Please advise on damp problem !!

edchalk

Hi,

I have a 3-bed terraced house which has a recurring damp problem in the lounge. When I bought the property the previous owner confided that they had recently treated a section of the lounge wall for rising damp. There were no problems until about 8 months later when a damp patch started to appear in exactly the same place. The previous owner did not a provide a guarantee for the work undertaken and so I paid a 'damp specialist' to come and re-treat & re-plaster the same area. This guy provided me with a 20 year guarantee but 18 months later its happened again. I am tempted to call back the 'specialist' to re-do the job but I am starting to wonder if this has been correctly diagnosed given that the same area has supposedly been treated for rising damp twice. I also felt that the last guy was un-professional, messy, and generally difficult to get on with so i'd rather draw a line under the bad job and move forward with somebody who knows what they're talking about.

The damp affected area is approximately 1 metre off the ground and it's roughly 70cm x 50cm. I was recenty wondering if the problem could have stemmed from a dormant chimney, but there is no problem on the same wall in the bedroom directly above so I wonder if this is possible ?

Any help/advice/suggestions would be very much appreciated, and if anybody can reccomend a knowledgable & reliable damp specialist in the Manchester region i'd be very greatful.

Many Thanks

Ed

dampdaveski

Hi Ed,
Is this damp patch in an area where a chimney breast has been removed in the past?
Does it have a yellow tinge to it? and does it grow and shrink in different weather?
if so it sounds like it might be sulphate contamination of the plaster work (soot leaching into the plaster form the old bricks)
If he's given you a guarantee then you should make a claim on it, though if you're not comfortable with him then obviously thats your decision.
If it is sulphate contamination of plasterwork I suspect the reply you would get is - your guarantee is for rising damp mate


If it's not where a chimney breast was it could be, hygroscopic salts rising up above the area that was replastered
I suggest you have a look at the property care association website (google PCA) and have a look at the members nearest to your postcode area

hope this helps a bit