On Dec 30, 2:05*pm, Another Dave wrote:
1928 2-storey detached house. Top storey rendered and somebody put
cavity insulation in 10 years ago ( I've owned it for four years).

Rising damp at the rear and both ends of the upper story have got
penetrating damp - I think. Rather than get estimates from people with
vested interests, would I be better off paying a surveyor to tell me
definitively what's wrong and, if so, how much would he cost?

Another Dave


Why not DIY for very little cost? Plenty of expertise here.
Be sure it's not condensation.

On 30/12/2011 14:29, harry wrote:

Why not DIY for very little cost? Plenty of expertise here.

I'm not averse to a little DIY but at 70 years old doing outside high-up
work isn't on. Likewise bending down to damp-proof courses.

Be sure it's not condensation.

When the rain comes from the east the east side leaks; when the rain
comes from the west the west side leaks. The damp rises only when it rains.

Another Dave

On Dec 30, 3:27*pm, Another Dave wrote:
On 30/12/2011 14:29, harry wrote:



Why not DIY for very little cost? *Plenty of expertise here.

I'm not averse to a little DIY but at 70 years old doing outside high-up
work isn't on. Likewise bending down to damp-proof courses.

Be sure it's not condensation.

When the rain comes from the east the east side leaks; when the rain
comes from the west the west side leaks. The damp rises only when it rains.

Another Dave

Sounds like a pointing problem.
Get a good local builder. (Not an NVQ boy)
Someone with a personal recommendation.
He will fix your problems.

DPC injection machines (for the risingdamp) and the chemical can be
hired from your local tool hire.

On Dec 30, 4:16*pm, harry wrote:
On Dec 30, 3:27*pm, Another Dave wrote:

1928 2-storey detached house. Top storey rendered and somebody put
cavity insulation in 10 years ago ( I've owned it for four years).


Sounds like a pointing problem.

Sounds more like a bridged cavity, doesn't it?

In article 9d66e66c-d037-462f-bec1-
, says...

On Dec 30, 4:16*pm, harry wrote:
On Dec 30, 3:27*pm, Another Dave wrote:

1928 2-storey detached house. Top storey rendered and somebody put
cavity insulation in 10 years ago ( I've owned it for four years).


Sounds like a pointing problem.

Sounds more like a bridged cavity, doesn't it?

In a house built in 1928 ...?

--

Terry

Terry Casey wrote:
In article 9d66e66c-d037-462f-bec1-
, says...

On Dec 30, 4:16 pm, harry wrote:
On Dec 30, 3:27 pm, Another Dave wrote:

1928 2-storey detached house. Top storey rendered and somebody put
cavity insulation in 10 years ago ( I've owned it for four years).


Sounds like a pointing problem.

Sounds more like a bridged cavity, doesn't it?

In a house built in 1928 ...?

But the OP claims that it had cavity wall insulation installed 10 years ago.

--
Adam

On Dec 30, 6:29*pm, Terry Casey wrote:
In article 9d66e66c-d037-462f-bec1-
, says...



On Dec 30, 4:16 pm, harry wrote:
On Dec 30, 3:27 pm, Another Dave wrote:

1928 2-storey detached house. Top storey rendered and somebody put
cavity insulation in 10 years ago ( I've owned it for four years).

Sounds like a pointing problem.

Sounds more like a bridged cavity, doesn't it?

In a house built in 1928 ...?


Well, cavities became common in the UK in the 1920's, didn't they?
Our 1930 house has a cavity. The OP said it's cavity construction and
it's not uncommon for builders to throw crap down the cavity or mortar
snots to get caught on any ties, or any subsequent modification to
result in debris falling into the cavity.

In article ,
Terry Casey wrote:
In article 9d66e66c-d037-462f-bec1-
, says...

On Dec 30, 4:16 pm, harry wrote:
On Dec 30, 3:27 pm, Another Dave wrote:

1928 2-storey detached house. Top storey rendered and somebody put
cavity insulation in 10 years ago ( I've owned it for four years).


Sounds like a pointing problem.

Sounds more like a bridged cavity, doesn't it?

In a house built in 1928 ...?

why not? my last house was built in 1904 and had cavity walls. Mind you,
this built (by a spec-builder) in 1911 has solid walls.

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.16

On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:16:35 -0800 (PST), harry wrote:

Sounds like a pointing problem.

The OP said it was rendered... I suspect that has failed and is now
trapping water against the outer skin. How that is getting across the
cavity is problematical. What form does the cavity insulation take?
Blown fibre, injected foam? The only real way to find out is to make
some holes and see what is going on in the cavity.

Rising damp, how far up the wall does it go? Assuming there is a damp
course make sure that isn't bridges by plants/soil etc and is at
least 4" above ground level (6" would be better).

Condensation has been mentioned, don't rule that out.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice wrote

Rising damp, how far up the wall does it go? Assuming there is a damp
course make sure that isn't bridges by plants/soil etc and is at
least 4" above ground level (6" would be better).

Or rotted wooden window frames or cracked window sills and it isn't
rising from the ground.
--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Alan wrote:
In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice wrote

Rising damp, how far up the wall does it go? Assuming there is a damp
course make sure that isn't bridges by plants/soil etc and is at
least 4" above ground level (6" would be better).

Or rotted wooden window frames or cracked window sills and it isn't
rising from the ground.
In my case it both dripped down inside the walls from rotten bargeboards
and rise up from the lake under the floor after it rained.

There is a common myth that penetrating rain and rising damp do not
exist. Both do.

On 30/12/2011 23:11, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:16:35 -0800 (PST), harry wrote:

Sounds like a pointing problem.

The OP said it was rendered... I suspect that has failed and is now
trapping water against the outer skin. How that is getting across the
cavity is problematical. What form does the cavity insulation take?
Blown fibre, injected foam? The only real way to find out is to make
some holes and see what is going on in the cavity.

I'm the OP.

Everybody who has looked at the rendering - and there have been many
- say the rendering is fine. However, I think they are wrong and that
this is the cause of my upper storey problems. Is it possible for render
to look good yet still be defective? It's been there for at least 40
years and may even have been there for all 80 years of the house's life.
How long does render last?

Rising damp, how far up the wall does it go? Assuming there is a damp
course make sure that isn't bridges by plants/soil etc and is at
least 4" above ground level (6" would be better).

It goes up about 2 feet.
There are some concrete flags up against the house in the area affected
which are only 3 inches below the DP course. Is it worth removing them?

Condensation has been mentioned, don't rule that out.

I'd like it to be condensation but I'm almost certain it isn't.

Another Dave

Another Dave wrote:
On 30/12/2011 23:11, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:16:35 -0800 (PST), harry wrote:

Sounds like a pointing problem.

The OP said it was rendered... I suspect that has failed and is now
trapping water against the outer skin. How that is getting across the
cavity is problematical. What form does the cavity insulation take?
Blown fibre, injected foam? The only real way to find out is to make
some holes and see what is going on in the cavity.

I'm the OP.

Everybody who has looked at the rendering - and there have been many
- say the rendering is fine. However, I think they are wrong and that
this is the cause of my upper storey problems. Is it possible for render
to look good yet still be defective? It's been there for at least 40
years and may even have been there for all 80 years of the house's life.
How long does render last?

Rising damp, how far up the wall does it go? Assuming there is a damp
course make sure that isn't bridges by plants/soil etc and is at
least 4" above ground level (6" would be better).

It goes up about 2 feet.
There are some concrete flags up against the house in the area affected
which are only 3 inches below the DP course. Is it worth removing them?


YES.

use gravel. watersplash off flags is massive..can go up ..2 feet?

Or paint the lower part of the wall with a waterproofing solution.

2ft is rather high for rising damp..i've not seen it go much beyond
skirting level.

However I am thinking here, that you may have a somewhat different
problem,.

If water is getting into the cavity at the top, you will see the worst
effects at the top,. and where it collects, at the bottom.

I couldn't believe how much water DID get in past my rotten bargeboards
in a high wind.

Look water on a porous wall tends to evaporate outwards as fast as it
gets in..but a cavity wall is very vulnerable to water getting in at the
top where the cavity is open.

That's mostly something that happens on gable ends, because the eaves
overlaps the walls a lot more elsewhere. Unless you have a guttering
problem anyway.

If your problems are on gable ends, I'd suggest you look at the
roof/wall interface seriously.







Condensation has been mentioned, don't rule that out.

I'd like it to be condensation but I'm almost certain it isn't.


I don't think so either.

Another Dave

On Dec 30 2011, 3:27*pm, Another Dave wrote:
On 30/12/2011 14:29, harry wrote:



Why not DIY for very little cost? *Plenty of expertise here.

I'm not averse to a little DIY but at 70 years old doing outside high-up
work isn't on. Likewise bending down to damp-proof courses.

Be sure it's not condensation.

When the rain comes from the east the east side leaks; when the rain
comes from the west the west side leaks. The damp rises only when it rains.

Whaere doe it leak?

If it is just door and window seals a tube of mastic or some new
rubber might sort it.

If it is just under the guttering some new plastic.

There is very little that can go wrong with a house really. Anything
bridging the cavity as someone suggested will have been doing so since
new.

The rest of it is down to rot and loose fixings. Each problem suggests
its own cause....

Any tiles slipped?
Borrow a pair of binoculars. That sort of thing.