Hi Peter, I'm a professional builder and electrical engineer (Tom jones complete building & maintenance services) don't laugh... I have seen most of your vids and admire your professional diagnosis. Personally I'm sick to the back teeth of rectifying problems caused solely by the "Damp specialists".
I can't wait to see the update! Could you please show what a room looks like when stripped down to laths. People just don't know. My town is full of Victorian & Edwardian houses and almost all of them have been re pointed with cement plaster, & you can see damp proofing on walls too. People are just ignorant, even the ones who should know better just don't know. Perhaps you ought to be on Facebook, catch them young, so we may have some old houses left standing in 50 years time.
The trouble with some of these cases is the client is not happy to wait 12-18 months to let things dry out. It can be frustrating trying t explain to people that these process take a lot of time!
We just got a surveyors report on a late victorian house we are buying, saying it was horrific and mentions the house has rising damp everywhere, yet I been there many times to measure up and can’t smell damp and it doesn’t feel damp. Your videos are brilliant how do I hire you, I just don’t trust this report now?
Hi Peter. It's funny that you mention Peter Cox early on in the video. They are used in my current rented property which was damp treated before I moved in three months ago and the hallway walls and cellar are streaming with water. Company is being sent back out to redo the work so it'll be interesting to see what happens!
They will just wreck the place again - they are useless con artists. All you will achieve is a cover up of a problem and no diagnosis. The issue will be internal moisture, lack of ventilation, and possibly things like cracked drains - needs PROPERLY diagnosing before these idiots get a chance to wreck the place.
Hi I just bought an Edwardian house it has two 4*4 cellar rooms the rooms appear damp to the touch more the floor but walls too. OK so how do I go about turning these into a kitchen. as they both have windows. I was thinking the cement style then watched lots of things and now im thinking the membrane.....help where do I get good advice im in Liverpool. if I don't need the expensive system then I wont get it but I don't want to do a half assed job... probably get a firm in tbh but who?? Please help...PS the holes in the bricks....well the cellars are full of them :( not even filled in just looks loke two drill holes in the bricks all the way round.
hi peter i just bought a house which never has a gas fire or central heating and its a stone build house (yorkshire stone) it has a well wall outside and the damp man call stating it needs damp proofing from the inside it looks like someone has used a cement board, what advised would you give shall i strip the boards and let it wall dry naturally and what is the best way to plaster on the internal walls so the bricks can breathe. great information
Hi Peter, came across your videos as scared to get someone to come have a look at our house and con us! We have a old mill terrace cottage. Downstairs on the lower walls we have a few patches of ‘damp’ and some of the plaster is coming loose on one of the patches…outside it’s all the natural brick no cladding- the only thing I can think from your videos is our external ground level is too high, but it’s been the same since we moved in 4 years ago, how do we tell if a damp specialist is reputable?
You cant - they are all con artists.. More than likely it will be simple stuff like ventilation - need to gently heat house to around 15 degrees and keep it there, dont let cool down in winter. Ventilate kitchen and bathrooms - keep total moisture in air to about 7 grams / m3 - 50% RH at 15 degrees should do. If plaster is gypsum, its trapping condensation - need off, and replace with lime. Need a bit more info probably, but there wont be any major issues..
Thanks for the comments! We do try very hard to expose the damp industry for what it is.. Funny - you hit the nail on the head with the 'young' - so few people realise how simple and easy it is to turn these beautiful houses into a warm, dry place - and so much bigger than the average Wimpey dogbox..Probably cheaper too! I'll do what I can to show the bones - will need to find a suitable victim!
So what the actual way of solve damp on outside walls only then, mine goes up about a meter as the weather starts to get cooler, like now in September, walls were perflect dry during summer and just last month.
A growing problem. Ideally remove, and replace. Using lime mortar - no cement. It's because of water getting trapped in them by the damp proofing rubbish - which then blows the bricks apart - also because of the damage done to the bricks by power hammer drills which cracks them.
Peter Ward Thanks Peter. I was never a builder/brick layer. But now I have a personal interest I cannot believe anyone working within this field could be so ill-informed! Anyone with half a brain should know good and bad practices like these. Astonishing!
The damp industry is shocking in it's ability to defraud - and many builders are just self taught idiots - with no attempt to learn the real reasons for the problems they see every day. Totally unregulated industry, gets away with million pound fraud all the time. Just dealing with a £600,000 job that at MOST should have been £250k - the rest was fraud. Now biggish court case.
You need to do a video on a 1950s Housing Estate house that has plaster that’s directly on the wall rather than plasterboard. Why can’t they re-plaster walls without using plasterboard these days?
Got any videos of after you've been so we can see what you do surely just taking the plaster of the wall won't cure the problem it must be coming from somewhere
Thanks - Wet maybe, but correctly diagnosed, easily solved. This was ultimately tracked to a very long term water leak from an old iron water main owned by severn trent water. We had to analyses water samples over a long time period to track it - the water company still refuse to do anything about it - meanwhile water continues to pour into neighbouring properties gardens, and this house will never be dry until the leak is stopped or the water diverted. Peter Cox recommended a nice set of drillholes and cement tanking!
Hi there, eye opening videos! We're just buying our first house with rising damp in the front bay window only(according to the survey), do you think removing inner plaster and digging a trench outside to lower the level of the driveway would be a good way to start without drilling holes in the mortar? Cheers!
Classic case of exposed, cold wall - bays always get it. Yes, drop ground, but its mainly temp related. Take plaster off if damaged, otherwise leave - its just condensation related. Make sure the house is internally nice and dry - well ventilated, and always gently heated - 15 degrees min, heating on in background. That keeps all walls above dewpoint and stops any condensation. Also any sub floor vents - make sure open and venting. Check drains - get drain survey - bet surveyor never mentioned.
Hi peter. New subscriber here. Love your videos. Can't believe this is scam allowed to happen. Question: I live in a 1940s corner house in Dublin. There's no mould or condensation. Its just very cold, even with the heating on, its not great. I do air the house daily. My mother is getting on, & im thinking about insulating the solid walls in the bedrooms with insulated plasterboards. What wud you recommend for the D.I.Yer? Cheers
Solid wall insulation not good - constant background heating is the answer - doesnt cost any more - heating always on, but feed temp down to minimum - keep house at about 15 degrees. Check all drains, survey, find any cracks etc. Also ventilate kitchen and bathrooms - not just open windows letting all heat out. Gas fires not good - make humidity. All about constant background heat and ventilation rather than insulation..
Great vids - can you put any airtight/breather membranes directly below floorboards while ventilating the subfloor to help reduce draughts without trapping moisture?
You could probably get away with a proper breathable membrane - but NOT plastic sheets.. If you are putting under the floorboards, it would be better to install breathable insulation such as sheepwool between the joists which will prevent heat loss through the floor, and cut down any draughts. www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie is the only place I go - pure wool, will not get bugs, lovely and safe to handle as opposed to dangerous fibreglass.
Hi Peter, I have a property which was built in 1887, we have issues as we have no damp course, due to a leak making the wall wet and rotting our floor joists, we are now being told that we need to have DCP as the reading on the wall is to wet for the company hired by our Insurers to lay the flooring and plaster our walls, they are asking for £3K from me before they can continue the works, I may add that they rendered the wall knowing the brick work was wet which baffled me. I have noticed after viewing your vid and notes, that we do not have sufficient air bricks which may be the cause of the problem ? please help
Steven Waters Probably - email me peter@heritage-house.org if you need help. Certainly dont need dpc - and they will be trying to plaster with modern plasters, which will only suffer in a year or two - we see this all the time.
I am wondering if you could seal the brick from the inside with Tile/natural stone sealer, then line the brick with a moisture proof membrane, plus seal the wood frame joist with polyurethane or spar varnish and then insulate with foam and then use semi hard plastic wall film over the foam then your add your drywall. Go all out.
Can i just ask why British Building Regulations state that on ALL new built properties there must be a Physical DPC installed 150mm above ground level ? One other question :> Being a geochemist you must be aware of chlorides and nitrates that are found in ground moisture , please explain to me how these are present in brickwork , if there is no such thing as rising damp ? if moisture does not rise how did the salts contaminate the brickwork?
Yup - great isnt it! And every time they show an ad, we get a few pennies for showing it - so we are costing the damp industry all the time - evil sods they are..
Peter ward great video I've found it very educational. Can I pick your brains please. I've got a black bitumen paint around the side of my house in an ally way and I've got really damp walls due to it trapping the moisture in (I think) . How can I remove this stuff. Against the wall in the ally I've dug down about 4 courses of brick as mud was higher than the damp course.I've noticed all the pointing on these bricks is next to nothing. Would this be causing the damp.
Thanks - scrape off, or can use Doff / Torq machines. Probably need to just repoint with soft non hydraulic lime - no cement in the mix. Sounds like you on the right track though - only just seen comment - apologies!
Hi Peter, I need work done on my 1900 property [Derbyshire] and have had several bad experiences with builders. The plaster is coming of the external walls and chimney walls. I had an upstairs room insulated by what I think is a reputable company, they striped external walls down and put builders bubble wrap on the external walls, but told me for it to be effective the downstairs room needs to also be done! Also are external rendering is coming off, and I need to look at getting it all redone, but now I am totally confused. When you pay for a professional you expect them to be professional, We have trusted traders in Derbyshire but I don't trust them. What should I do. Alice
do tanking plasters work anywhere then? if not why have them? what is the reason the damp is coming from the sub floor? is it because someone covered the vents? so the hole drill injection damp proof is no good? is it best to remove the brick layer bit by bit and lay plastic insulation? cheers, alan
Hi I've recently got interested in dampness inside a house. While a lot is spoken about what not to do, what can you actually do once you get a damp wall? If you taken down the wall to the part where the bricks are, what would be the next step to prevent dampness? Is there some sort of special material that can be used to prevent it?
hi peter nice to see some one like my self that know wot they are doing when it come to damp proofing to sort it out the right way i all so see this all the time all best peter
Dear Peter, I have a very old Victorian house which has a slate tile DPC which has corroded and decayed badly and there is a massive amount of ground water being absorbed by my walls. I've had damp wally quote a thousand pounds to inject cream but after watching your videos I did not get it done. I have no idea what to Do? Can you please give any advice? Many thanks
Doubt slate has corroded - dampness is NOT from the ground - there will be simple solutions - need more info - can email us office@heritage-consulting.org and we can help.
I have recently purchased a FLIR B50. The technology is absolutely fantastic.. I was interested to know what qualifications/ courses/ training you have in the field? I would be interested in enhancing my knowledge on the subject.
Peter, I assume gypsum is okay on internal walls and also on walls that contain a breathable cavity of 2"? Please advise as I am plastering the solid stone walls to the front and rear of my home soon. Thanks kindly!
Well no, not really - on solid walls it is impermeable and can trap condensation. Internal walls are actually more prone to it than external - for complex reasons. If there is a breathable cavity, it wont be breathable if there is gypsum!!! Modern build - you can use it - solid walls - I would not. If you insist, then the consequences are yours.. you will need to keep humidity levels VERY low to avoid interstitial condensation where gypsum is concerned. To be going to the trouble of taking plaster off walls, and then slopping gypsum back on, is madness... why take it off in the first place - you might as well just leave the old crumbling - grotty damp plaster on, because that's what it will become again!
You mentioned not to use gypsum on walls with a breathable cavity and then said it was okay to use on modern builds. But modern builds do have breathable cavities! The extension to side extension is a new build with 2" insulated boards in 4" cavities. The solid stone is in the main house. I assume you think it important to leave gypsum on existing stone, perhaps just skim it? This leaves the new masonry walls and new cavity walls in extension okay to do in gypsum, is that right? Thanks for all your help.
Hi Peter. Solid walls need lime what please? We've had exactly this problem and after my husband hacked off the damaged area he used gypsum on our solid walls and yes the problem is still with us. He hacked down to the brick, walls were dry and some black mortar still visible between bricks. Looks like he'll have to hack it off again but what does he use please on the brick and for final skim?
Jill Skinner I believe Peter suggests Lime render/plaster on any external facing walls. On internal walls, not made of solid stone, you can use gypsum.
We use clay paints internally - earthborn is good. Timber - only thing is the linseed paint system - oricalcum do fantastic paints - breathable, and VERY low maintenance..
Hi Peter, I have a similar situation regarding damp throughout much of the first floor, but no tanking or injections have taken place. Our advise has been to strip the first meter or so in the down stairs and let dry for 3-6 months before it receives a damp treatment. What would your advice be regarding the use of industrial dehumidifiers? I notice you advise to strip and let dry naturally, never the use of dehumidifiers. Why is this?
dry naturally - good ventilation. and NO treatment - if it dries, why do anything - just plaster in lime. dehumidifiers dry the surface, but dont pull water out of the fabric.
I am currently in the process of purchasing an old property the survey pointed out rising damp. Your video and the information I've gathered from the websites such as homebuilding.co.uk have prevented me from making a very costly mistake and ruining a beautiful Edwardian house. I have had a damp proofing expert around who was going to inject the walls. Now I'm going to look more deeply into the matter and improve the underfloor ventilation. One question how would you dry out a house?
I've read the information on your heritage house link. It takes time to dry out a house and ventilation seems to be the key. I think the most important thing I note for my situation is not to re-plaster until the walls are dry and the cause of damp (if there really is any) needs to be diagnosed.
Why? Because as building surveyors we see the public being conned out of countless millions by these fraudsters and want to stop the evil sods. Also because they have destroyed countless British houses - riddling the walls with stupid drillholes that deface the brickwork, and create long term problems. Internally, all they do is trap moisture... Need more info on sulphate attack - all to do with moisture - so need to control levels and source... peter@heritage-consulting.org
Hi Peter you know the way you say lime plaster breathes how do you paint it after to make sure it continues breathing when using modern latex and vinyl based paints ,would they trap moisture
Well comments like this are great - so now the damp proofing industry isn't damaging your bricks any more- they are just defrauding you the same way by injecting useless chemicals into the mortar beds instead. No change there then! Oh - and what are your qualifications paul essex uk? I lecture in geochemistry amongst other things at various universities... over to you....:-)
Looks like it's done by the ones who made this > ruclips.net/video/HYgD2mb1zvA/видео.html promo video, looks about the same house. I first saw that video and thought 'why are the putting damp-restictive cement on an old wall (which is suposed to let damp through it).
Wet maybe, but correctly diagnosed, easily solved. This was ultimately tracked to a very long term water leak from an old iron water main owned by severn trent water.
Hi Peter, I'm a professional builder and electrical engineer (Tom jones complete building & maintenance services) don't laugh... I have seen most of your vids and admire your professional diagnosis. Personally I'm sick to the back teeth of rectifying problems caused solely by the "Damp specialists".
Thanks Tommy
I can't wait to see the update! Could you please show what a room looks like when stripped down to laths. People just don't know. My town is full of Victorian & Edwardian houses and almost all of them have been re pointed with cement plaster, & you can see damp proofing on walls too. People are just ignorant, even the ones who should know better just don't know. Perhaps you ought to be on Facebook, catch them young, so we may have some old houses left standing in 50 years time.
The trouble with some of these cases is the client is not happy to wait 12-18 months to let things dry out. It can be frustrating trying t explain to people that these process take a lot of time!
We just got a surveyors report on a late victorian house we are buying, saying it was horrific and mentions the house has rising damp everywhere, yet I been there many times to measure up and can’t smell damp and it doesn’t feel damp. Your videos are brilliant how do I hire you, I just don’t trust this report now?
Hi Peter. It's funny that you mention Peter Cox early on in the video. They are used in my current rented property which was damp treated before I moved in three months ago and the hallway walls and cellar are streaming with water. Company is being sent back out to redo the work so it'll be interesting to see what happens!
They will just wreck the place again - they are useless con artists. All you will achieve is a cover up of a problem and no diagnosis. The issue will be internal moisture, lack of ventilation, and possibly things like cracked drains - needs PROPERLY diagnosing before these idiots get a chance to wreck the place.
Hi I just bought an Edwardian house it has two 4*4 cellar rooms the rooms appear damp to the touch more the floor but walls too. OK so how do I go about turning these into a kitchen. as they both have windows. I was thinking the cement style then watched lots of things and now im thinking the membrane.....help where do I get good advice im in Liverpool. if I don't need the expensive system then I wont get it but I don't want to do a half assed job... probably get a firm in tbh but who??
Please help...PS the holes in the bricks....well the cellars are full of them :( not even filled in just looks loke two drill holes in the bricks all the way round.
Peter Ward! You are my hero!
Any recommendations on whom to use for damp issues in an old houses? ( in south Yorkshire)
hi peter i just bought a house which never has a gas fire or central heating and its a stone build house (yorkshire stone) it has a well wall outside and the damp man call stating it needs damp proofing from the inside it looks like someone has used a cement board, what advised would you give shall i strip the boards and let it wall dry naturally and what is the best way to plaster on the internal walls so the bricks can breathe. great information
Hi Peter, came across your videos as scared to get someone to come have a look at our house and con us! We have a old mill terrace cottage. Downstairs on the lower walls we have a few patches of ‘damp’ and some of the plaster is coming loose on one of the patches…outside it’s all the natural brick no cladding- the only thing I can think from your videos is our external ground level is too high, but it’s been the same since we moved in 4 years ago, how do we tell if a damp specialist is reputable?
You cant - they are all con artists.. More than likely it will be simple stuff like ventilation - need to gently heat house to around 15 degrees and keep it there, dont let cool down in winter. Ventilate kitchen and bathrooms - keep total moisture in air to about 7 grams / m3 - 50% RH at 15 degrees should do. If plaster is gypsum, its trapping condensation - need off, and replace with lime. Need a bit more info probably, but there wont be any major issues..
Thanks for the comments! We do try very hard to expose the damp industry for what it is.. Funny - you hit the nail on the head with the 'young' - so few people realise how simple and easy it is to turn these beautiful houses into a warm, dry place - and so much bigger than the average Wimpey dogbox..Probably cheaper too! I'll do what I can to show the bones - will need to find a suitable victim!
So what the actual way of solve damp on outside walls only then, mine goes up about a meter as the weather starts to get cooler, like now in September, walls were perflect dry during summer and just last month.
The trouble now is we seal the house up so it's airtight and the walls carnt breath condensation all the time
Yup - thats the trouble with all these government initiatives - very little thought or research into the consequences.
solution for silicone injected bricks which are starting to deteriorate?
A growing problem. Ideally remove, and replace. Using lime mortar - no cement. It's because of water getting trapped in them by the damp proofing rubbish - which then blows the bricks apart - also because of the damage done to the bricks by power hammer drills which cracks them.
Peter Ward Thanks Peter. I was never a builder/brick layer. But now I have a personal interest I cannot believe anyone working within this field could be so ill-informed! Anyone with half a brain should know good and bad practices like these. Astonishing!
The damp industry is shocking in it's ability to defraud - and many builders are just self taught idiots - with no attempt to learn the real reasons for the problems they see every day. Totally unregulated industry, gets away with million pound fraud all the time. Just dealing with a £600,000 job that at MOST should have been £250k - the rest was fraud. Now biggish court case.
You need to do a video on a 1950s Housing Estate house that has plaster that’s directly on the wall rather than plasterboard. Why can’t they re-plaster walls without using plasterboard these days?
Got any videos of after you've been so we can see what you do surely just taking the plaster of the wall won't cure the problem it must be coming from somewhere
where can i learn your knowledge?
Excellent stuff Peter
Thanks - Wet maybe, but correctly diagnosed, easily solved. This was ultimately tracked to a very long term water leak from an old iron water main owned by severn trent water. We had to analyses water samples over a long time period to track it - the water company still refuse to do anything about it - meanwhile water continues to pour into neighbouring properties gardens, and this house will never be dry until the leak is stopped or the water diverted. Peter Cox recommended a nice set of drillholes and cement tanking!
Hi there, eye opening videos! We're just buying our first house with rising damp in the front bay window only(according to the survey), do you think removing inner plaster and digging a trench outside to lower the level of the driveway would be a good way to start without drilling holes in the mortar? Cheers!
Classic case of exposed, cold wall - bays always get it. Yes, drop ground, but its mainly temp related. Take plaster off if damaged, otherwise leave - its just condensation related. Make sure the house is internally nice and dry - well ventilated, and always gently heated - 15 degrees min, heating on in background. That keeps all walls above dewpoint and stops any condensation. Also any sub floor vents - make sure open and venting. Check drains - get drain survey - bet surveyor never mentioned.
Hi peter. New subscriber here. Love your videos. Can't believe this is scam allowed to happen. Question: I live in a 1940s corner house in Dublin. There's no mould or condensation. Its just very cold, even with the heating on, its not great. I do air the house daily. My mother is getting on, & im thinking about insulating the solid walls in the bedrooms with insulated plasterboards. What wud you recommend for the D.I.Yer? Cheers
Solid wall insulation not good - constant background heating is the answer - doesnt cost any more - heating always on, but feed temp down to minimum - keep house at about 15 degrees. Check all drains, survey, find any cracks etc. Also ventilate kitchen and bathrooms - not just open windows letting all heat out. Gas fires not good - make humidity. All about constant background heat and ventilation rather than insulation..
Great vids - can you put any airtight/breather membranes directly below floorboards while ventilating the subfloor to help reduce draughts without trapping moisture?
You could probably get away with a proper breathable membrane - but NOT plastic sheets.. If you are putting under the floorboards, it would be better to install breathable insulation such as sheepwool between the joists which will prevent heat loss through the floor, and cut down any draughts. www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie is the only place I go - pure wool, will not get bugs, lovely and safe to handle as opposed to dangerous fibreglass.
Hi Peter, I have a property which was built in 1887, we have issues as we have no damp course, due to a leak making the wall wet and rotting our floor joists, we are now being told that we need to have DCP as the reading on the wall is to wet for the company hired by our Insurers to lay the flooring and plaster our walls, they are asking for £3K from me before they can continue the works, I may add that they rendered the wall knowing the brick work was wet which baffled me. I have noticed after viewing your vid and notes, that we do not have sufficient air bricks which may be the cause of the problem ? please help
Steven Waters Probably - email me peter@heritage-house.org if you need help. Certainly dont need dpc - and they will be trying to plaster with modern plasters, which will only suffer in a year or two - we see this all the time.
I am wondering if you could seal the brick from the inside with Tile/natural stone sealer, then line the brick with a moisture proof membrane, plus seal the wood frame joist with polyurethane or spar varnish and then insulate with foam and then use semi hard plastic wall film over the foam then your add your drywall. Go all out.
laccanvas you'd certainly get a very wet wall!
Yes I would! We are looking into lime plaster for our construction.
Can i just ask why British Building Regulations state that on ALL new built properties there must be a Physical DPC installed 150mm above ground level ?
One other question :> Being a geochemist you must be aware of chlorides and nitrates that are found in ground moisture , please explain to me how these are present in brickwork , if there is no such thing as rising damp ? if moisture does not rise how did the salts contaminate the brickwork?
The add for with this video is dry zone damp proofing product rather ironic don't you think. Really enjoying these videos
Yup - great isnt it! And every time they show an ad, we get a few pennies for showing it - so we are costing the damp industry all the time - evil sods they are..
Peter ward great video
I've found it very educational.
Can I pick your brains please.
I've got a black bitumen paint around the side of my house in an ally way and I've got really damp walls due to it trapping the moisture in (I think) .
How can I remove this stuff.
Against the wall in the ally I've dug down about 4 courses of brick as mud was higher than the damp course.I've noticed all the pointing on these bricks is next to nothing. Would this be causing the damp.
Thanks - scrape off, or can use Doff / Torq machines. Probably need to just repoint with soft non hydraulic lime - no cement in the mix. Sounds like you on the right track though - only just seen comment - apologies!
Hi Peter, I need work done on my 1900 property [Derbyshire] and have had several bad experiences with builders. The plaster is coming of the external walls and chimney walls. I had an upstairs room insulated by what I think is a reputable company, they striped external walls down and put builders bubble wrap on the external walls, but told me for it to be effective the downstairs room needs to also be done! Also are external rendering is coming off, and I need to look at getting it all redone, but now I am totally confused. When you pay for a professional you expect them to be professional, We have trusted traders in Derbyshire but I don't trust them. What should I do. Alice
drop us an email office@heritage-consulting and we'll see what we can do to help..... Or read www.heritage-house.org !
do tanking plasters work anywhere then? if not why have them?
what is the reason the damp is coming from the sub floor? is it because someone covered the vents?
so the hole drill injection damp proof is no good? is it best to remove the brick layer bit by bit and lay plastic insulation?
cheers, alan
Where is the update?
Hi I've recently got interested in dampness inside a house. While a lot is spoken about what not to do, what can you actually do once you get a damp wall? If you taken down the wall to the part where the bricks are, what would be the next step to prevent dampness? Is there some sort of special material that can be used to prevent it?
Let it breathe and dont cover - if you plaster, use breathable lime plaster...
hi peter nice to see some one like my self that know wot they are doing when it come to damp proofing to sort it out the right way i all so see this all the time all best peter
Dear Peter, I have a very old Victorian house which has a slate tile DPC which has corroded and decayed badly and there is a massive amount of ground water being absorbed by my walls. I've had damp wally quote a thousand pounds to inject cream but after watching your videos I did not get it done. I have no idea what to Do? Can you please give any advice?
Many thanks
Doubt slate has corroded - dampness is NOT from the ground - there will be simple solutions - need more info - can email us office@heritage-consulting.org and we can help.
I have recently purchased a FLIR B50. The technology is absolutely fantastic.. I was interested to know what qualifications/ courses/ training you have in the field? I would be interested in enhancing my knowledge on the subject.
Flir themselves do quite a few courses....
Peter, I assume gypsum is okay on internal walls and also on walls that contain a breathable cavity of 2"? Please advise as I am plastering the solid stone walls to the front and rear of my home soon. Thanks kindly!
Well no, not really - on solid walls it is impermeable and can trap condensation. Internal walls are actually more prone to it than external - for complex reasons. If there is a breathable cavity, it wont be breathable if there is gypsum!!! Modern build - you can use it - solid walls - I would not. If you insist, then the consequences are yours.. you will need to keep humidity levels VERY low to avoid interstitial condensation where gypsum is concerned. To be going to the trouble of taking plaster off walls, and then slopping gypsum back on, is madness... why take it off in the first place - you might as well just leave the old crumbling - grotty damp plaster on, because that's what it will become again!
You mentioned not to use gypsum on walls with a breathable cavity and then said it was okay to use on modern builds. But modern builds do have breathable cavities! The extension to side extension is a new build with 2" insulated boards in 4" cavities. The solid stone is in the main house. I assume you think it important to leave gypsum on existing stone, perhaps just skim it? This leaves the new masonry walls and new cavity walls in extension okay to do in gypsum, is that right? Thanks for all your help.
New build can use gypsum, solid walls need lime..
Hi Peter. Solid walls need lime what please? We've had exactly this problem and after my husband hacked off the damaged area he used gypsum on our solid walls and yes the problem is still with us. He hacked down to the brick, walls were dry and some black mortar still visible between bricks. Looks like he'll have to hack it off again but what does he use please on the brick and for final skim?
Jill Skinner I believe Peter suggests Lime render/plaster on any external facing walls. On internal walls, not made of solid stone, you can use gypsum.
hi when you decorate what paint would you use or recommend thanks.
We use clay paints internally - earthborn is good. Timber - only thing is the linseed paint system - oricalcum do fantastic paints - breathable, and VERY low maintenance..
Hi Peter, I have a similar situation regarding damp throughout much of the first floor, but no tanking or injections have taken place. Our advise has been to strip the first meter or so in the down stairs and let dry for 3-6 months before it receives a damp treatment. What would your advice be regarding the use of industrial dehumidifiers? I notice you advise to strip and let dry naturally, never the use of dehumidifiers. Why is this?
dry naturally - good ventilation. and NO treatment - if it dries, why do anything - just plaster in lime. dehumidifiers dry the surface, but dont pull water out of the fabric.
I am currently in the process of purchasing an old property the survey pointed out rising damp. Your video and the information I've gathered from the websites such as homebuilding.co.uk have prevented me from making a very costly mistake and ruining a beautiful Edwardian house. I have had a damp proofing expert around who was going to inject the walls. Now I'm going to look more deeply into the matter and improve the underfloor ventilation. One question how would you dry out a house?
I've read the information on your heritage house link. It takes time to dry out a house and ventilation seems to be the key. I think the most important thing I note for my situation is not to re-plaster until the walls are dry and the cause of damp (if there really is any) needs to be diagnosed.
Wow, just... wow. What I don't understand though is, Peter, why you are doing this? And, what do I do with a sulphate attack in the floor?
Why? Because as building surveyors we see the public being conned out of countless millions by these fraudsters and want to stop the evil sods. Also because they have destroyed countless British houses - riddling the walls with stupid drillholes that deface the brickwork, and create long term problems. Internally, all they do is trap moisture... Need more info on sulphate attack - all to do with moisture - so need to control levels and source... peter@heritage-consulting.org
Please can I have contact details for you as I have a bit of a damp problem in my house.
office@heritage-consulting.org
Hi Peter you know the way you say lime plaster breathes how do you paint it after to make sure it continues breathing when using modern latex and vinyl based paints ,would they trap moisture
Yes they do - use the earthborn clay paints....
Well comments like this are great - so now the damp proofing industry isn't damaging your bricks any more- they are just defrauding you the same way by injecting useless chemicals into the mortar beds instead. No change there then! Oh - and what are your qualifications paul essex uk? I lecture in geochemistry amongst other things at various universities... over to you....:-)
Moist air in bedrooms comes from breathing
Looks like it's done by the ones who made this > ruclips.net/video/HYgD2mb1zvA/видео.html promo video, looks about the same house.
I first saw that video and thought 'why are the putting damp-restictive cement on an old wall (which is suposed to let damp through it).
Wet wet wet
Wet maybe, but correctly diagnosed, easily solved. This was ultimately tracked to a very long term water leak from an old iron water main owned by severn trent water.