Rising Damp

ballamory

Hello all,

I'm new, and this is my first post here.  I'm hoping the local experts will help me out with advice.

I rent out a bungalow that I inherited from my parents. The bungalow was built in 1962.  Before rental, the property was extensively refurnished and redecorated, around about 5 years ago.

The tenants have recently reported to me that now there are damp problems on some of the internal walls (photos attached).    None of the external walls seem to be affected. Through Internet browsing, I'm aware of the controversy surrounding diagnoses of 'rising damp'.

I recently phoned up a local damp proofing company,  and they went around and inspected the property (for free), used a 'damp meter' and concluded that the cause is 'rising damp'.  Their solution to the problem is to remove the skirting boards in the affected areas, strip the plaster off the affected internal walls up until a meter above the damp patch,  then apply a new type of plaster which includes some water repelling agent,  and then replace the skirting boards, and redecorate.   They want to charge, in total £1100   for this treatment, which they say requires around 5-6 metres total of wall to be treated.  This doesn't include redecoration costs.

Firstly,  how likely is it that this damp on the walls is caused by 'rising damp', as opposed to any other type of damp,  given that many people believe it is a myth.  If it isn't 'rising damp',  then what are other possible causes?

Secondly,  rising or not, is the damp proofing methodology they recommend reasonable, and value for money, and will it solve the problem?  Or might it make the problem worse, as some people seem to suggest?

Are there alternative treatments for the damp problem that I should be considering?


Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

James


The tenants have recently notified me of damp problems that they are experiencing on several internal walls.   None of the external walls seem to be affected.  The effect is that the paint is peeling

aoleks

where in the house is this wall located? what's running through the wall? what type of foundation? when did it start?

FreeBear

ballamory said: I recently phoned up a local damp proofing company,  and they went around and inspected the property (for free), used a 'damp meter' and concluded that the cause is 'rising damp'.  Their solution to the problem is to remove the skirting boards in the affected areas, strip the plaster off the affected internal walls up until a meter above the damp patch,  then apply a new type of plaster which includes some water repelling agent,  and then replace the skirting boards, and redecorate.

For a "free" survey, the conclusion & recommended works is entirely predictable - It was a salesman that visited, not a trained expert. Whilst the waterproof plaster (why is it always to 1m high...) will mask the problem for a few years, it won't fix the root cause.

On an internal wall, I would be suspecting a leaking pipe - Do you have solid concrete floors with central heating pipes running through it ?

If so, the concrete could well have corroded unprotected copper pipes which will be difficult to locate and be messy to repair - Lifting the flooring in the affected area might provide further clues as to where the damp is coming from.

ballamory

Hello aoleks,

Those pictures are of two different walls.    The upper picture is the wall between living room and kitchen.   Living room is the space on the right, kitchen on the left.  The lower picture of the other wall is a wall inside the kitchen.  There is also damp similar that in the pantry, which is also inside the kitchen.  The problem was reported to me by the tenants recently, so it can only have started in the last couple of months.   The upper picture shows a kind of T-shape wall,  with the stalk of the T wall separating the kitchen from living room, and the top part of the T being shown end-on in the picture, with the damp on it.     I'm not sure what's inside the T wall. or what the foundations of the house are.   The other wall backs on to the bathroom,  from the kitchen.   The damp company claims there are no leaks to be found,  but I have no idea how thoroughly they checked.   

canaldumidi

You need an independant surveyor who is expert in damp and who a) is not a salesman and b) does not do remedial  work himself nor employed by a company that does remedial work.

You and/or he will need to inspect beneath the floor.

Noneforit999

Surely you need to be fixing what is causing the damp first?

If the external wall or the cavity has an issue then replastering (even with the 'special plaster') is just masking the issue and for £1100 it may not fix it permanently, it might just mask it for a few years. 

Personally I would be pulling the skirting off, knocking off the bottom part of the plaster back to the brickwork and seeing what it looked like.  

I wouldn't be spending £1100 on a firm who have just guessed what the issue is without actually looking properly, you need to get the plaster off and the flooring up probably to see if you can figure out the cause. 

aoleks

damp doesn't appear like that, out of nowhere, there's ALWAYS a cause. since you mentioned those walls are around the kitchen/bathroom, I'm guessing a leaking pipe.

you need a very competent builder or surveyor to have a look and tell you what the problem is, that will allow you to decide what needs doing to fix it.

whatever the case, do not interact with companies selling whatever miracle cure for "rising damp", it's snake oil basically...

ballamory

Hello Freebear, thanks for the reply

Yes, I think it is a concrete floor, with copper central heating piping. The piping hasn't been replaced since the house was built, so it's possible or even probable that some of the pipework has become corroded and may be leaking.

It's possible to buy detectors to detect pipework isn't it?   Would it be helpful to check the walls where the damp is to see if there is pipework behind it?

Section62

FreeBear said:

On an internal wall, I would be suspecting a leaking pipe - Do you have solid concrete floors with central heating pipes running through it ?

+1 for a pipe leak to be a probable cause.

I would start with a plumber, rather than a damp expert.

StocktonFlyer

If there is central heating pipe leakage I think you would see a corresponding drop on the boiler pressure. Does the system regularly need refilling?

ballamory

Hello NoneforIt999,

Yes, I agree addressing the underlying cause would seem to be very important.  I don't want to merely mask the problem for a few years, and then have to pay more money to try some other fix.    Also the damp proofing company is a small outfit, and despite a supposed 30 year guarantee,  the owner is 75 years old, and probably won't be around to honour the guarantee in 30 years!

If I do remove the skirting board and the plaster,  what should I be looking for?  Obviously seeing a leaking pipe would be great.  But what else might I see?  Wet brickwork?  What signs should I look for?