Rising damp

leeCal

Hi, I have a problem with rising damp in my present Victorian 9” single brick external walled house and I’m wondering if anyone else has found a good solution to this problem. I’ve looked at various products, some are topical paints and some are rods which require holes in the wall, the problem is the reviews are mixed and I’m not sure which way to go with this.

Anyone had a similar problem successfully solved?

woodbine

@leecal sorry no idea if i'm honest, could you get a builder in to have a look and offer solutions?

leeCal

Hi @woodbine, yes I could but I tend to try to fix most things myself. Eventually though I probably will have to. Expensive though I reckon.

(oh I see, just ask someone to have a look and give their opinion for free, yes that might help. )

leeCal

Quite right @Teddybear12, it’s a bit of a worry to be honest, ☹️

Lisatho11987777

I have it in a rented house and I now have water running down the wall in kitchen and my mums room landlord foesnt want to fix it because it's to much money I am trying to move which isn't easy either 

Cress

You should report your landlord @lisathomas50 .
That can be very bad for your health.

vikingqueen

         The only product I can think of for a DIY remedy is Zinsser Watertite although I'm not sure if it  will actually work on rising damp, and it doesn't come cheap. Zinsser web site will have all the technical data. 

TheAlien

You need to find where the water is getting in and for that you need a builder.  Painting over the problem is only painting over the problem, it doesn't solve it, just hides it.

leeCal

You’re right of course @TheAlien, painting over the problem won’t cure it. My house probably has a problem with it’s dampcourse if indeed it has one, so the problem could be quite onerous to cure, 

leeCal

I’ve had a look at the zinsser product, it looks pretty good, though as I’ve said painting over the rising damp won’t cure it.
thank you though @vikingqueen ?

chiarieds

Hi @leeCal - as others have suggested I would look for 3 builders that will give a free estimate (try a local facebook page for recommendations, or somewhere like Trustpilot), & see what they say. Do you have a damp proof course? Lack/breach of same may be the likely cause of your problems.

@lisathomas50 - your landlord has an obligation to keep your rented home safe. I wonder if they have an electrical safety certificate (needed from April 2021 for existing tenancies). I can't imagine water running down your kitchen walls alone is very safe. Please see: https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2021/02/landlord-electrical-safety/

Some guidance also from the government's website about a landlord's obligations: https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/your-landlords-safety-responsibilities    & where to get help if they don't comply:

https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/repairs   e.g.:
'If repairs are not done

Contact the environmental health department at your local council for help. They must take action if they think the problems could harm you.......'

leeCal

Thank you @chiarieds, I probably will have to get a builder in so yes, three quotes will be necessary. Re a dampcourse, I’m not sure that we have one, it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t as quite a few of surrounding streets properties don’t. 

Lisatho11987777

@chiarieds I have done all the above still waiting for environmental health to get back to me I am applying for private rented houses which is difficult houses go quick or you need a guarantor  if your on benefits or the rent is to high 

If environmental health come to the house and see the problems  and the work needs to be done the chimney needs  takeing down or repaired its more urgent now my mum is here with me its affecting my mental health then they can make the landlord do the work or they can deem it to be not safe then the counciol will rehouse me 

It's proving to be difficult as I keep getting told my landlord has alot of friends in high places my local councilor even told me to stop complaining about him incase he throws me out I said to her good I will get rehoused  but my support worker said he won't do  that because I am paying my rent my mum is 84 with dementia and I have a disability and he would get alot of bad publicity  friends high up or not 

Adrian_Scope

I've cropped out the bottom section of your image @lisathomas50 as it contained other images showing personal information such as a driving license and letters with addresses and full names visible. For safety, it's always advisable to look at what else may accidentally have made its way into images.

Lisatho11987777

the top photo is the water comeing through the chimney dripping into the kitchen 

The second photo is my mums bedroom wall as the the chimney goes down from her bedroom 

I just want to move now 

TheAlien

I had to go through a solicitor to get the repairs done to my council flat.  My back door wasn't weatherproof, I had mould growing in most rooms, and I was invaded by slugs every night.

The ombudsman complaint I'd put in a couple of years before found for the council and said that a planned remodel would fix the issue, but no one took into account that the remodel would make the place unsuitable for a disabled person to live in as it would greatly impact on the functionality of all the rooms (narrower passageways, repositioned doorways etc).  My solicitor said that this was normal, they very often come down on the side of the landlord.

My local councillors were worse than useless and were just playing one upsmanship against each other.  No one was listening.

You need to stay strong and just keep chipping away at them.  For me, going legal was the only way to get everything done.

OverlyAnxious

Is your landlord called Rigsby? 

We managed to reduce a damp problem by adding a small shingle trough along the outside of the wall.  That allows the lower part of the wall to breathe rather than being jammed with wet mud.  Not sure if that may help here.

leeCal

That’s a good idea @OverlyAnxious, we already have that though. Thank you.

leeCal

@Carts said:
Damp rods drilled into the wall will assist.

I’ve looked at those and they are expensive and the reviews are approx 70% in favour. In your experience do they work well?

calcotti

leeCal said:

Thank you @chiarieds, I probably will have to get a builder in so yes, three quotes will be necessary. Re a dampcourse, I’m not sure that we have one, it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t as quite a few of surrounding streets properties don’t. 

A Victorian House is very unlikely to have been built with any kind of damp proof course. It isn't a problem that lends itself to a DIY solution.