My daughter's flat has a damp problem at the back in one bedroom.

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than the
floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the bedroom
window.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

The "ground" is about 5" higher than the floor and the area in the photo is
concreted and haunched (right word?) up the wall slightly to stop water
collecting next to the wall.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim

Jonno wrote:
Tim+ scribbled


My daughter's flat has a damp problem at the back in one bedroom.

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than the
floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the bedroom
window.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

The "ground" is about 5" higher than the floor and the area in the photo is
concreted and haunched (right word?) up the wall slightly to stop water
collecting next to the wall.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim


Cut a couple of channels on each side of the path. Get rid of the soil
and moss which are retaining moisture in the concrete.

It's less of a path, more of a "sump". It's bounded by walls at both ends.
On one side is the house, on the other a garden retaining wall. At present
there is a drain on the concrete surface that can drain surface water. I
would worry that digging trenches beneath the surface would just create a
non-draining "reservoir" right next to the house walls.

Raise the bottom
of the airvent by a couple of inches or block it up and make a new one
higher up the wall, if it's necessary.


I think that's got to be my main priority. I've lifted some floorboards
and the solum feels dry apart from beneath the air vent.

Tim

On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:
My daughter's flat has a damp problem at the back in one bedroom.

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than the
floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the bedroom
window.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

The "ground" is about 5" higher than the floor and the area in the photo is
concreted and haunched (right word?) up the wall slightly to stop water
collecting next to the wall.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim


I'd put a skirt along the base of the building up to about 9". It stops
rain bouncing up off the ground and soaking into the wall. Very common
round here, especially on S/SW facing buildings.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

In message , Tim+
writes
Jonno wrote:
Tim+ scribbled

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim


Cut a couple of channels on each side of the path. Get rid of the soil
and moss which are retaining moisture in the concrete.

It's less of a path, more of a "sump". It's bounded by walls at both ends.
On one side is the house, on the other a garden retaining wall. At present
there is a drain on the concrete surface that can drain surface water. I
would worry that digging trenches beneath the surface would just create a
non-draining "reservoir" right next to the house walls.

Raise the bottom
of the airvent by a couple of inches or block it up and make a new one
higher up the wall, if it's necessary.


I think that's got to be my main priority. I've lifted some floorboards
and the solum feels dry apart from beneath the air vent.

I think shallow drain pipes have to be protected by a layer of concrete.

Is the soil free draining? If so I would create a gap between the
concrete and the flat wall and fill with pea gravel. This will reduce
rain splash onto the wall and allow air movement to reduce moisture
penetration.

Internal condensation on a cold wall can be a problem but not normally
near the floor.

--
Tim Lamb

I have a similar problem with a drive level with the DPC level. The wall has a vertical DPC and the gap between the drive and wall filled with gravel, this arrangement has coped with everything the weather has thrown at it, the only problem has been around the air bricks but using some flue starters to leave the air bricks open. No damp problems either in the wall or under the

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hv9e04pw4c...02.47.jpg?dl=0

Richard

stuart noble wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:
My daughter's flat has a damp problem at the back in one bedroom.

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than the
floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the bedroom
window.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

The "ground" is about 5" higher than the floor and the area in the photo is
concreted and haunched (right word?) up the wall slightly to stop water
collecting next to the wall.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim


I'd put a skirt along the base of the building up to about 9". It stops
rain bouncing up off the ground and soaking into the wall. Very common
round here, especially on S/SW facing buildings.

Tutu? Mini? Maxi? ;-)

Okay, I'm being silly. What kind of skirt do you mean?

Tim

Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 15 Nov 2015 16:26:27 -0000 (UTC), Tim+
wrote:

My daughter's flat has a damp problem at the back in one bedroom.

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than the
floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the bedroom
window.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

The "ground" is about 5" higher than the floor and the area in the photo is
concreted and haunched (right word?) up the wall slightly to stop water
collecting next to the wall.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim

Is there a damp course? If there is it's not obvious. The
efflorescence all along the base of that wall suggests it's damp all
along and been like that for a long time.

Thanks. Useful info.


There are three down-pipes in the picture, all disappearing into the
ground. What are they? Do they all connect to the same drainage
system? Are those drains sound, or cracked and leaking into the
surrounding soil?

Dunno about the state of them but they all do drain away. None are blocked.


There's a lot of moss, suggesting it's a very damp area. Does the
grating below the nearest down-pipe actually drain water away, or is
the trap blocked, preventing surface water from draining.

It works.


Why does the render on the far wall above the inspection cover project
forward at the bottom? Is it to deflect water away from the base of
the wall? Is the gap below it choked up with moss and grot?

It's part of a new(ish) staircase built up to an upstairs flat. Dunno about
the projection.


My immediate thought was to dig a trench all along the house wall and
put some heavy-duty polythene along against the wall, projecting up
above the level of the adjacent concrete, and then re-fill and make
good.

Thanks.

Tim

On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill



I don't suppose your arse is any prettier. ;-) This is the "arse side" of
the flat. The rest of it is really nice.

I love her so much I wouldn't teach her to be dependant on others, she
bought it herself (without a mortgage). Drug dealing is clearly very
profitable. ;-)

Tim

Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

In the south perhaps?
All of the south is a **** tip / ********. Such lucky people they think they
are.

On 15/11/2015 21:37, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

In the south perhaps?
All of the south is a **** tip / ********. Such lucky people they think they
are.

Does living up North cause big chips on t'shoulders?

"Fredxxx" wrote in message
...
On 15/11/2015 21:37, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

In the south perhaps?
All of the south is a **** tip / ********. Such lucky people they think
they
are.

Does living up North cause big chips on t'shoulders?

Yep, all minoritys end up like that.

On 15/11/2015 20:59, Tim+ wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill



I don't suppose your arse is any prettier. ;-)

I'll have you know that my arse has been pictured in medical textbooks.
Pretty young things have pored over my arse.


This is the "arse side" of
the flat. The rest of it is really nice.

I bet it isn't. I bet the front door opens onto a street of mayhem.

I love her so much I wouldn't teach her to be dependant on others, she
bought it herself (without a mortgage). Drug dealing is clearly very
profitable. ;-)

So she's qualified as a retail chemist? That's impressive.

Bill

On 16/11/2015 01:03, Fredxxx wrote:

Does living up North cause big chips on t'shoulders?


Big chips are nice. Maris Pipers, 105C until soft, take 'em out, wait
til the fat's at 190C, dunk 'em in for about a minute. Gorgeous!

It's the only way I can get a shag these days.

Bill

On 16/11/2015 01:03, Fredxxx wrote:
On 15/11/2015 21:37, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1


looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

In the south perhaps?
All of the south is a **** tip / ********. Such lucky people they
think they
are.

Does living up North cause big chips on t'shoulders?

Nice kids up there though.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/15/man-ba...ttack-5503423/

They probably got bored with throwing bricks at Firemen.

Firefighters attacked with bricks and fireworks aimed at ...
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk › ... › Bonfire Night
6 Nov 2015 - Fire chiefs say a 'worrying number' of children's play
areas were torched as the service received 300 calls between 4.30pm and
midnight.
--
Bod

On 15/11/2015 18:53, Tim+ wrote:
stuart noble wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:
My daughter's flat has a damp problem at the back in one bedroom.

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than the
floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the bedroom
window.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

The "ground" is about 5" higher than the floor and the area in the photo is
concreted and haunched (right word?) up the wall slightly to stop water
collecting next to the wall.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim


I'd put a skirt along the base of the building up to about 9". It stops
rain bouncing up off the ground and soaking into the wall. Very common
round here, especially on S/SW facing buildings.

Tutu? Mini? Maxi? ;-)

Okay, I'm being silly. What kind of skirt do you mean?

Tim



Not sure of the technical term for render that goes from the ground up
to a foot or so, but you must have seen examples. Usually painted white

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

On Sunday, 15 November 2015 17:20:38 UTC, Tim wrote:
Jonno wrote:
Tim+ scribbled


My daughter's flat has a damp problem at the back in one bedroom.

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than the
floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the bedroom
window.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1

The "ground" is about 5" higher than the floor and the area in the photo is
concreted and haunched (right word?) up the wall slightly to stop water
collecting next to the wall.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress? I did wonder
about digging it all out to lower the ground level but the drains are the
back of the house seem quite near the surface and without re-doing all the
drainage system, I'm not sure that's a starter.

I guess ground level higher than floor level can't be that unusual so there
must be other options. I imagine building a small raised lip along the
lower edge of the air vent would be a good idea.

Any other suggestions?

Tim


Cut a couple of channels on each side of the path. Get rid of the soil
and moss which are retaining moisture in the concrete.

It's less of a path, more of a "sump". It's bounded by walls at both ends.
On one side is the house, on the other a garden retaining wall. At present
there is a drain on the concrete surface that can drain surface water. I
would worry that digging trenches beneath the surface would just create a
non-draining "reservoir" right next to the house walls.

Raise the bottom
of the airvent by a couple of inches or block it up and make a new one
higher up the wall, if it's necessary.


I think that's got to be my main priority. I've lifted some floorboards
and the solum feels dry apart from beneath the air vent.

Tim

So you have a sump served by a drain?
It would be interesting to know where this drain goes to, it might only be connected to a soakaway. This could be silted up & the cause of the problem.
So first is to check it's functioning correctly & where it goes to.
Chemical injection might cure the damp problem.
Or coating the haunching with bitumous paint and sealing any cracks between the haunching and the wall with some sort of gunk.
It might be condensation, is there ventilation hood in kitchen? Are there similar problems elsewhere in the house?

On Sun, 15 Nov 2015 16:26:27 -0000 (UTC), Tim+ wrote:

I'm sure that the problem stems from the ground level being higher than
the floor level at the back of the house. Here is the area outside the
bedroom window.

Doesn't the air brick ventilate the under floor space? So how can the
floor be lower than the top of the air brick? Unless there is some
pathway taking the air lower.

Immediately below the window though is an air vent through the wall and
this is level with the ground and has no raised lip.

Not level level with the top of the haunching?

What would be the best methods of reducing damp ingress?

Is there any evidence of damp proof course, looks like and oldish
building so look for a joint with slate embeded rather than plastic
DPM. B-) The bottom of the wall is green but with a fairly well
defined and straight cutoff. Has there been an injection damp proof
system used? Look for a row of fille holes, spaced every foor or so,
above the green cutoff. Any paperwork relating to a guarantee?
I imagine building a small raised lip along the lower edge of the air
vent would be a good idea.

You don't want to create a mini funnel for water coming down the face
of the wall or dripping of the cill above. Does the cill have a drip
slot underneath the front edge and round the ends to the wall?

I bet water pours into that pathway from the left, does that single
gully cope? The lid of the man hole at the far end looks a bit iffy
and needs sorting along with getting rid of the moss, not only will
it hold moisture it'll be slippy. Having said that it looks to be a
naturally damp place so there will be a constant battle between
daughter and moss/algae.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 16/11/2015 04:24, Bod wrote:
On 16/11/2015 01:03, Fredxxx wrote:
On 15/11/2015 21:37, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1



looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't you
love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

In the south perhaps?
All of the south is a **** tip / ********. Such lucky people they
think they
are.

Does living up North cause big chips on t'shoulders?

Nice kids up there though.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/15/man-ba...ttack-5503423/


They probably got bored with throwing bricks at Firemen.

Firefighters attacked with bricks and fireworks aimed at ...
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk › ... › Bonfire Night
6 Nov 2015 - Fire chiefs say a 'worrying number' of children's play
areas were torched as the service received 300 calls between 4.30pm and
midnight.


--
Bod

On 16/11/15 12:06, Jonno wrote:
Bill Wright scribbled


Pretty young things have pored over my arse.



Poured what ???


He meant pawed...

--
the biggest threat to humanity comes from socialism, which has utterly
diverted our attention away from what really matters to our existential
survival, to indulging in navel gazing and faux moral investigations
into what the world ought to be, whilst we fail utterly to deal with
what it actually is.

pamela wrote:
On 21:37 15 Nov 2015, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:

Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2015%2C%2016%2
015%2016.jpeg?dl=1

looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat? Don't
you love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

In the south perhaps?
All of the south is a **** tip / ********. Such lucky people they
think they are.


The standard of trolling on Usenet is not what it used to be. The
folks these days have no subtlety. Whatever works for you, I guess.

It's not trolling. It's an experienced view of the great ******** of the
south.

On 16/11/2015 10:26, Dave Liquorice wrote:
Has there been an injection damp proof
system used? Look for a row of fille holes, spaced every foor or so,
above the green cutoff. Any paperwork relating to a guarantee?

Do those things actually work? Our house predates damp courses...

Andy

Bod wrote:
On 16/11/2015 04:24, Bod wrote:
On 16/11/2015 01:03, Fredxxx wrote:
On 15/11/2015 21:37, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:
On 15/11/2015 16:26, Tim+ wrote:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/46kca7qnuj...2016.jpeg?dl=1



looks like a right **** tip. Can't you buy her a nicer flat?
Don't you love her? What a bad father you are.

Bill

In the south perhaps?
All of the south is a **** tip / ********. Such lucky people they
think they
are.

Does living up North cause big chips on t'shoulders?

Nice kids up there though.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/15/man-ba...ttack-5503423/


They probably got bored with throwing bricks at Firemen.

Firefighters attacked with bricks and fireworks aimed at ...
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk › ... › Bonfire Night
6 Nov 2015 - Fire chiefs say a 'worrying number' of children's play
areas were torched as the service received 300 calls between 4.30pm
and midnight.

Prick.

On Mon, 16 Nov 2015 21:30:02 +0000, Vir Campestris wrote:

Has there been an injection damp proof system used? Look for a row
of
fille holes, spaced every foor or so, above the green cutoff.

Do those things actually work? Our house predates damp courses...

Donno, really. When we bought this place it came with a guarantee for
Damp Proof Injection of some the outside walls.

We never saw it before the DPI and the inside was and still is
drylined. When the old drylining was stripped out the walls looked
bone dry and no smell of damp. There is one patch of damp at the
bottom of an internal wall rising 18" or so and about 6' long, it
looks suspicously like rising damp and being an internal wall wasn't
treated. 2 + 2 = 5

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Monday, 16 November 2015 21:30:04 UTC, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 16/11/2015 10:26, Dave Liquorice wrote:

Has there been an injection damp proof
system used? Look for a row of fille holes, spaced every foor or so,
above the green cutoff. Any paperwork relating to a guarantee?

Do those things actually work? Our house predates damp courses...

They claim to tackle rising damp, yet RD is a very rare beast, despite being wildly overdiagnosed. If you hahve damp in an old house, injection is seldom going to be the solution.

A story did the rounds a few years back of an injection dpc company that got into financial difficulty and began injecting water instead. No-one complained so they carried on, doing a large number of buildings without complaint. Eventually they were caught of course.


NT

On 18/11/2015 00:08, wrote:
On Monday, 16 November 2015 21:30:04 UTC, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 16/11/2015 10:26, Dave Liquorice wrote:

Has there been an injection damp proof system used? Look for a
row of fille holes, spaced every foor or so, above the green
cutoff. Any paperwork relating to a guarantee?

Do those things actually work? Our house predates damp courses...

They claim to tackle rising damp, yet RD is a very rare beast,
despite being wildly overdiagnosed. If you hahve damp in an old
house, injection is seldom going to be the solution.

A story did the rounds a few years back of an injection dpc company
that got into financial difficulty and began injecting water instead.
No-one complained so they carried on, doing a large number of
buildings without complaint. Eventually they were caught of course.


NT


Fact is, porous brickwork will absorb gallons of liquid, and it ain't
cheap, so I doubt the job is ever done thoroughly. A good thing some
might say

On Monday, 16 November 2015 21:30:04 UTC, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 16/11/2015 10:26, Dave Liquorice wrote:
Has there been an injection damp proof
system used? Look for a row of fille holes, spaced every foor or so,
above the green cutoff. Any paperwork relating to a guarantee?

Do those things actually work? Our house predates damp courses...

Andy

It prevents damp rising by capillary action in porous masonry. (It's water repellent)
However, it doesn't make masonry magically waterproof.
So if there's water "dammed" behind a water, it won't hold it back.
You can hire the gear and buy chemical at tool hire shops.

Rising damp is not as common as people think, it's usually condensation.
Or a wall acting as a dam.

On Wednesday, 18 November 2015 07:01:53 UTC, stuart noble wrote:
On 18/11/2015 00:08, wrote:
On Monday, 16 November 2015 21:30:04 UTC, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 16/11/2015 10:26, Dave Liquorice wrote:

Has there been an injection damp proof system used? Look for a
row of fille holes, spaced every foor or so, above the green
cutoff. Any paperwork relating to a guarantee?

Do those things actually work? Our house predates damp courses...

They claim to tackle rising damp, yet RD is a very rare beast,
despite being wildly overdiagnosed. If you hahve damp in an old
house, injection is seldom going to be the solution.

A story did the rounds a few years back of an injection dpc company
that got into financial difficulty and began injecting water instead.
No-one complained so they carried on, doing a large number of
buildings without complaint. Eventually they were caught of course.


NT


Fact is, porous brickwork will absorb gallons of liquid, and it ain't
cheap, so I doubt the job is ever done thoroughly. A good thing some
might say

It's only applied to a single course of brickwork.

On Tue, 17 Nov 2015 16:08:04 -0800 (PST), wrote:


A story did the rounds a few years back of an injection dpc company that got into financial difficulty and
began injecting water instead. No-one complained so they carried on, doing a large number of buildings
without complaint. Eventually they were caught of course.

That was near here, They were only caught because one of their
competitors complained. None of the customers did. Indeed they were
particularly complimentary about how meticulous they were at cleaning
around the walls, removing weeds, moss and soil etc. This might give
you a clue as to what really stopped the damp.

Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 18 Nov 2015 09:34:01 +0000, Peter Parry
wrote:

On Tue, 17 Nov 2015 16:08:04 -0800 (PST), wrote:


A story did the rounds a few years back of an injection dpc company
that got into financial difficulty and
began injecting water instead. No-one complained so they carried on,
doing a large number of buildings
without complaint. Eventually they were caught of course.

That was near here, They were only caught because one of their
competitors complained. None of the customers did. Indeed they were
particularly complimentary about how meticulous they were at cleaning
around the walls, removing weeds, moss and soil etc. This might give
you a clue as to what really stopped the damp.

And might give the OP in the 'Ground level & damp question' thread a
hint as to what to try first.


Just to follow up, I scraped up all the moss off the path to reveal a
concrete layer that's actually in good condition and "haunched" up the
house wall all the way along, except for about three foot at the end that
developed damp. (Much easier to see this without the weeds and moss!)

I can't work out why that end has never been haunched but it seems likely
that any sitting water is percolating down between the path and the wall at
this point.

On closer inspection, the entrance to the air vent actually has quite a
reasonable slope to shed water so I don't think that it is an issue.

Tim