Need someone to deal with damp problem

[WeatherGirl]

Afternoon Forum

We have damp in the house, it keeps on coming.
We need a shining knight but finding someone to deal with it is proving harder than expected, most people don't call back.
Does anyone have any advice or recommendations for me? Do I really need to pay for a survey first?
Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[mosy]

Do you have any thoughts on what sort of damp it is? I.e. it could be rising damp (which only rises up to about 1 metre from ground level), faulty guttering that might need fixing or brickwork that needs repointing, leaky roof, an internal plumbling leak that might still be dripping or from a flood that can't dry out? Other causes I've heard of are having a cluttered loft that stops the airflow through the eaves, not enough (or clogged) airbricks and at one time some injected wall insulation was a culprit.

I think the reason for paying for a survey is that they have damp meters to tell the extent as well as finding the root cause. Damp can lead to dry rot (£-ouch if it takes hold) so hopefully they'd test for spores in case you need a fumigation / eradication treatment as well. I would pay a few pounds for one, not sure I'd pay a few hundred, unless it was zero'd if I accepted their quotation maybe. On the other hand, if you've paid for a survey report, you could then hawk it round to any repairers you think appropriate.

I would ring a building society or two (at random) and ask them who they'd use to inspect a house for damp.

[Bunty]

Hi I have used these guys in the past
http://www.kenwoodplc.co.uk

You don't have to use them for remedial work but they did a good survey for me a couple of years ago.

[WeatherGirl]

Thank you so much for your brilliant response

[robbieduncan]

We also used Kenwood linked above to resolve some damp issues when we moved in. Their work seems to have worked two years on. But my builders at the time described them as lazy and slapdash!

[monkeyarms]

There are a lot of horror stories about Kenwood out there if you Google. I think there is an element of pot luck – they are a massive company.

But I think one reason why builders are often negative about companies like Kenwood is that there are two schools of thought about damp:

Injecting stuff into the walls, damp proofing course
versus
Preventing damp getting into the walls in the first place.

As mosy says above: what kind of damp is it?

In our ground floor/basement flat we have a small amount of damp. While I'm no expert it's pretty obvious that that's because it's, d'uh, the basement: the concrete in the patiooutside the basement doesn't really dry out properly. It's damp from the ground getting into the walls. If we ever get it sorted I think we'd want something like a French Ditch constructed outside. (Google it, a sort of little narrow trench thing: you spot a lot of them about once you know what they are). This would prevent damp getting to the walls; rather than "damp-proofing" the walls if you see what I mean. I'm sceptical that injecting whatever patented goo the companies all swear by would really permanently address the problem.

If you do get someone like Kenwood in, make sure you really give them an inquisition about what the CAUSE of the damp is, and make sure they're not just doing their stock response. If it's not ground-floor or basement-level damp, your problem may well be a blocked/defective gutter or downpipe; an old window-sill that needs replacing; some cracks in the brickwork above a window that need re-pointing etc. A lot of the horror stories about the big damp-proofing companies are about workmen not even noticing what the cause of the problem is.

[WeatherGirl]

Hmmm. It's rising damp. I realise that's a contentious term.
It's in our shared downstairs hallway, party wall with next door, and then it's coming up the wall on the stairs up to our first floor flat. The damp stain in the hall downstairs has been there a whileish but the damp following us upstairs is new.
Next door also have damp but they rent and their landlord has painted over it (it's coming through again ) and is unwilling to do anything else.
So, that's what I know.
We are looking to sell soon and I really want to get it sorted before the house sails away...

[The Clown]

I happen to have a damp meter if you want me to pop round with it. It might give you a very basic steer as to what it is likely to be. It would give you an idea as to how saturated the walls are and as a result where the problem may lie.

Fair warning - you get can get two little pin pricks from the meter in the wall surface as the readings are taken.

It sounds to me as if it may not be your problem to fix , so ideally you would be able to get into the neighbours as well.

No charge, as I am no expert, I just happen to have the meter and opportunity to be a good neighbour.
I am a girl though - so don't expect anything swashbuckly!

[WeatherGirl]

Clown lady.

I love that you have your own damp meter, you sound like the kind of neighbour I need.
Thanks so much for your super kind offer, much appreciated.
Luckily for you I won't have to take you up on it as a man came round with a clipboard and his own damp meter. Turns out we do have damp (yup) lots of it. Coming up from the ground and taking over the walls.
He's going to send me a quote. I bet it's going to be expensive.

Thanks all.

[mosy]

I'm intrigued that an interior party wall could have rising damp creeping up that high (as first floor about 2.5M-3M), especially if none apparent on outside walls, given all would have been built and presumably similarly damp proof course'd at the same time. If you find out how that can be so, I do hope you'll tell us, and put me out of my curiosity misery

For a damp bathroom wall I once had, I think due to someone covering an airbrick, the plaster was removed and the bare brickwork allowed a good while for damp to evaporate and dry out before replastering. (Airbrick sorted of course). Just thinking that your neighbour's landlord painting over theirs is the opposite of that. Your "man" will know more than I of course about remedying yours.

[mosy]

Ah, thanks very much much for taking time to explain, Dave Reilly. Appreciated.

[WeatherGirl]

Dave.
I think you came round a few months ago (or Pat did, who posts under the same username) and had a quick look and immediately diagnosed rising damp, we've just been trying to get some second opinions since.
Thanks.

[TheProf]

It's all basic science.

There is no such thing as rising damp. Put some bricks and plaster in water and watch it (not) rise.

You will either have a penetrating damp problem caused by water ingress or a condensation problem. The former is unlikely on the party wall. But for example, occurs when you've got a badly leaking gutter and poorly pointed brickwork.

Condensation occurs when the relative humidity inside is higher than the air flowing in from outside. To alleviate this you need to ensure that your house is probably ventilated and insulated. If you live in an older property you need to ensure that any "improvements" that have been done to the property over the years haven't caused the problem.

There are too many examples to note, but these include using concrete instead of lime mortar on single skinned walls, inadequate or blocked underfloor air vents, tanking plaster on single skinned walls, not lagging copper exposed copper piping.

Rarely, it can be caused by bridging of the damp proof course. For example when the outside ground level is raised, or if people build patios and conservatories too close, and too high to the building line.

Those damp meters that people use are ridiculous. Most people don't know how to use them correctly, or when they cannot be used.

The white on the walls is most likely salt crystals forming.

Ultimately it's your house/flat but I would suggest that you research damp very carefully before spending several thousands of pounds with a damp proofing company.