Our home is a 1930s detached house, brick-built with cavity walls and
suspended timber floors at ground level. There are airbricks to two
sides of the house, with varying degrees of clarity, whilst a modern
extension and a conservatory - both solid-floored - are now appended to
the rear and one side of the original house.

In a recent underfloor excursion I noticed a massive difference in the
dampness of the subfloor between our lounge - which is on one of the
open sides of the house - and study, which is effectively in the centre
of the house with minimal ventilation. In fact the study was cinder-dry
and just covered me in dust, whilst the subfloor in the lounge was
earthy and clammy. On a previous visit both rooms were equally dry.

As well as seeming a bit damp underfloor, the lounge has always been
extremely cold. There are two sizeable radiators, but also an open
fireplace which must remove a lot of warm air. In fact, sometimes the
carpet feels a bit wet on the surface,as if condensation is forming.

Is it generally advisable to insulate the underside of the wooden
floor? There is nothing at present. Will this have a detrimental effect
on the already-poor ventilation, which is presumably the root of the
dampness?

I also noticed that two airbricks at the rear are actually placed level
with the floorboards, i.e. only the bottom half of the brick is below
floor level. Not surprisingly, my coathanger doesn't get very far in
the top half. Even in the bottom half I would say only 10-20% or so of
the airbrick is clear.

Any advice is welcome, both on the potential damp situation and on
warming the room up as autumn draws in.

Thanks,
Gareth

"no_heat" wrote:
Our home is a 1930s detached house, brick-built with cavity walls and
suspended timber floors at ground level. There are airbricks to two
sides of the house, with varying degrees of clarity, whilst a modern
extension and a conservatory - both solid-floored - are now appended to
the rear and one side of the original house.

In a recent underfloor excursion I noticed a massive difference in the
dampness of the subfloor between our lounge - which is on one of the
open sides of the house - and study, which is effectively in the centre
of the house with minimal ventilation. In fact the study was cinder-dry
and just covered me in dust, whilst the subfloor in the lounge was
earthy and clammy. On a previous visit both rooms were equally dry.

As well as seeming a bit damp underfloor, the lounge has always been
extremely cold. There are two sizeable radiators, but also an open
fireplace which must remove a lot of warm air. In fact, sometimes the
carpet feels a bit wet on the surface,as if condensation is forming.

Is it generally advisable to insulate the underside of the wooden
floor? There is nothing at present. Will this have a detrimental effect
on the already-poor ventilation, which is presumably the root of the
dampness?

I also noticed that two airbricks at the rear are actually placed level
with the floorboards, i.e. only the bottom half of the brick is below
floor level. Not surprisingly, my coathanger doesn't get very far in
the top half. Even in the bottom half I would say only 10-20% or so of
the airbrick is clear.

Any advice is welcome, both on the potential damp situation and on
warming the room up as autumn draws in.

Thanks,
Gareth

It should be bone dry under the lounge floor. If you have 4 airbricks, 2
being partially blocked, this may not be giving adequate under-floor
ventilation. My 1900 semi has suspended floors for the lounge and dining
room, with a total of 5 airbricks, 2 at the front, two at the side and 1 at
the rear. I don't know anything about the effectiveness of insulation
between the joists, it doesn't seem to get mentioned in advice on energy
saving and insulation. I went for draught-proofing the floors and cavity
wall installation; this has made a big difference, especially to the
previously cold and draughty north-facing lounge.

Thanks Phil.

Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?


Phil Anthropist wrote:
"no_heat" wrote:
Our home is a 1930s detached house, brick-built with cavity walls and
suspended timber floors at ground level. There are airbricks to two
sides of the house, with varying degrees of clarity, whilst a modern
extension and a conservatory - both solid-floored - are now appended to
the rear and one side of the original house.

In a recent underfloor excursion I noticed a massive difference in the
dampness of the subfloor between our lounge - which is on one of the
open sides of the house - and study, which is effectively in the centre
of the house with minimal ventilation. In fact the study was cinder-dry
and just covered me in dust, whilst the subfloor in the lounge was
earthy and clammy. On a previous visit both rooms were equally dry.

As well as seeming a bit damp underfloor, the lounge has always been
extremely cold. There are two sizeable radiators, but also an open
fireplace which must remove a lot of warm air. In fact, sometimes the
carpet feels a bit wet on the surface,as if condensation is forming.

Is it generally advisable to insulate the underside of the wooden
floor? There is nothing at present. Will this have a detrimental effect
on the already-poor ventilation, which is presumably the root of the
dampness?

I also noticed that two airbricks at the rear are actually placed level
with the floorboards, i.e. only the bottom half of the brick is below
floor level. Not surprisingly, my coathanger doesn't get very far in
the top half. Even in the bottom half I would say only 10-20% or so of
the airbrick is clear.

Any advice is welcome, both on the potential damp situation and on
warming the room up as autumn draws in.

Thanks,
Gareth

It should be bone dry under the lounge floor. If you have 4 airbricks, 2
being partially blocked, this may not be giving adequate under-floor
ventilation. My 1900 semi has suspended floors for the lounge and dining
room, with a total of 5 airbricks, 2 at the front, two at the side and 1 at
the rear. I don't know anything about the effectiveness of insulation
between the joists, it doesn't seem to get mentioned in advice on energy
saving and insulation. I went for draught-proofing the floors and cavity
wall installation; this has made a big difference, especially to the
previously cold and draughty north-facing lounge.

"no_heat" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our home is a 1930s detached house, brick-built with cavity walls and
suspended timber floors at ground level. There are airbricks to two
sides of the house, with varying degrees of clarity, whilst a modern
extension and a conservatory - both solid-floored - are now appended to
the rear and one side of the original house.

In a recent underfloor excursion I noticed a massive difference in the
dampness of the subfloor between our lounge - which is on one of the
open sides of the house - and study, which is effectively in the centre
of the house with minimal ventilation. In fact the study was cinder-dry
and just covered me in dust, whilst the subfloor in the lounge was
earthy and clammy. On a previous visit both rooms were equally dry.

As well as seeming a bit damp underfloor, the lounge has always been
extremely cold. There are two sizeable radiators, but also an open
fireplace which must remove a lot of warm air. In fact, sometimes the
carpet feels a bit wet on the surface,as if condensation is forming.

Is it generally advisable to insulate the underside of the wooden
floor? There is nothing at present. Will this have a detrimental effect
on the already-poor ventilation, which is presumably the root of the
dampness?

I also noticed that two airbricks at the rear are actually placed level
with the floorboards, i.e. only the bottom half of the brick is below
floor level. Not surprisingly, my coathanger doesn't get very far in
the top half. Even in the bottom half I would say only 10-20% or so of
the airbrick is clear.

Any advice is welcome, both on the potential damp situation and on
warming the room up as autumn draws in.

Thanks,
Gareth

===================================
A bit more information would help. Were any air bricks covered up or removed
when the extensions were added? Is there any possibility of underground water
(from a water leak or natural drainage) causing the damp under the lounge? Did
the damp arrive as a result of the extensions?

As far as the partly blocked air bricks is concerned it's possible that they're
not actually blocked. They may be attached to 'periscope' air ducts which
deliver air from a higher outside level to a lower inside level. You should be
able to see these if you do another crawl. If they are really blocked then they
should be cleared and possibly lowered and if any vents were blocked up or
removed by the extensions new air bricks should be fitted and arranged so that
no 'dead' areas are left. Ideally everything should be cross vented.

I would suggest that you cure the damp problem before you consider adding any
insulation. This is standard advice - cure the problem at source rather than try
to cover up the symptoms.

Cic.



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Cicero wrote:
"no_heat" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our home is a 1930s detached house, brick-built with cavity walls and
suspended timber floors at ground level. There are airbricks to two
sides of the house, with varying degrees of clarity, whilst a modern
extension and a conservatory - both solid-floored - are now appended to
the rear and one side of the original house.

In a recent underfloor excursion I noticed a massive difference in the
dampness of the subfloor between our lounge - which is on one of the
open sides of the house - and study, which is effectively in the centre
of the house with minimal ventilation. In fact the study was cinder-dry
and just covered me in dust, whilst the subfloor in the lounge was
earthy and clammy. On a previous visit both rooms were equally dry.

As well as seeming a bit damp underfloor, the lounge has always been
extremely cold. There are two sizeable radiators, but also an open
fireplace which must remove a lot of warm air. In fact, sometimes the
carpet feels a bit wet on the surface,as if condensation is forming.

Is it generally advisable to insulate the underside of the wooden
floor? There is nothing at present. Will this have a detrimental effect
on the already-poor ventilation, which is presumably the root of the
dampness?

I also noticed that two airbricks at the rear are actually placed level
with the floorboards, i.e. only the bottom half of the brick is below
floor level. Not surprisingly, my coathanger doesn't get very far in
the top half. Even in the bottom half I would say only 10-20% or so of
the airbrick is clear.

Any advice is welcome, both on the potential damp situation and on
warming the room up as autumn draws in.

Thanks,
Gareth

===================================
A bit more information would help. Were any air bricks covered up or removed
when the extensions were added? Is there any possibility of underground water
(from a water leak or natural drainage) causing the damp under the lounge? Did
the damp arrive as a result of the extensions?


It is possible that some airbricks on the opposite side of the house
were blocked/removed during the extension work. Strange that the room
that is now in the centre of the house, i.e. with the damp lounge on
one side and the new extension on the other, is seemingly dry.

As far as the partly blocked air bricks is concerned it's possible that they're
not actually blocked. They may be attached to 'periscope' air ducts which
deliver air from a higher outside level to a lower inside level. You should be
able to see these if you do another crawl. If they are really blocked then they
should be cleared and possibly lowered and if any vents were blocked up or
removed by the extensions new air bricks should be fitted and arranged so that
no 'dead' areas are left. Ideally everything should be cross vented.


I wondered about the periscope ducts. Certainly when poking around from
outside with a coathanger wire I can't detect any opening in the base
of the airbricks.

I would suggest that you cure the damp problem before you consider adding any
insulation. This is standard advice - cure the problem at source rather than try
to cover up the symptoms.

Cic.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.
It has removed 370 spam emails to date.
Paying users do not have this message in their emails.
Try SPAMfighter for free now!

"no_heat" wrote in message
ups.com...

Cicero wrote:
"no_heat" wrote in message
oups.com...
Our home is a 1930s detached house, brick-built with cavity walls and
suspended timber floors at ground level. There are airbricks to two
sides of the house, with varying degrees of clarity, whilst a modern
extension and a conservatory - both solid-floored - are now appended to
the rear and one side of the original house.

In a recent underfloor excursion I noticed a massive difference in the
dampness of the subfloor between our lounge - which is on one of the
open sides of the house - and study, which is effectively in the centre
of the house with minimal ventilation. In fact the study was cinder-dry
and just covered me in dust, whilst the subfloor in the lounge was
earthy and clammy. On a previous visit both rooms were equally dry.

As well as seeming a bit damp underfloor, the lounge has always been
extremely cold. There are two sizeable radiators, but also an open
fireplace which must remove a lot of warm air. In fact, sometimes the
carpet feels a bit wet on the surface,as if condensation is forming.

Is it generally advisable to insulate the underside of the wooden
floor? There is nothing at present. Will this have a detrimental effect
on the already-poor ventilation, which is presumably the root of the
dampness?

I also noticed that two airbricks at the rear are actually placed level
with the floorboards, i.e. only the bottom half of the brick is below
floor level. Not surprisingly, my coathanger doesn't get very far in
the top half. Even in the bottom half I would say only 10-20% or so of
the airbrick is clear.

Any advice is welcome, both on the potential damp situation and on
warming the room up as autumn draws in.

Thanks,
Gareth

===================================
A bit more information would help. Were any air bricks covered up or removed
when the extensions were added? Is there any possibility of underground
water
(from a water leak or natural drainage) causing the damp under the lounge?
Did
the damp arrive as a result of the extensions?


It is possible that some airbricks on the opposite side of the house
were blocked/removed during the extension work. Strange that the room
that is now in the centre of the house, i.e. with the damp lounge on
one side and the new extension on the other, is seemingly dry.

As far as the partly blocked air bricks is concerned it's possible that
they're
not actually blocked. They may be attached to 'periscope' air ducts which
deliver air from a higher outside level to a lower inside level. You should
be
able to see these if you do another crawl. If they are really blocked then
they
should be cleared and possibly lowered and if any vents were blocked up or
removed by the extensions new air bricks should be fitted and arranged so
that
no 'dead' areas are left. Ideally everything should be cross vented.


I wondered about the periscope ducts. Certainly when poking around from
outside with a coathanger wire I can't detect any opening in the base
of the airbricks.

I would suggest that you cure the damp problem before you consider adding
any
insulation. This is standard advice - cure the problem at source rather than
try
to cover up the symptoms.

Cic.

==============================
I think it's possible that you're getting a 'rain-fall' effect produced by the
possible loss of cross ventilation. It's possible that warm moist air is being
driven in through the air bricks adjacent to the lounge where it meets a wall of
still cold air. Unable to travel further it just dumps the moisture and leaves
the inner area (study) untouched. Just a theory.

It would be worth finding out the true situation about the possibly removed /
blocked air bricks on the two walls where the extensions have been built. My
guess is that that is the source of the problem.

Cic.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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"no_heat" wrote:
Thanks Phil.

Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?

An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.

http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/

On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
wrote:

|"no_heat" wrote:
| Thanks Phil.
|
| Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
|
|An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
|
|http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/

Test to see if this appears on Google Groups


--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
wrote:

|"no_heat" wrote:
| Thanks Phil.
|
| Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
|
|An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
|
|http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/

Test to see if this appears on Google Groups

I can't see it from here.

MBQ

On 3 Oct 2006 08:35:22 -0700, wrote:

|
|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
| wrote:
|
| |"no_heat" wrote:
| | Thanks Phil.
| |
| | Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| | situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
| |
| |An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
| |
| |http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/
|
| Test to see if this appears on Google Groups
|
|I can't see it from here.

GG and the rest of the usenet propagation system is a bit slow.
I will check after tea.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.

wrote:
Dave Fawthrop wrote:
On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
wrote:

|"no_heat" wrote:
| Thanks Phil.
|
| Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
|
|An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
|
|http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/

Test to see if this appears on Google Groups

I can't see it from here.

MBQ

Replying from Google Groups, new posts from uisenet seem to reactivate
a thread

Dave Fawthrop

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
On 3 Oct 2006 08:35:22 -0700, wrote:

|
|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
| wrote:
|
| |"no_heat" wrote:
| | Thanks Phil.
| |
| | Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| | situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
| |
| |An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
| |
| |http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/
|
| Test to see if this appears on Google Groups
|
|I can't see it from here.

GG and the rest of the usenet propagation system is a bit slow.

I was replying from GG ;-) Never mind.

MBQ

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
On 3 Oct 2006 08:35:22 -0700, wrote:

|
|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
| wrote:
|
| |"no_heat" wrote:
| | Thanks Phil.
| |
| | Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| | situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
| |
| |An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
| |
| |http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/
|
| Test to see if this appears on Google Groups
|
|I can't see it from here.

GG and the rest of the usenet propagation system is a bit slow.

It's virtually instantaneous if you post via GG ;-)

MBQ

On 4 Oct 2006 06:02:26 -0700, wrote:

|
|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| On 3 Oct 2006 08:35:22 -0700, wrote:
|
| |
| |Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| | On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
| | wrote:
| |
| | |"no_heat" wrote:
| | | Thanks Phil.
| | |
| | | Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| | | situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
| | |
| | |An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
| | |
| | |http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/
| |
| | Test to see if this appears on Google Groups
| |
| |I can't see it from here.
|
| GG and the rest of the usenet propagation system is a bit slow.
|
|It's virtually instantaneous if you post via GG ;-)

I was testing from News,individual.net.

The joy of usenet is that you can receive it from many newsservers and with
many sorts of software.

--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Google Groups is IME the *worst*
method of accessing usenet. GG subscribers would be well advised get a
newsreader, say Agent, and a newsserver, say news.individual.net. These
will allow them: to see only *new* posts, a killfile, and other goodies.

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
On 4 Oct 2006 06:02:26 -0700, wrote:

|
|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| On 3 Oct 2006 08:35:22 -0700, wrote:
|
| |
| |Dave Fawthrop wrote:
| | On Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:46:15 +0100, "Phil Anthropist"
| | wrote:
| |
| | |"no_heat" wrote:
| | | Thanks Phil.
| | |
| | | Where is the best source of objective professional advice on the damp
| | | situation? Chartered surveyor, builder?
| | |
| | |An independent building surveyor or structural engineer.
| | |
| | |http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/
| |
| | Test to see if this appears on Google Groups
| |
| |I can't see it from here.
|
| GG and the rest of the usenet propagation system is a bit slow.
|
|It's virtually instantaneous if you post via GG ;-)

I was testing from News,individual.net.

The joy of usenet is that you can receive it from many newsservers and with
many sorts of software.

But not through some firewalls. no matter what software you use.

The joy of GG is that you can access it with just a browser available
virtually anywhere there's a PC.

MBQ

wrote:

Replying from Google Groups, new posts from uisenet seem to reactivate
a thread

Dave Fawthrop

You really need to get out more...