Should my wall be this damp after rain?

Bendy_House

Is it the same to the LH side of the sliding door?

(Most likely now't to do with the gutter or D/P)

Smithy99

It wass, but not as much or as high but theres a fence that side so it's more of a  sheltered corner

Bendy_House

Smithy99 said:

It wass, but not as much or as high but theres a fence that side so it's more of a  sheltered corner

I think it's petty clear what the cause is, then.

It might not become an issue, or it might. Either way, it isn't ideal.

Solutions are to widen the gap between the wall and the pavement - not quite sure how much by - and to lower the level of the chippings along that recess. Ideally have a route for that channel to drain away so it doesn't simply fill with water! The idea is to greatly reduce the opportunity for rain to splash upwards and land on the wall. Or, you could coat the bottom few rows of brickwork with a quality water repellent. These products still allow water in the brickwork to evaporate out from it - ie they 'breathe' - and seem to do a good job at preventing water penetration. I don't know if they have any drawbacks, but some folk don't like them.

Personally, I think I'd just monitor it for the time being, and if that soaking is just an occasional issue, I wouldn't be concerned.

FreeBear

Bendy_House said: Or, you could coat the bottom few rows of brickwork with a quality water repellent. These products still allow water in the brickwork to evaporate out from it - ie they 'breathe' - and seem to do a good job at preventing water penetration. I don't know if they have any drawbacks, but some folk don't like them.

Not quite - The manufactures claim that their products a vapour permeable, but provide no independent reports to back it up. So whilst these coatings will prevent water penetration, the rest of the marketing claims are open to question.

stuart45

Silane Siloxane sealers are said to be the most breathable sealers. Been used in the USA for many years, especially in areas with freeze/thaw issues.

Coffeekup

Smithy99 said:

I went out to hang some washing and my outside wall looks really damp. It's rained all night but should it look like this?

It's hard to say from one photo. Next time it rains I would look or take a picture of the right hand side wall (on the picture), to see if the rain is splashing 3 or so bricks up, and again as a nother poster has said a look and a picture to the left hand side.

It may be rain splash back, it may be that gutter is blocked or slow flowing, even leaking causing the bricks to get wet. I wouldn't do nothing else till you've had some more rain.

How long did the above wall take to dry? Does the sun catch that wall?

My gut feeling is the down pipe and something is happening under them stones, reason I say that is, to the right of the drain pipe the amount of bricks high it is wet is 1-2 high, on the left hand side of the pipe it's 3-4 high. But more evidence needed first, I wouldn't go slapping paints, and silicones all over if that's for sure.

Bendy_House

L I'mCoffeekup said:

Smithy99 said:

I went out to hang some washing and my outside wall looks really damp. It's rained all night but should it look like this?

It's hard to say from one photo. Next time it rains I would look or take a picture of the right hand side wall (on the picture), to see if the rain is splashing 3 or so bricks up, and again as a nother poster has said a look and a picture to the left hand side.

It may be rain splash back, it may be that gutter is blocked or slow flowing, even leaking causing the bricks to get wet. I wouldn't do nothing else till you've had some more rain.

How long did the above wall take to dry? Does the sun catch that wall?

My gut feeling is the down pipe and something is happening under them stones, reason I say that is, to the right of the drain pipe the amount of bricks high it is wet is 1-2 high, on the left hand side of the pipe it's 3-4 high. But more evidence needed first, I wouldn't go slapping paints, and silicones all over if that's for sure.

Let's hope it isn't as you suspect, because that would be a very serious level of 'rising' getting past the DPC.

I would certainly agree it's worth monitoring first, and if the bricks dry out quickly and naturally when the rain stops, then there shouldn't be any long term issues. If, however, the bricks take a long time to dry out, which might suggest it's rising, then that will need investigating. And sitting out there with a torch and um'brolly during the next downpour is a good idea :-)

These three rows do look to be well soaked, clearly a lot more so than from falling rain just striking the wall from 'above'. 

If it's regular, and the bricks become discoloured as a result of the most likely and simple cause - splashback - then I'd personally have no concerns about using a product such as Sika Water Proofer. I wouldn't 'slap' it on, of course, and would also restrict its use to where it's required - perhaps to 4 rows above the DPC.

In the extremely unlikely event that Sika are fibbing, and this product does not breathe, then the bricks should still be able to do so happily enough via the inner cavity. But I doubt they are fibbing.

stuart45

The traditional sealer for masonry is a 50/50 linseed oil/turps mix.

Bendy_House

Showing yer age, pal.

Eldi_Dos

stuart45 said:

The traditional sealer for masonry is a 50/50 linseed oil/turps mix.

Sounds like a old painters remedy for creaky knees.