Ask Jeff? B@ll@x

andy69_2

Everytime someone mentions something about damp someone always says 'read this' And its that ask jeff website! He sais rising damp is a myth, you can't see it or feel it etc etc. But I can... My dad's, mum's, my house all had it! I could see it and I could feel it! We had the damp course etc, and guess what.. it worked! Never had damp since! So In my opinion, it isnt a myth, its true! At the end of the day How else would it be damp, when their are no leaks, no penetration, good airflow etc!

thursday

of course it is not a myth, anyone suggesting otherwise is simply ignorant

andy69_2

I know but alot of people on here thinks it is! Thanks!

leveller2911

Mostly Telegraph readers, what do you expect?:D

Doozergirl

True rising damp is horrendous. I have only seen it once in a property I didn't buy - it looked like the walls were made of candy floss and it absolutely reeked.

An awful lot of people come onto the boards and they have had surveys carried out where they are getting damp readings. They get the damp company out who recommend a DPC when the fact is that if they actually lived in the property they would find that there isn't a problem. Old houses in particular were expected to breath and you would expect some moisture content in the walls.

Every time we renovate a property we have a DPC injected as without doubt, there will be a survey with a damp reading and it would immediately undermine our work if we weren't able to produce a certificate to say it had been done. You can smell problem damp very distinctly, but even houses that have been empty for a while can smell damp for lack of ventilation and circulation.

wallbash

Lets put some common sense into this thread.
Dont get a 'expert' from a company selling Damp proof solutions :rolleyes:
most will be salesmen, they will 'prove' you need their expensive advice.

Try the cheap ideas first.
Is it condensation/leaking pipes/gutters/something bridging the Damp course/ etc etc

As to Jeff , he is not the one flogging services ( although he has branched out into books) he writes a column. read by many for a number of years , giving advice . If you choose not to follow his recommendation. I don't think he will lose a lot of sleep.

My experience. not that you will be bothered with it ,
Try everything before blaming the Damp course.
Get a builder in for advice

ps OP has knowledge of three houses , all have had dampcourse problems
He has been very unlucky :rolleyes:



pps there is a poster calling himself damp ( something )
spoke a lot of sense.

ormus

the building research establishment at watford, has done many test and they find it impossible to produce rising damp.
they built a house with a cellar and filled the cellar with water! !!!!!!!
guess what?
no rising damp.
fact.

Canucklehead

wallbash wrote: »

Lets put some common sense into this thread.
Dont get a 'expert' from a company selling Damp proof solutions :rolleyes:
most will be salesmen, they will 'prove' you need their expensive advice.

Try the cheap ideas first.
Is it condensation/leaking pipes/gutters/something bridging the Damp course/ etc etc

As to Jeff , he is not the one flogging services ( although he has branched out into books) he writes a column. read by many for a number of years , giving advice . If you choose not to follow his recommendation. I don't think he will lose a lot of sleep.

My experience. not that you will be bothered with it ,
Try everything before blaming the Damp course.
Get a builder in for advice

ps OP has knowledge of three houses , all have had dampcourse problems
He has been very unlucky :rolleyes:



pps there is a poster calling himself damp ( something )
spoke a lot of sense.

Hi ....dampdaveski is the one....good advice also available @ Bricks and Brass.

Not a fan of 'Ask Jeff' (or the Torygraph tbh;)). From the BRE

HTH

Canucklehead

wallbash

Ok will come clean if I find a copy ( have never bought one) of the telegraph.
will turn to the motoring section , then Jeffs column.
But in my defence , if I pick up the sunday times it will the motoring section followed by the house supplement .

But as its cars / diy for me and Never the football/sport.

dampdaveski

Hi All,
thanks for the compliment canuck
Just to add my bit
1. Rising damp does exist
2. BS6576:2005 (thats the British Standard ) tells us how to treat rising damp, who writes it - the BRE
3. Uncle Jeff tells us rising damp doesn't exist, bit controversial? He invites you to buy his book to find out more -.-!!! (yes I'm paraphrasing a bit here)
4. The damproofing industry has an awful reputation, most of it well deserved
5. This damproofing surveyor DOES NOT go out to sell damp proof courses, I go out to sell a solution, even if it's just free advice
6. 'get a builder in' what's he going to do? my experience is that he will tell you it's rising damp because he's ignorant, buy the gear off a web shop and rip you off, probably not intentionally but there you have it
7. ormus, it takes years and years for true rising damp to affect a property, as for the BRE refer to point 2
8.The telegraph, I won't buy it as there isn't enough pictures in it ;o) , maybe Jeff has lots of pictures in his book!
9. Rising Damp does not smell
10. If there is mould on the wall it is extremely likely that rising damp is NOT the cause, mould is effectively a plant, salt water kills plants, rising damp is from the ground, therefore it is salt water(chlorides and nitrates principally)
11. if anyone tells you mould IS due to rising damp they are either stupid or attempting to defraud you
12. Rant over, don't know about you but I feel a lot better )

wallbash

Last time I give you praise :rolleyes:

quote 6. 'get a builder in' what's he going to do?

He might just check the obvious first

quote ( by me )
Is it condensation/leaking pipes/gutters/something bridging the Damp course/ etc etc


Surely NO one will argue that must be the first thing to do??