MAJOR damp problems and an update on that mystery pipe! (Renovation Part 17)
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- We have damp issues in our house! Over the years of working in older properties I’ve run in to hundreds of damp issues in customers’ houses. The vast majority of the time the issues have a simple explanation and have very little to do with failed damp proof courses. The DPC in this house is 100 years old and it’s absolutely fine. Anyway, let’s take a look at our damp walls and what’s causing them. I’ll also give you an update on that mystery pipe!
Mystery pipe video: • Safely(ish) removing u...
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#Renovation #Construction #Remodel
How anyone can make a video on damp interesting I don’t know but I watched to the end and thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice one 👍
Glad you enjoyed it - thank you Mark! 👍
@@GosforthHandyman Hi dear, this is Jane from PRTUKYT, we release one wireless headphone and would love to invite you to test it, are you interested?If so, pls let me know how to contact you. Thank you in advance.
Brilliant video, we had an old house and the back of it was really damp. Unfortunately on the day we took the keys we turned the water on and every water pipe leaked at every join, taps leaked, drains leaked and there was an outside toilet that had been incorporated into the house and the drain and pipes were never sealed. It took about 2 years for it to finally dry out.
So satisfying to hear someone say what is fact and proven about dampness, its almost always NOT a DPC failure.
Brilliant vid mate!
Peter Ward has a thing or several to say on damp problems?
Cheers! 👍👍
ive only ever seen one DPC failure and that was a 300mm breach and to be fair even that was down to mainly joint failure. damp is nearly if not always caused by water ingress via roofs and guttering IMO
@@cliveclapham6451 lol wouldn't be a damp video without someone mentioning Peter Ward. I always wondered how people think a DPC just suddenly fails all by itself
@@elobiretv a lot of wot he says makes sense. I have applied his thinking to a single signed skinned conservatory with good results.
Peter Ward will love you for slagging wally damp man off great video Andy👍🍺
Ha ha, yes. Wally Damp has a lot to answer for. 😂
Those concrete bases were probably when those houses were built for a coal fired boiler where people used to light a fire under a huge bowl for Want of a better word or Copper On washday
Cauldron?
Yep. I remember the old 'Copper'.
The electricity supply and gas meters are there, I had the same house a street away, my services were there as well, so assuming all houses in the estate will be the same. I can’t see it being a place for a boiler?
We had a copper in our house when I was a kid. My parents always called it a "set pot" as kids we got bathed in it until one bathnight my toe went through the bottom and you can imagine what ensued!!!!!!!
There's no sign of a chimney or vent in this area so don't think it was boiler related. Could be wrong!
This knocks Netflix into a cocked hat; can't wait for the next episode! Thanks so much
So good to see a proper dismantle & dig out to solve the problems. Band-aids in old buildings often just compound problems. Interested to see if the suspended floor works out with old concrete/brick foundations. Thanks for taking us along!
No worries - glad you enjoyed! 👍
"old" its 1920's i wouldnt really call it old.
weve just been doing work for english heritage on a 1600's house
I found similar concrete foundations under my old house, they were to support an old cast iron range.
Interesting! Could be, but right next to the back door? 🤔
@@GosforthHandyman - easier to bring in fuel perhaps?
I’m with you on this. Could be in had an external feed for the range, which was stocked outside the back door.
Great video mate I have watched a lot of videos on damp issues and the name Peter Ward always crops up. Not sure if you have seen his videos but he isn’t a fan of the “damp wallies”😁. He would be impressed by your diagnosis and fix 👍
Yes, Peter Ward's videos are excellent - he doesn't mince his words 👍👍😁
As often with old houses , a voyage of discovery. Interesting as always. Had similar discoveries in my own house ownership history. I agree with you about the damp. Condensation is often the cause .
Cheers! Glad you enjoyed!
I'm impressed! As of the moment, 292 comments, at least 250 them original posts, and Andy, you replied to all of them! This tells me the sort of gentleman that you are. We subscribe because we value your work and your instruction, and you have made us feel that our comments are also valued. I know of no other UA-cam account of this volume where every comment is recognized and responded to. We appreciate these great videos as well as your time and thoughtfulness.
Thanks Bob and I remember all the regulars too! Always appreciate it. This channel wouldn't be the same without all the fantastic suggestions and thoughts from you guys. Sadly I can only reply for the first couple of days of a video going live, gets too much after that. So pays to subscribe! 😁👍🛠️
Very impressed by my Titan concrete breaker - same as you used in this video. Worked out around the same price as hiring one for a weekend, so handy to have for renovations especially in the garden where lots has been concreted in previously.
spot on diagnosis in my mind. the damp wallies don't want to rip your floor up of course, its easier for them to try to sell their solutions and potions. Always good to catch up with your videos, thank you.
I had a 'mare' at the back of the washing machine and tumble dryer. Two days later turns out the pipework had microscopic pinholes ! Which had me chasing red herrings, never guessing it was pinholes in the bloody pipes 😡
That looks like an old gas pipe I’m sure that’s how they used to protect the pipe
Yup, coal gas probably. 👍
Very disappointed , no dead bodies under the quarry tiles !!!!
Great work.
I have/had damp issues in my 2 bed Victorian end-of-terrace.
I dug a 1 foot wide trench down the gable side of the house, to foundation level I think. Pulled all the mud and soul away from the building, and filled in the trench with dry stone and gravel.
That was last winter.
I also has the entire house re-pointed as the existing mortar was either crumnling away, or had been applied very shoddily.
Waiting to see if that has sorted the issues this year 🤞
Seems I was correct about the continuity of the soil to the old gas pipe. The concrete and brick hearth was likely for a Range Master/ Aga at some point, as I noticed there was signs of a back boiler addition in one of the fire places too. The back fill for a solid pour floor is pretty common around here and is one of the main causes after water shedding for damp. This house has obviously had additions and alterations over the decades but hasn't been particularly well treated. The cracks in the walls upstairs where you have the main support beam for the partition wall is potentially due to movement caused by the damp on the footing of the wall by the kitchen entrance. It's nice to see a channel stripping back to the bone and doing it properly, my customers would have the same aspirations if budget would allow.
Yup, stripped a back boiler from behind the main fireplace. 👍
in the old streets in wheldon lane they used to have boiling tubs in the kitchen and the brick work was the same as in your kitchen.
thanks for this bit of history!
Interesting! Only thing is it's right next to the back door?
Was nice to see your daughter helping you!
Must be very satisfying to know your house is all secure because you've made it so yourself.
Defo, at this stage we know the house intimately. It's a nice feeling. 👍😁
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. It was good to get some closure on the mystery pipe 😄
Yes, I don't think I could have slept at night if I hadn't dug that up. 😁
You make the most mundane DIY stuff really really interesting, and your choice of music when digging up the floor was the icing on the cake!
Andy, It was so good to hear you speak the truth about the causes of damp walls. I have been saying this for 40 years.
Yet another cracking video.
Cheers! Encountered so many times over the years! Failed DPC is very low down the list of things I look for. 👍
Hi Andy, some very useful info'. I didn't realise damp could be so interesting. Your persistence is inspiring for sure. I guess it must feel like two steps forward and one step backwards at times. Good luck and here's to completion.
Ha defo! Light at the end of the tunnel though - at least in this phase. 👍😁
Totally agree with your approach on dampness. I'm not saying rising damp doesn't exist, but so many properties have been drilled and injected unnecessarily due to bad drainage, lack of subfloor ventilation, incorrect mortar, high ground levels etc and the original problem doesn't even get resolved. Interesting that I'm seeing concrete, which was used to replace timber is now being dug out and replaced with...... drum roll....... timber, in some projects.
I was told by a builder I had damp in my 30s semi I have just bought in 1986. I'm still in it and never had problems of damp. When you buy a old house that's not been lived in fully. Once your living in it get the heating on and vent the house. And watch how it dries out.
Looks like what we found in our mid-30s London semi. Cleared out many tunny bags of rubble, dust, old cables, lead pipe, and put French drain across the front after massively lowering the front paving. Lots of archeological layers. Now, the 1 meter high void under the original property is bone dry and pleasant to move around in and use as storage with sealed plastic boxes. A lot of work, but well worth it.
Fantastic stuff - well worth the effort! 👍
Great vid Andy, thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Cheers John!
Great lesson on how important it is to get the water away from your house and that annual inspections and maintenance are so necessary.👍🇨🇦🙂
Defo - drying the property out is so important. 👍
Another problem in old stone houses which we have in Cumbria is damp in chimneys, especially in houses with central heating. The chimneys are vented, so you'd expect them to be dry, but in the late summer when the air is more humid the water vapour rising up inside the chimney condenses on the cold stone lining the chimney and seeps through into the bedroom wall. It took me years to work that one out!
Should dig that floor out then lay mot sand dpm insulation and pour a new slab on top, will be a more sound floor for a kitchen and will prevent any future water damage or ingress
I want to do everything to avoid moisture being forced back up the walls, so suspended floor with lots of ventilation underneath so it all dries out 👍
Well done, I'm a big believer in taking your time and using logic and patience when resolving problems.
Cheers! Yup, deep breath and work it out. 👍👍
I’ll have to subscribe & catch up. The bitumen steel pipe is likely an old gas pipe. You have to have years of experience to work out materials & their decade of use. There lies the clues. Old drawings from the local planning Dept helps. Alterations over the lifespan of the building & why. Plus differentiate good & poor workmanship. I’d still take out that concrete. It will clear a possible problem & clear your feet for the joists you proposed. Must watch the rest of your videos.
that info cant find anywhere else!!! thanks man!!
No worries! 👍
Damp proof couurse is very low !!!! is there another damp proof course outside two bricks up ?
I absolutely enjoyed watching this now I've bought my first house ex council 1930s with "condensation" issue but I suspect some more issues already spotted down pipe bust so got seller to replace it and pointing gone so will be repointing that 🤣
Not a pleasant job? Are you kidding? Breaking up old and worthless crap is the most satisfying job ever.
Well diagnosed, like Peter Ward says, check drainage, ground levels and ventilation.
Defo - DPC is always fairly low down my list. No unheard of obviously, but rule everything else out first. 👍
My garage is next to my neighbours backyard. My plot is lower than hers. Every time if it rains heavy or continuously for hours, the wall of my garage on her side becomes wet and even water accumulates on floor next to the wall. How can it be fixed without doing anything on her side?
You know it's a good video when 26mins fly by
Cheers - glad you enjoyed it! 👍
Why did you work around those cabinets? Didn't constantly moving them annoy you?
I wonder if the concrete and bricks couldn't have been the old pantry/larder relying on thermal mass to keep stuff cooler. Also could the space by the garage door have been a porch or opening off the garage?
I would be intrigued to hear your prognosis on water appearing in a cellar, where there are no drainpipes, as it is in a mid terrace surround by houses. The cellar leak is in the middle of the house..
Subscribed, awesome content
Is all this 'unexpected' stuff the sort of thing you'd expect or would this have affected you decision to purchase if you'd have know all this in advance? I think I mean, is this par for the course or an exceptional case? Any road up, looks like you've got your work cut out mate.
All par for the course for houses of this age so nothing unexpected. Seen much worse to be fair. Major rot, woodworm etc. Glad we've got cavity walls as you get much bigger problems on solid walls. We're beyond the hump on this one, putting everything back together now. 👍😁
1. Roof
2. Secretaries
3. Ground floor of the house
-this start..with a lot to unload the bottoms
damp proof course 'dpc' Appreciate the Video. Carry on with the hard work Sir.
Great series Andy, thank you :)
No worries! 👍
Loved the track during the kitchen floor timelapse 👍🏻
yes me to do you know what it’s called? ATB
It's "Say you will" by Wellmess
Defo - great band! Didn't actually know they were a 'real' band. Some tracks are written specifically for Epidemic Sound, who I use for music. 👍
I came to the comments looking for info on the music - it's great 👍🏻. I did wonder if it was Andy's drumming!
8 minutes in an wondering what attracted you to this house 🤣 starting to sound like a money pit.. back to the video
Would putting a dehumidifier in these rooms while they dry out help speed up the process? Just curious because i play Cello and its gets really humid here in texas. So i keep a dehumidifier in the room where i store my instruments.
Great video mate. What's the name of that music track whilst you were taking up the floor please?
Just in the middle of doing the same to my 1900s house. Are the strange walls part of an old hearth?
The electric meter would be in the pantry hence the brick plinth .
My daughter bought a old terraced house in Portsmouth that had damp problems the walls at the front about 500 ml above the floor and had rotted the floor joists ends I found that it had cavity wall but the dpc was separate on the inside and outside leaves and that the lime mortar had over the last 100 plus years had filled the cavity way past the damp course not helped by a wartime bomb that demolished a nearby block , I had to take bricks out of the bottom course on the inside and rake out all cavity rubbish 16bags of it(front room) plus same in the hall where all the rubbish was up to the underside of the floor boards known as prompey thins plain boards app7" wide x 5/8 thick
Sounds like fun! 👍
Some great damp advice for all homeowners. Thanks for sharing.
No worries!
So good to see someone telling people about DPC and the cons from damp proofing companies, at last, well done.
Cheers! Always rule out the obvious first. That doesn't make as much money though. 👍😁
I think that pipe was a gas pipe that supplied gas to a boiler that was supported on those foundations an old washroom.
Finally someone speaking sense on old houses and damp!
Injection and concrete tanking ruin houses.
I had ‘damp’… uncapped chimney and garden level too high.
On the kitchen floor get yourself a limecrete floor with an expanded clay aggregate for insulation. Limecrete floors are breathable and the clay aggregate will discourage wicking.
I was told years ago when I first bought a house, get your gutters cleaned out every year, saves hassle in the long run
Really enjoy your videos. I'm sure you do well and if you don't you should be.. if every tradesperson had a YT channel like this they would be able to ask more for jobs due to showing competency, care and a real sense of pride and understanding of their trade. Too many cowboys and what trades need to realise is there are "Good" customers who will pay "Good" money for a job well done... its not a rat race to the bottom
Thank you Luke! As you say, never join the race to the bottom. 👍
Good , sound practical advice - thanks.
When those houses were built there was no electricity in them and it was town gas they would’ve used for the lighting in the house
Not sure, was just around the time electricity was being rolled out - but yes, probably had coal gas. 👍
@@GosforthHandyman our house, built in 1926, had electricity. No sockets upstairs though, just lighting..!
You do work hard mate.good luck
I love it! It's my gym membership. 😁👍
Could that reinforced section be where the copper boiler was originally installed?🤔. I am pleased these problems didn't dampen your enthusiasm. 😁👍🏽
Possibly! But there was not ventilation / chimney in that area. 🤔
Damp experts. More like dumb exploiters.
I solved a lot of my problems (several years back) by redirecting one of the gutter pipes and extending another gutter pipe further from the foundation. So, similar results to what you're facing.
Great stuff, makes a huge difference! 👍
One reason you may have been getting such a good earth on that old bitumen covered pipe is probably because it was wet inside, and water is an excellent conductor.
The surface area in contact with the wet soil wouldn't just have been the small piece of pipe in the outside, but the entire inner surface.
Defo, but how was it getting such good connectivity from outside to inside?
@@GosforthHandyman It is a metal pipe, so the outside and inside surfaces of the pipe are going to have very little resistance between them. water/mud inside the pipe would be contacting the inner surface of the pipe, and that would be bare or rusty metal. That same water/mud is also in contact with the wet earth part of the pipe was in contact with. So essentially, you had a highly conductive path from the outside of the pipe, to the inside of the pipe, through the water/mud in the pipe and then into the wet earth.
Now remember, water is an excellent conductor of electricity, so it isn't surprising you had such a good connection to ground.
Don't also forget, a metal pipe is just a circular piece of metal with a hole down the center. From an electrical perspective, it might as well been a flat piece of steel with one bare side and one covered in bituminous paint. Stick it in wet ground, and you are going to get a connection.
As a matter of fact, a copper covered steel rod hammered into the ground near where the mains come into the building is how some electrical distribution systems provide an Earth connection.
The other way of providing an Earth at the building is a separate wire from the transformer that is attached to the Neutral feed. Or sometimes if the building has the mains fed in from a metal covered feed, the outer metal is used to provide the Earth since it is already running through the ground and is a good Earth point. So regardless of the feed in, you are going to get a good connection from the old pipe to your Earth feed test point.
Mystery pipe looks to be a Gas pipe. I have one the same in my house.
In Poland a lot of old buildings don't even have DPC
Hey man, where would I look you up at to get in touch? Been watching some of your videos and would love to get some jobs done by you. Always struggled to find anyone convincing enough that they will do the best job they can and not just bodge.
Do it yourself British builder's are crap
Great video. I agree, In my experience it's almost always water management from gutters or from backyards tilted towards the house.
Defo! 👍
Was wondering what was under that floor 😊 great job
Me too! 😁
Hi Andy hope you are staying safe and well
I wish I'd ponied up the cash for that breaker for when I took up the old concrete path down the side of my house over the past couple of weeks. My Titan SDS is all I had... and a sledgehammer.
Might be worth putting a camera down the drain to see what is going on
Amazing to see detective Andy 🕵️♂️ at his best. Brave man, shashing that floor up .
Cheers - we're getting there! 👍
If I may make a suggestion; instead of installing joist hangers and making a suspended floor, what about a floating floor? Sheet DPC lapped into the existing damp course, some sharp sand on top to level out the lumps and bumps, followed by ~120mm of rigid insulation with a 20mm upstand around the perimeter. Seal the flat joints with aluminum tape and the joint between the base-to-upstand and upstand-to-wall with acoustic sealant. Then topped with 18mm T&G OSB with D5 glue on the joints. It'll be a lot warmer, and you can dig channels in the insulation for any pipes that might need to be installed.
The humble gutter. Most likely underrated part of a house.
So Andy if you sell the house right now. Does the estate agent say, ‘the kitchen has an earthy feel’ 😁
amazing how many people will spend a fortune on wallpaper and decorations but neglect the roof and gutters/downpipes.... "my new wallpaper is peeling..."
It defo had an earthy feel - it's a concretey feel now. 😁👍
@@GosforthHandyman don’t spoil it I know how it finishes now in future episodes 😂
That old pipe may have been a gas pipe.......
Jeff Howell's book "The rising damp myth" decries the chemical damp-proofing industry, it's saved me a fortune over the years.
Luck you have not had dry rot then and sorry not don’t mean to sound rude
Grand job 👍🏻 Seems many issues resolved with some hard graft 👍🏻
Nothing can't be fixed! 😁
Pipe in question around 23 mins, gas
Haway pet and welcome to Geordie Time Team!
You already got my sub to the member zone and just now, watching your screw-intensive back catalogue I find you’re also a fellow FS19 aficionado. Uncanny!
I need to keep something just to myself though so I’m off to play me drums now.
I've a question (nothing to do with damp): At 04:22 you've got a white strip of wood nailed(?) to the underside of the corner roof strut which disappears into the plasterboard. I've got a similar sloped ceiling (front and side) with an identical strip of wood. Because my ceiling is cracked I may have to plasterboard it (over the lathe and plaster) at some future date and wonder if this strip of wood is merely a trim to cover the joint. It looks like you're going to leave yours in place when you finish insulating and plasterboarding. As I don't want to make work for myself and don't want to investigate too fully, can you advise if yours is indeed just a trim/finishing strip? Great videos by the way. I just wish you'd been making them when we moved in 41 years ago and I had more enthusiasm and when 'work' wasn't a four letter word.
Old kitchens can always be fascinating given just how much technology has changed over the years (cooking, washing, heating, fridges etc.). My guess would either be an old pantry that has been slightly oversized with concrete to help keep it cold in summer, or a rather sizeable belfast sink. And that backdoor may not have always been a backdoor - outdoor accessible pantries, coal stores or toilets have all been in similar locations. My own (1950s house) kitchen had no less than 7 blanked off gas pipes from over the years (and they were all still connected and live!) - our guess was gas fridge, washing machine, water heater, oven, hob with several moved positions and they never bothered to take the old pipes out when the moved them - just capped them and left them in situ.
And that pipe probably only had a continuity reading as low as it did because it looks to have been incased in ground so damp it looked more like mud. If it's that wet it would only take a minor imperfection in the bitumen coating to get a good reading to ground.
WHAT !!!!!!!!! no graves !!!!!!!!!
Amazing to see how cool calm & collected you are with the issues you face!
Info needed .. we've had an offer for an house accepted which we know has done damp issues. Mainly on some internal walls (we think, survey due in 15th July).
We've heard other homes in the area have had the same damp issues & some floors have sunken ☹️
Roughly how much do we need to budget to fix damp issues?
(Yorkshire based ... Not sure if that makes much difference)
Thanks in advance
Hi Andy congratulations on reaching 164,000 subscribers and well done with all your your hard work on the project and the same for your videos as well
Another brilliant video
Steve
For the sake of a little extra work I would take those concrete footings out, it will make the job of putting the new floor in so much easier.. 👍
I agree, not much more work now to save hassle in the future.
Not really needed, they make great sleeper walls 👍
I bought a large 1881 house last September, I've had a few trades tell me I must have a big heart! I'll say the same to you :) I think others may have commented, but those founds and bricks were probably for a stove or similar. I had a 65 year old potterton oil boiler still happily heating the house!
Surely it's a "Gas Pipe"
Great video, full of interesting findings and solutions. One area maybe for a future video is the link of DAMP with adequate ventilation, especially for a 1920 house design. It's all a big compromise and is linked also with good insulation etc but important all the same. Great to see the progress being made. Thanks.
Really interesting and explains a lot about the problems with a house I'm buying.
Mystery brickwork. While built many years after your house, the one that my parents have lived in since the early 60's had a similar setup with the concrete foundation and brick walls for a pantry(since removed) and, looking at your video it looks to have similar dimensions.
Hi Andy, I could be wrong but I seem to recall you had a video on installing a gravel drain to stop water penetrating the front of your house. Have I just dreamt this? Lol
Told you ,dpc then foam mate.
the earth reading is to do with how wet the soil is
I've been looking into buying my first home with the new %5 mortgage they've started here. You're videos are really helpful in learning what to look out for