surveyor and flood damage firm arguing over drying out

littlerock

For those following my house restoration saga, ( extinguishing of neighbours fire caused severe water damage to mine in particular the party wall) this is latest.

The firm appointed by loss adjusters to dry out the party walls, agreed with them to tent the walls and blow dry air onto them, to dry them. It was explained to me that this was a more expensive process than normally used but had been chosen because my walls are lime plaster and this method could avoid having to replace the plaster if effective.

During the drying process a couple of the machines blowing air onto the walls stopped, and I contacted the installation team who agreed to send someone round to install two new machines. When he arrived he said they had stopped because they were set on high and the walls were now dry and the plastic tenting could be removed.

I noticed a couple of damp patches and pointed them out, but was assured this was just surface condensation from the plastic sheeting and his damp meters showed the plaster was dry. He said their company would issue a report and drying certificate to the insurers. I asked about disinfecting and defungiciding the walls as there is evidence of mould, and was told that the walls would be sealed before decorating by whichever builder I chose, which would contain it..

My quanitity surveyor, managing the project for the loss adjusters,turned up a few days later and said that the patches of wall I had pointed out as damp, were in fact damp and he showed this with his damp meter. He said as a result remedial work could not go ahead. He said there was probably also damp still coming through from the fire damaged house on the other side of the party wall, which has no restoration in progress at present. The wall drying firm and my surveyor have requested permission to enter and inspect the party walls, when next door has had workmen on site, but this has always been declined and they have been told to submit a request to the insurers of next door, in writing for permission.

To complicate matters the lead loss adjuster for my house restoration, who agreed the drying process, is on leave for two weeks for yesterday.

The drying out firm, who I will not name at this stage, are a major national firm. I reported the damp state of the walls to their project manager for my house (who did not himself remove the tenting) and asked him to come and inspect it. He replied that he is asking the team who removed it, for their version of events. Since then it has gone quiet.

No one is officially handling my loss adjusters work while he is away. He assumed it was all proceeding under the supervision of my project manager/surveyor who he appointed to manage the project, but once the drying out was done, he is not supervising that aspect .

How do you think I should proceed?

dunroving

littlerock wrote: »

For those following my house restoration saga, ( extinguishing of neighbours fire caused severe water damage to mine in particular the party wall) this is latest.

The firm appointed by loss adjusters to dry out the party walls, agreed with them to tent the walls and blow dry air onto them, to dry them. It was explained to me that this was a more expensive process than normally used but had been chosen because my walls are lime plaster and this method could avoid having to replace the plaster if effective.

During the drying process a couple of the machines blowing air onto the walls stopped, and I contacted the installation team who agreed to send someone round to install two new machines. When he arrived he said they had stopped because they were set on high and the walls were now dry and the plastic tenting could be removed.

I noticed a couple of damp patches and pointed them out, but was assured this was just surface condensation from the plastic sheeting and his damp meters showed the plaster was dry. He said their company would issue a report and drying certificate to the insurers. I asked about disinfecting and defungiciding the walls as there is evidence of mould, and was told that the walls would be sealed before decorating by whichever builder I chose, which would contain it..

My quanitity surveyor, managing the project for the loss adjusters,turned up a few days later and said that the patches of wall I had pointed out as damp, were in fact damp and he showed this with his damp meter. He said as a result remedial work could not go ahead. He said there was probably also damp still coming through from the fire damaged house on the other side of the party wall, which has no restoration in progress at present. The wall drying firm and my surveyor have requested permission to enter and inspect the party walls, when next door has had workmen on site, but this has always been declined and they have been told to submit a request to the insurers of next door, in writing for permission.

To complicate matters the lead loss adjuster for my house restoration, who agreed the drying process, is on leave for two weeks for yesterday.

The drying out firm, who I will not name at this stage, are a major national firm. I reported the damp state of the walls to their project manager for my house (who did not himself remove the tenting) and asked him to come and inspect it. He replied that he is asking the team who removed it, for their version of events. Since then it has gone quiet.

No one is officially handling my loss adjusters work while he is away. He assumed it was all proceeding under the supervision of my project manager/surveyor who he appointed to manage the project, but once the drying out was done, he is not supervising that aspect .

How do you think I should proceed?

I'm having similar issues with a drying company not doing the job properly, and variously chasing up (a) underwriter, (b) loss adjuster, and (c) drying company.

I won't steal the thread by giving too many details of my issues, but feel free to ask questions.

The answer to your last question, I would say, is call the customer service rep who is dealing with your claim at the insurer (who may be the same as your underwriter, but often isn't). I'm insured through Saga, but buildings insurance is underwritten through Acromas. I find when I am getting nowhere, the Saga customer care rep is good at chasing things up.

FreeBear

littlerock wrote: »

During the drying process a couple of the machines blowing air onto the walls stopped, and I contacted the installation team who agreed to send someone round to install two new machines. When he arrived he said they had stopped because they were set on high and the walls were now dry and the plastic tenting could be removed.

I noticed a couple of damp patches and pointed them out, but was assured this was just surface condensation from the plastic sheeting and his damp meters showed the plaster was dry. He said their company would issue a report and drying certificate to the insurers. I asked about disinfecting and defungiciding the walls as there is evidence of mould, and was told that the walls would be sealed before decorating by whichever builder I chose, which would contain it..

A couple of points (opinions if you like) on the above. A rule of thumb is to allow walls one month for each inch in thickness to dry. So a single skin wall that is typically used for many party walls would be around 4" thick. One would normally allow four months for it to completely dry.
Blowing hot air on the wall will speed up this process a little, but runs the risk of drying out the plaster faster than the underlying bricks - This could cause the plaster to become detached. If the other side of the wall is still open to the elements, then you are fighting a losing battle against penetrating damp.

A wall plastered in lime most certainly does not want to be "sealed". It kinda defeats the whole point of lime plaster - i.e. It absorbs moisture from the air and allows it to dissipate again as the humidity drops. In addition, any moisture penetrating the wall also has the chance to evaporate through the plaster. Sealing the surface of the lime plaster negates one of the key advantages of the stuff and traps the moisture in the wall.

When you decorate, breathable paints or wallpaper.

littlerock

I deal with the insurers via my Loss adjuster who up till now has acted as my customer service rep. Well that is how he explained it to me. ( I am with Zurich, loss adjusters are Crawford's) he is on leave for the next two weeks.

I did indeed challenge the idea of sealing lime mortar but was told it was just a "protective" coat applied, not a water proof seal.....

What puzzles me is why, after apparently going to some lengths to get this drying method approved by the insurer, the drying company should then sabotage it. My surveyor said if we decorated a wet wall, the damp would just come through again and then my insurer would be really t--d offwith the dryers who are a big nation wide firm.

FreeBear

littlerock wrote: »

I did indeed challenge the idea of sealing lime mortar but was told it was just a "protective" coat applied, not a water proof seal.....

Ask (demand) exactly what product they are proposing to use, then do your research. Too many people fail to understand the damage that can be caused by using an inappropriate coating.

Remember Challenge Anneka back in 1990 when she painted the Happisburgh Lighthouse. Seven years on, it all had to be stripped off and repainted - https://www.thefreelibrary.com/pounds+30%2C000+bill+after+Anneka%27s+paint+job.-a061060118

dunroving

littlerock wrote: »

I deal with the insurers via my Loss adjuster who up till now has acted as my customer service rep. Well that is how he explained it to me. ( I am with Zurich, loss adjusters are Crawford's) he is on leave for the next two weeks.

I did indeed challenge the idea of sealing lime mortar but was told it was just a "protective" coat applied, not a water proof seal.....

What puzzles me is why, after apparently going to some lengths to get this drying method approved by the insurer, the drying company should then sabotage it. My surveyor said if we decorated a wet wall, the damp would just come through again and then my insurer would be really t--d offwith the dyers who are a big nation wide firm.

Call your insurer. It can't hurt. And it might help.

littlerock

The company drying out the party wall are claiming the plaster is dry but because it is an old house, the walls are leaching salt which makes them appear feel damp.. As a result they say, the surveyors damp meter will give a false result. I have told them to go and argue it with the surveyor direct. Is it a possible explanation?

FreeBear

Whilst the plaster may be dry on the surface, it is not easy to determine how damp the bricks are beneath it. The pointy moisture meters often used by surveyors will only measure damp a short distance in to the plaster, and any salts (along with a whole bunch of other things) will affect the readings - These meters will only give reliable readings on untreated wood - That said, if used wisely, they can give a general indication of damp areas on plaster.

But the only way to test for, and get an accurate reading, is to use a carbide meter. To use one, a hole is drilled in to the wall and a measured quantity of dust is mixed with calcium carbide and placed in to a sealed chamber. As any water in the sample reacts with the calcium carbide, pressure inside the chamber increases. This pressure is measured, and from that, the moisture content can be calculated.

If the drying company and the surveyor continue to bicker about the wall being dry or not, tell them to use a carbide meter for a definitive answer.