Wall Damp - Dry Rods done by previous owner(s) into the brick?

[RussB32]

I have a 1930s semi with a minor damp problem on the front 2 walls.
The house is situated quite low down, around 1-2 feet lower than the path infront of the drive. I am currently addressing the drainage and I am going to dig away and lay course gravel then a top layer of finish gravel around the brick work of the house. Currently there is around 2 inch of finish gravel and some slabs laid poorly around the brickwork.

The previous owner looks to have installed dry rods but has drilled them into the brick and not the mortor course. Will this even work?

I am very tempted to do this again but properly.
See images below that show the dry rods into brick and the rising damp we get on very wet days.
Any advice would be very welcome

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

The injected damp courses were always done into the brick in the past. It doesn't really make sense but it's how it was done. Obviously it hasn't worked in your case. Many bricks just weren't absorbent enough for it to do anything. I can see how it would work in sandstone, but not bricks.

Injecting into the mortar seems a bit more logical. It's probably worth a go. It looks like it's a pretty straightforward DIY job too.

But also have a fundamental review of all gutters, downpipes and drains. Old soakaways are often past their lifespan and need renewing. The outcome may be that the water is being pressure-injected into the soil around your wall from a cracked pipe underground.

Also check the gradients of all paving, to ensure it's not funnelling water towards your house. If so you need an ACO or similar drain to pick it up and take it away.

 

[JohnD]

The damp patch in the first pic is so localised that there is pretty sure to be a source of water. Most likely centred on the middle of the base of the mountain shape.

It is so high at the corner of the house that the source may be above.

The drain does not look beside the damp patch so it might be a leaking pipe. It might be in the ground on the outside of the house, or it could be under the floor or even against the inside wall, like a washing machine, sink or radiator. Some photos of the inside would be informative.

Look at the roof and gutter above, and any pipes or overflows in the wall in case water has been dripping down.

Stand back and take wider pics of the entire wall, all the way up to the roof, both sides of the corner.

Scrape away the gravel from the foot of the wall and see what is concealed beneath it. Look for the original DPC which is mostly likely slate in a mortar bed two bricks above where ground level used to be when the house was built. Dig around the downpipe gulley and see which way the drain goes.

The recent paving and gravel may already be higher than the DPC, so do not raise the level any more. Most likely it needs to be reduced.

Forget about the useless rods and concentrate on finding and rectifying the source of water.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

The various damp-proof additives attract mixed opinions. Some say they're useless, others say they're wonderful (usually those selling them). In reality they definitely have some value but are more of a damp-resistant treatment than damp-proof.

I agree with the above that there's something severe going on here though. My bet is on the driveway funnelling water all together into that one spot. But it's impossible to tell from the other end of the internet.