Dpc missing?

tony3619

Hey

I've notice that around the bottom of my house there is no dpc visible except for near an air brick where mortar is missing.

There are however weep holes at the bottom of the wall and a border where stones/dirt has been laid to I'm assuming stop water pooling and rising.

My question is should the dpc be visible in all instances and can cavity trays be used as a dpc? Which would explain the weep holes at ground level.

stuart45

A photo would help. How old is the house.
A tray can also form the DPC.
A DPC can be hard to see, especially if not bedded and set back slightly from the face work.

tony3619

stuart45 said:

A photo would help. How old is the house.
A tray can also form the DPC.
A DPC can be hard to see, especially if not bedded and set back slightly from the face work.

The house is 5 years old. No signs of rising damp inside and like I say I can only see the edge of a tray/dpc near an air brick at the bottom. Invisible everywhere else or behind the mortar. 

tony3619

I'll get a photo later  

stuart45

If it's a tray the weeps are just above it, and if it's a standard DPC it should have weeps below it but above ground level. 
Not all houses have the weeps in at that level. Timber framed houses normally do. With brick/block cavity walls they often don't.

tony3619

It's a brick/Block cavity so I'm not sure why it has it. 

I've checked all houses near and they are also not visible so I'm hoping it's a method which hasn't left it visible

stuart45

It would be really unlikely for the DPC to get left out in a 5 year old house. If you can see a bit of it over the air brick, that's where it will be. A tray is also used where wheelchair access is required, as it needs to be at ground level, although sometimes another DPC is put in a couple of courses higher.