A recent (and typical) enquiry about a damp wall
A recent phonecall recieved went along the lines of:
Caller: “I want to get a damp wall injected before it gets rendered”
Me: “Why do you want it injected?”
Caller: “The wall is damp, the damp proof course has broken down”
Me: “Damp proof courses don’t break down”
Caller: “But my wall is damp, I’m getting the render done anyway”
Me: “You need to identify where the water is coming in before you spend money rendering as the render will ensure the wall stays damp”
Caller: “The render needs fixed”
Me: “You need to find out what is causing the dampness before spending any money on it as it may remain wet. There are numerous reasons for a damp wall from high ground levels, blocked ventilation, blocked or damaged drainage, poor detailing around windows, poor detailing at roof level, water ingress around chimneys, historic water ingress trapped by previous damp proofing etc.”
Caller: “It has been injected before, how long does it last?”
Me: “It doesn’t work. There will be several problems causing the dampness that need to be remedied”
Caller: “I’ll get the render done and see how it goes”
Me: “!”
I did refer the caller to freely available documents on traditional building maintenence but I have little hope. We are happy to provide free advice but you are clearly under no obligation to accept it. 🙂
