont want to go down the route of membranes and studding unless necessary purely due to the lack of space and this would make it not worth it.

I've heard various reports on:
sythapruf
weathertite- as sold in B&Q
rubberised bitumen paint - similar to roof paint

Anyone used any of these or others that you'd recommend, planning to give it all a few coats of one of these first and stud etc as a last resort if this doesnt work.

thanks all.

 

[noseall]

There is no simple way to rid a subterranean structure of damp.

You either spend thousands or you reap what you sow. I'm not saying that you won't improve upon what you have already, just that the level of improvements may be disappointing.

You would need to speak to someone who has done something similar i guess....?

 

[CharlieB1981]

thats ideally what i'm looking for, views from people using products to do this,

i've had recommended either Sika 1 pre packaged or the wykamol hydradry mix, both at about £60 for 25litres. so would prob be around £400-£500 for the room.

other option is a dpm on the walls with a drainage channel and pump

 

[dave1953]

Have a look at www.safeguardeurope.com Vandex BB75, it does what it says.

 

[CharlieB1981]

thanks Dave, is through your own use!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Have a look at www.safeguardeurope.com Vandex BB75, it does what it says.

The trouble is with these types of renders is that they rely on absolutely meticulous attention to surface preparation, mixing and application and even when you get that all perfect you still don't really know whether the pressure will just blow it off the wall at some point. Go ahead and use it, these renders can and do work where appropriate but just beware that if the pressure is too great it will fail. And its nigh on impossible to predict whether theses types of waterproofing will cope with the pressures that may be exerted through your wall over time. The same applies to bituminous coatings or membranes without a block wall to sandwich it against the existing wall.

Any damp that is getting through the wall at the moment sounds like it is being evaporated away, that won't happen once your render is in place and the water won't suddenly change its mind go elsewhere, it will continue to build up against your render, maybe. All a bit unpredictable.

You sound like you'd probably be OK but if I was specifying a product to keep your cellar dry I would only specify this on your instruction and with a disclaimer.

Without that additional wall to hold a membrane in place the only system guaranteed to work is the drained dimpled membrane systems.

 

[dave1953]

Agreed, meticulous preparation is paramount, Hydrostatic pressure is very hard to establish, give their technical department a call, they may be able to offer a suitable alternative product for you. Yes I have used Vandex BB75 for tanking and have not had a problem with it.