damp in lower wall condensation

by **wirralrob** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:33 am

hi, ive got a problem with damp appearing through just above my skirting board and under a window. this wall had a dpc fitted about 3 years ago before i moved in. the damp showed up on the survey, the then owners got the company back in who said it needed the outside adjoining wall capping and longrr to dry out. basically i went one step further and had the wall built, but still getting damp. dont know who the company was that installed the dpc. this room/ wall never sees thr sun so is always cool, so i was maybe thinking it is condensation problem as it is more noticable when the washing is drying out. also getting powder build up in some points (efflorescence?) and the plaster is hollow now in the damp patches. will plaster need hacking off and how do i cure problem? cheers in advance
p.s sorry about any bad spelling this wss wrote on my phone

by **welsh brickie** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:10 pm

Is it a solid wall or cavity wall,it sounds like the cavity is blocked just above dpc level.Hire a borescope (fibre optic camera) form your local hire company.Or remove the window cill board and you may be able to see down the cavity

by **wirralrob** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:27 pm

its solid brick wall unfortunately, 1910 terrace. never buying an old house again had so many problems! i was looking to sell again soon so was hoping not 2 have 2 spend to much money on it. lookin at the wall again the paint has gone powdery on top and the top layer of dust just brushes off.

by **welsh brickie** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:39 pm

[quote="wirralrob"]its solid brick wall unfortunately, 1910 terrace. never buying an old house again had so many problems! i was looking to sell again soon so was hoping not 2 have 2 spend to much money on it. lookin at the wall again the paint has gone powdery on top and the top layer of dust just brushes off.[/quote]
Unfortunatly it needs to come off at a height of 1 metre,Paint the brickwork with bitumin paint at least 3 coats,on the last coat throw sharp sand on it,so when it sets it gives the plaster something to grip to.The plaster you can use is either sand/cement/lime mix 6:1:1 or limelite plaster.The sand and cement option is cheaper.