how do I find a good damp specialist

Leif

noelphobic wrote: »

I've now had a written estimate bearing the PCA logo. I checked on their website and could not find any trace of this person or company. I emailed the PCA and they said this company is NOT registered with them. They didn't say whether he does have a CSRT qualification so I have emailed again to ask them that. I very much doubt that I will use him now though, so back to the drawing board!

I do hope you report them to Trading Standards.

Leif

I would worry that the two people you had in disagree about the cause.

It could be leaking gutters, a bridged cavity, or many other causes. This chap seems to know what he is talking about:

http://www.dampbuster.com/recognitions.html

There is some interesting information including the following statement: "While working for Lewisham Council, he [the web site author] solved the damp problems in over 30,000 properties without once chemically injecting a DPC. "

In other words, most chemical DPC's are probably not needed, if his experience is typical. I assume that suggests that rising damp is very rare, and almost always the damp is penetrating, or condensation.

dad62 wrote: »

Jeff Howell has some strong views on the subject of dampness. However his views on rising damp are at odds with the laws of physics and his book contains some terrible calculation errors as well as some stories that many people find hard to believe (e.g the one about successfully transporting a piece of Victorian masonry the size of a door across London and into his laboratory - which was in a basement - without breaking it in order to try and see if damp would rise through it). Rising damp is generally over-diagnosed, but to claim that it doesn't exist is ridiculous as any physicist will tell you.

I was trained as a physicist, and my training did not included rising damp. Although I have since learnt a little about it, knowing the 'laws of physics' is not relevant. This is engineering, or applied physics, and requires a specialist not a generalist.

dad62 wrote: »

Generally it's better to replaster to the full height of the wall for a couple of reasons:

1) Replastering specifications for damp-proofing tend to be quite thick, so it is difficult to match them in with the existing plaster (which may only be 5 to 10mm thick) - although you can use a dado rail to hide this.

2) If the damp-proof course is ineffective the damp will continue to rise up the wall. If the damp-proof plaster only goes up to (say) a metre above floor level the damp can reappear above this level. Obviously this can be avoided by installing a properly functioning damp-proof course in the first place - i.e. use a decent damp-proofing product and get someone who knows what he/she is doing to install it.

I removed the wallpaper from my walls after I moved in, and discovered that in many rooms some walls had been tanked to 1 meter above floor level. As you know, that is the hacking away of gypsum based plaster, followed by the application of a non gypsum plaster. The latter is VERY hard. The join between the two was very poor, sometimes a 2mm drop between the two. You can apply a filler such as Easi-fill which is easy to sand, and with care the join is invisible.

Leif

noelphobic wrote: »

the wall/floor that is damp is underneath a kitchen cupboard and worktop so that would be far from straightforward! I've also not long had expensive floor tiles fitted (although obviously they don't go under the worktop) so am very worried in case they are affected.

I assume you have done some thinking yourself as to the causes? Have you looked to see if there are any vents in the wall above the damp area, or any indication of such on the other side? I assume it is an external wall? I had damp on one kitchen wall, where a boiler flue had been blocked up. The hole was filled with a breeze block, that is porous, and which bridged the two walls, the inner one being the chimney flue. You can find any such areas by knocking on the walls, the sound will change. What about your drain pipes? It's worth examining them during a heavy downpour. I discovered huge amounts of water overflowing onto my walls, due to a wad of moss blocking the down pipe. I am sure there are other causes which you could diagnose yourself.

Oh, and have you done the standard condensation test? Tape a 1 foot by 1 foot square of clear polythene onto the wall at the site of the damp. Do the same with a square of carpet tile, or some other porous material. Leave at least one day. If the area beneath the carpet is damp, then you have damp. If the area beneath the plastic is dry, then it is condensation. Otherwise it is penetrating dampness. If the area under both is dry, then repeat, and leave for a week, and re-examine, basically leave long enough for the damp to build up.

If it is condensation, the cause might be a very cold area of wall. I can't see why though. You really want to lower the room humidity. I assume you have a cooker hood, don't dry clothes indoors etc.

If you can't lower the humidity, and the area is hidden, then a solution is to apply an insulating non porous layer to that area of wall. You could stick on a square of 1" thick polystyrene using use a silicon sealant applied around the edges. It would prevent warm air hitting the cold wall. This does sound a bit stupid though.

Leif

bill-b2b wrote: »

Hi

I work for a damp proofing company, I am not touting for your work but hope the following is useful.

A good company will happily give you a Free No Obligation Damp Survey and Report. They will use Damp Meters and make sure they carry out an inspection of outside walls, gutters and pipes, check that air bricks are not covered and check for things such as vents in bathrooms and condensation causing problems such as regular drying of washing in certain rooms.

A good company will also offer you a guarantee and happily let you speak to other customers and / or see pictures of their work (Please make sure you ask and preferably ask to speak to / see more than one)

They should also be members of more than one association such as The Federation of Master Builders.

Finally ask what Damp Proofing products they use and check out that companies website and do a quick Google Check.

If you get stuck please feel free to give my company a call --- part of the --- Group on 0800 --- ---- or Google ----. If not then I hope some of my tips and advice helped.

Thanks

Spam reported.

I would advise people to never use a company such as the above which offers 'free' surveys. The survey is quite likely to be a sales opportunity where they find 'faults' that can be solved with their products. After all, they have a vested interest in the outcome of the survey. If they find a simple cheap solution, such as unblocking a drain pipe, then they make no money. And according to several sources, damp meters do not work on brickwork and plaster. Only ever use an independent surveyer who has no product to sell apart from his or her expertise in locating sources of dampness. Apologies for stating what is obvious to many here.

noelphobic

Leif wrote: »

I do hope you report them to Trading Standards.

I hadn't thought of that to be honest. PCA have asked me to send them a copy of the estimate but don't know what they will do. I assume there is some kind of action they can take.

anotherbaldrick

No harm in calling in a reputable waterproffing specialist . They will give a quotation for rectifying the damp without obligation and will offer a guarantee (20-25 years ) and for an additional payment of about £30 it is possible to insure that guarantee so that you are covered if the firm should not still be trading 20 years hence.

http://www.property-care.org/

noelphobic

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

No harm in calling in a reputable waterproffing specialist . They will give a quotation for rectifying the damp without obligation and will offer a guarantee (20-25 years ) and for an additional payment of about £30 it is possible to insure that guarantee so that you are covered if the firm should not still be trading 20 years hence.

http://www.property-care.org/

There aren't many in my area and the ones I spoke to said they don't deal with concrete floors.