J.A.S.'s fixing the damp & swimming pool in the house thread....

JustAnotherSaver

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Ah, that explains it, but I did ask the OP for that info without a direct answer;);):A

Sorry if i missed it. I've just had a scan back through your posts & still couldn't find the question.

Not being funny here when i ask but where is it?

spannerzone

I'm going to hazzard a guess that the expert that came to visit was a damp proof 'specialist' (or salesman as others might call him)...... if he used a damp meter that buzzed/wailed/had flashing lights then it's a resistance meter and probing your hand would show 'damp'

While there's clearly some issues there, many 'damp specialists' will recommend strip off plaster to 1m, drill and insert damp proof chemicals, replaster with damp resistant plaster (that helps seal in the moisture!)

There are numerous reasons why this damp might have occurred and you need to cure the problem but many experts will just suggest the inject/replaster option that will hide the issue but won't likely cure it.

Could be many reasons for damp including poor ventilation / airflow in house, drying clothes in house, kitchen/bathroom needs extrators, leaking pipe in floor/wall, water running down cavity from leaking roof, chinmey flashing failed, humidity issues where the cavity and wall surface differ and cooled air condenses on wall causing moisture, poorly installed cavity wall insulation, high water table and so on and so on.

Get several opinions and try not to use the damp specilists that only look to make good the look of the wall rather than investigate the cause.... there are many that don't believe rising damp exists in most of these cases but that's what the usual cause is stated as.

If you've just bought the house maybe the previous owners quickly plastered over to hide the problem, maybe they didn't let it dry out properly, pushing furniture close will not help drying out either. I might be inclined to let it dry out naturally for a few weeks/month and see what it looks like.

I have similar problems with some walls but it only gets damp when weather is humid, I can always predict when the walls will be damp, I'm looking at ways to improve airflow in the house LINK which I hope to install soon in the kitchen (which has no extractor right now!)
http://www.heritage-house.org/pages/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

cyclonebri1

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Sorry if i missed it. I've just had a scan back through your posts & still couldn't find the question.

Not being funny here when i ask but where is it?

No my apologies, it was asked in a negative rhetorical way, quoting from post #4

"(all this assumes what I said about it being none cavity wall?)":D

I like others are obviously trying to help/
Have you been next door or even discussed the issue yet?

fannyadams

http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising-damp/

JustAnotherSaver

Just really quickly because i've got a lot to do still today before i can get round to responding to this proper

but to all the rising damp neysayers & those that say it exist ... i don't know who's right. I know sod all about it. The neysayers to me make a fair argument but so do those who say it exists. Someone has to be wrong & i imagine the debate could rage on forever.

All i know is there's a problem that needs to be rectified. Maybe the option we take will be wrong, who knows, but we need to do something as in its current state it's no good. Decorating is a waste of time as it stands.

As i say, i'm not saying anyone on either side of the fence is right or wrong as it all sounds 'right' to me when put forward by someone so convinced of their own argument. I just know something needs doing.

Hope nobody gets offended that i've not answered anything with this post. As i say, a lot to do. Just wanted to address that one real quick.

cyclonebri1

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Just really quickly because i've got a lot to do still today before i can get round to responding to this proper

but to all the rising damp neysayers & those that say it exist ... i don't know who's right. I know sod all about it. The neysayers to me make a fair argument but so do those who say it exists. Someone has to be wrong & i imagine the debate could rage on forever.

All i know is there's a problem that needs to be rectified. Maybe the option we take will be wrong, who knows, but we need to do something as in its current state it's no good. Decorating is a waste of time as it stands.

As i say, i'm not saying anyone on either side of the fence is right or wrong as it all sounds 'right' to me when put forward by someone so convinced of their own argument. I just know something needs doing.

Hope nobody gets offended that i've not answered anything with this post. As i say, a lot to do. Just wanted to address that one real quick.

But have you been next door to take a look yet, (bangs head against wall emoticon gone missing), without offence.

spannerzone

I wasn't implying that it doesn't exist but pointing out that many experts suggest that damp problems are misdiagnosed as rising damp when it's often some other form of damp.

The point is that the cause needs to be found rather than what many damp companies do, which is to hack off plaster, inject chemical damp treatment and replaster.

JustAnotherSaver

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

(bangs head against wall emoticon gone missing), without offence.

No need for that. You just need to sit tight. I will get round to you. I'm guessing you missed this part...

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Hope nobody gets offended that i've not answered anything with this post. As i say, a lot to do. Just wanted to address that one real quick.

I wasn't lying when i said i had a lot to do today.


But anyway....

spannerzone wrote: »

There are numerous reasons why this damp might have occurred and you need to cure the problem but many experts will just suggest the inject/replaster option that will hide the issue but won't likely cure it.

How do we know whether this guy is wrong or right?

How do we know whether the next guy is wrong or right?

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

I like others are obviously trying to help/
Have you been next door or even discussed the issue yet?

And i appreciate all help, i really do, even though help from all corners can get confusing (one guy saying one thing, someone else saying the opposite & we're caught in the middle & have got to decide who we think is right).

No we've not been next door yet.

The wife has been doing some googling & she's found some sort of ruling that says we should/have to speak with next door if we're going to get this work done.
It goes on to say that we should get an agreement from them & give them 14 days notice.
They can object & stop us. If we don't bother asking they can take us to court.
If the workmen knock back & cause damage to their side of the wall then they (neighbour) can bill us for the damage. Interestingly/annoyingly, if we get their agreement & this happens they can still bill us.

The wife is worried that if what the specialist (salesman) says is true & that if anything it'll push the damp through to theirs, then the neighbour can classify this as damage & bill us for that AS WELL AS. Making it almost pointless sorting this.

Part of me wonders whether it's worth telling them or not as i guess most people don't know about the ruling. The other side of me says play safe & attempt to get an agreement (& hope they don't object).

This could open the discussion to questioning about the roof (see other thread) but the wife has paranoid worries about that too (see the roof thread).

spannerzone wrote: »

I wasn't implying that it doesn't exist but pointing out that many experts suggest that damp problems are misdiagnosed as rising damp when it's often some other form of damp.

The point is that the cause needs to be found rather than what many damp companies do, which is to hack off plaster, inject chemical damp treatment and replaster.

I wasn't saying about you in particular but i've seen many anti-rising damp people on the forum in the past.

All i know is someone has to be right & someone has to be wrong. Question is who, but i don't know the answer.

cyclonebri1

Hey, don't worry, and sorry if you misunderstood, MSE dropped the emoticon some time back, it just saved a few words every now and again. The issue of whether it was cavity wall or not was crucial to what you were asking.

The legislation your mother picked up on is the Party Wall Act 1995 (i think)
This is why you need to talk to the neighbours, either present or future about this work.

Just search round here for PWA threads, it is a fact that without neighbourly relations, the whole issue can get very expensive.
There are supposed legal outfits that appear out of the woodwork when ever those three words are spoken, the vultures of the property improvement game.:eek::eek: Avoid at all costs, which can be done by simple mutual agreement.

There is also the issue you last touched on, and there are contrary views throughout the industry.
Some go as far as to state explicitly that rising damp does not even exist.

Just 1 last question for you, has the house been empty for some good time in the past?, I can't recall if you said anything about this?

JustAnotherSaver

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Just 1 last question for you, has the house been empty for some good time in the past?, I can't recall if you said anything about this?

To my knowledge no. The previous owner has owned it for the past 15 or so years & they moved out the morning we moved in (or rather got the keys).

The wifes boss was telling her today that rising damp is a myth & doesn't exist. Knock the plaster away, paint some damp proof stuff on, re-plaster & job done.

To be honest, where my head is at the moment - they are giving a 20year guarantee. I would feel easier with myself by getting it done, having a 20 year certificate & knowing if it fails in that time i get them back out for free or reduced cost.

If we were staying there for 5 years or so i wouldn't bother, but it's permanent.