Advice re. Damp problem

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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on December 29, 2014 at 18:23

Good idea to do your own bit of investigation first so you have some idea of what you might be letting yourself in for. If the damp is on an exterior wall it's worth having a look outside to check that you don't have a leaking down pipe or overflowing gutter above. Have a look at the pointing between the brickwork. Does it seem sound or are bits missing?
If you're on the ground floor it's also worth seeing if the damp proof course has been compromised. It can be as simple as soil up against the wall or even pots and other things stacked against the wall.
If you have a look at the trades section on here there are quite a few recommendation if you want to take the matter further.
Best of luck.

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Permalink Reply by liz Cruse on December 30, 2014 at 8:35

HI Michael,

Thanks for your message. I have checked it - there is definitely a need for repointing but nothing compromising the worst patch of wall - but I don't know what the damp curse state is.

I'll look at the trades people and get a couple to come and look.

Liz

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Permalink Reply by Rebekah Billingsley on December 30, 2014 at 15:54

Hi Liz. Kenwood are damp specialists and will provide you a free analysis if you google them.

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Permalink Reply by Finsbury Park Ranger on December 31, 2014 at 1:24

Old houses get damp, does it discolour and crumble a bit of paint in one or two places or does it actually smell and crumble Brickwork ?

Damp 'specialists' will take thousands but sometimes water is underneath a little and will rise a bit whatever you do. Decide if it matters or not.

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Permalink Reply by michaelw on December 31, 2014 at 21:15

Definitely a common problem - it's generally a good idea not to have anything directly against an external wall, particularly a corner between two external walls (as you'll get at the back of a standard Victorian house).

This is the perfect time of year for water vapour from cooking, clothes drying, breathing to condense on cold walls...

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Permalink Reply by dezai on January 9, 2015 at 6:30

Hi, everyone has made valid points.
We take a very different aproach to most damp proofing companies, who generally inject and tank, assuming it is always rising damp. In reality it is normally breached dpc or internal condensation as mentioned by others.
We generally remove internal plaster and insulate with a cork and lime render. This helps immensly with heat retention and condensation issues, however it deals particularly well with mousture transfer and allows it to disperse and evaporate without damage to internal finishes. You can then get down to finding any exterior problems such as breached dpc, missing pounting, leaking drainage, lack of subfloor ventilation etc.

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Permalink Reply by dezai on January 9, 2015 at 14:03

Diathonite, from a company in Italy called Diasen. John Newton have been distributing up until now in the uk. However distribution is changing and may be able to get better deals from a potential new distributor.
Contact me if you would like more info. We are just starting a new job in SE14 if you are interested to see the process.
07989316287

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