Damp Survey by PCA Member Kenwood PLC

Doozergirl

FWIW, I employed a Heritage House surveyor to help me with a particularly bad problem and he gave me a full tour of the house from roof to basement. 

It was worth every penny.  His knowledge blew the socks off any of the professionals that I've worked with that should have been able to help, and well exceeded my own.  It was a pleasure.  

You can't BS knowledge like that.  He'd grown up with traditional building and methods.  A dying breed, sadly.  A serious lack of training around traditional building methods is our problem.  

FreeBear

Terry9999999 said: there is no such thing as Rising Damp

I would beg to differ. It is not a widespread problem, and I have only ever come across one case. Unfortunately, can't locate the thread over on the Period Property forum...

Would also add that there are one or two PCA registered surveyors that do have some knowledge of damp, but only one or two. The rest of them are charlatans and hyped up salesmen.

Doozergirl said: The training around timber and damp for a PCA technician is the grand total of 2 days, including the exam.   For a PCA Surveyor, 3 days plus the exams.  You don't need to have any experience in construction, yet they like to say that they're the gold standard.

The course run by the PCA are not overseen by any accredited educational body, and the only qualification you need to take one of these exams is a wallet of cash. From what I gather, most of the courses focus on the legal issues, and only a very small part is devoted to damp.

Not all that glitters is gold, nor is every yellow metal gold (iron pyrite anyone).

Terry9999999

I think we can all conclude there is no technical element at the PCA just training operatives to sell chemicals. Essentially, they are a direct sales organisation with little or no understanding of dampness or its cause. People should simply avoid these cowboys and find qualified Surveyors preferably RICS but certainly not PCA!  

Terry9999999

Everyone should read Pete Ward destroying ex building labourer and now Chief Chemical Sales trainer and CEO (Joke) at the PCA:
https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/all-about-the-pca/property-care-association-rising-damp-and-facebook.html

Doozergirl

Terry9999999 said:

I think we can all conclude there is no technical element at the PCA just training operatives to sell chemicals. Essentially, they are a direct sales organisation with little or no understanding of dampness or its cause. People should simply avoid these cowboys and find qualified Surveyors preferably RICS but certainly not PCA!  

The main problem is that RICS surveyors recommend that people use PCA members 🤦🏼‍♀️

It's ingrained.  

Doozergirl

Terry9999999 said:

Everyone should read Pete Ward destroying ex building labourer and now Chief Chemical Sales trainer and CEO (Joke) at the PCA:
https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/all-about-the-pca/property-care-association-rising-damp-and-facebook.html

There's a bit of give and take.  I think it's possible that Ward is both visionary and nutter; he's an extraordinary character.   There must be some members of the PCA who do know what they're talking about from learned experience and charge for their surveys, because that's the only genuinely practicable business model.  

I feel like sitting the course and becoming a member just so I can offer some pragmatic advice to people.  😕

Terry9999999

It could only happen in the UK! We love a scam. The UK is the only Country in the World with rising damp. None in USA not even a google search! Just us fools paying PCA damp wallies money to fix non existent problems. We are clearly stupid or they (PCA) are great scammers! Someone in Government will take notice one day! 

stuart45

There is at least one in the USA.
https://renodry.us/contact/

flyd

Let's be charitable.  After all, a stopped clock is right twice a day, so it could well be that the chemical treatment for damp could cure the issue some of the time.  Unfortunately not for the majority, or so it seems.

I think we probably need more experienced diagnosticians rather than people peddling the cures.  As Mark Twain (I think it was him) said, to a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.