Anyone heard of these damp proofing co's?

[Lindyboo]

Has anyone ever used or heard reports of these damp proofing companies?

http://www.petercox.com
http://www.britishdampproofing.co.uk

The insurance bods have recommended them to us for our ongoing (sigh) damp issues here following the flood.

Thanks

 

[bennoa1]

Not sure what the issues are but generally going down this road is likely to have a long term detrimental effect on the building fabric, assuming its that old. You can normally resolve the issues by traditional methods but it would be helpful to understand the problems before proceeding. Are you with a period property insurer or one of the bigger names.
bennoa1

 

[TheRoost]

I haven't heard of them but reading the britishdampproofing.co.uk website makes me want to run a mile. And their page on wall tie replacement should come with a warning 'Not for those of a nervous disposition' :evil:

 

[tobydog]

My favourite part about the wall ties is where they state - "Replacement of wall ties carries a 20 year guarantee, so you can rest assured you are investing in a service that is built to last." I wouldn't have thought I'd invested in much of a service if 20 years was all I got. Just enough time for the next owner to move in!!

 

[Lindyboo]

Oh dear, doesn't sound encouraging. The Peter Cox lot get a 2/3 satisfaction rating on Which? but I haven't found any reviews for BDP. The latter are descending upon us later this month.

 

[tobydog]

In all seriousness Lindyboo, did you have a damp issue before the flood? Also, how long ago did you get flooded and how bad was it? Guys like these have a reputation for locking dampness in and hidding it rather than getting rid of it as I have just found out in my own house.

 

[JoceAndChris]

The Peter Cox lot painted woodworm treatment here for the previous owner- a long time ago. Following our survey when we were buying our mortgage people said get Peter Cox back to re-treat, despite there being no fresh evidence of woodworm. I had them round to quote and they seemed pleasant enough - but of course they didn't give the advice which is usually given here on this forum - not to do anything except dry the house out.

Fortunately I found this forum before wasting any money on either company. And I've never found any evidence of live woodworm, except in the occasional log that comes in from outdoors. The house is too warm and dry for it to like it indoors. i'm really glad I didn't go for the advice given in the mortgage to have the spray done and to have the walls stripped and injected. The best thing is gentle heat, open windows and removal of moisture trapping materials.

 

[Lindyboo]

In all seriousness Lindyboo, did you have a damp issue before the flood? Also, how long ago did you get flooded and how bad was it? Guys like these have a reputation for locking dampness in and hidding it rather than getting rid of it as I have just found out in my own house.

Well, it’s a long story already told on earlier posts, but briefly when Hurricane Bertha came over (Aug this year, I think) we had some flooding and the floors/walls in 5 downstairs rooms copped it, including internal walls (all brick, all supporting). We had pre-existing damp which was only visible in a few areas and not of great concern or inconvenience.

Two weeks later we had a burst water main on the property which was caused by a corroded copper joint underground. Salt tests done by the insurance showed that around 90% of the damp (which was visibly worse in all rooms, including those not directly flooded) contained chlorides, i.e. tap water. Hence they and we concluded that the mains had been seeping, weeping then gushing for certainly months if not years. The ground was soaked so the storm water had nowhere else to go.

We’ve had drying equipment throughout the ground floor since the flood until last week when it was concluded that it was merely drawing the water up and making things worse, so the kit was removed. We could see ourselves that things were worse but waited for the drying co’s confirmation of that.

I will add, just for the sake of grumbling, that the only room which was unaffected by the flood (downstairs shower room) suffered a leaking toilet cistern last month, so that’s spoiled now as well. Sigh.

 

[xanthe]

I found this website very interesting:

http://www.heritage-house.org/the-fraud-of-rising-damp.html

I've also been reading the Haynes Manual 'Period Property Manual: Care & Repair of Old Buildings' which has big sections on damp. Worth talking to SPAB as well and see if they can recommend someone in your area who could advise you on the best solutions for your property.

 

[Flyfisher]

I think tobydog raises a good point. I've only once experienced a flooding event that left a utility room floor under 3 inches of water (and fortunately contained only to that room). The last thing on my mind was to get a damp proofing company involved when all that was needed was to pump out the standing water and then let things dry out. The room had no damp problem before the flooding and although it took a few weeks to dry out, it had no damp problems in the subsequent ten years or so before we moved.

I assume there is a fair bit of flood damage if the insurance company a building company is required for remedial works, but I would certainly want to understand exactly what works they propose to carry out because I can't immediately understand why remedial works would need to involve 'damp proofing'.

 

[malcolm]

Many of the so called professionals that have come around here have spoken of injected damp proofing and the like. Underpinning is another favourite. The ideas seems engrained in the mind of the modern professional. I guess they know all about how modern houses are built and don't realise there is any other way things can possibly work.

Do let us know what they tell you. Be prepared for scaremongering from poorly qualified sales people. Don't sign up just because they happen to have a special discount on just that day only. Take some time to think about what they say, where the water might be coming from, and what will happen to the water if what they do actually works.

We've got rid of the damp here without the need for modern techniques. Though we haven't had a burst water main. We did have a flood from a burst pipe. Turned the central heating on hot and opened an attic window (in deepest winter - expensive). Takes ages for things to dry out, and in your case the soil behind will be saturated so will take even longer.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Lindyboo, it would seem that your damp problems have been caused by misfortune and are not an inherent flaw in the fabric of the building itself. Probably best to be very wary of any invasive treatment. Somehow the house needs to dry out after the floodings, which will take some time--you do not want to be sealing it all in or pushing it elsewhere.

 

[Lime]

We had pre-existing damp which was only visible in a few areas and not of great concern or inconvenience.

And it will be like that again with patience and time to allow it all to dry out.
Injecting etc. will not solve your problem and is likely to make matter worse forever.

 

[Matt Green]

Has anyone ever used or heard reports of these damp proofing companies?

http://www.petercox.com

Certainly, I used to work for them. They operate a commissioned sales business model and have been in business for a very long time.

 

[Lindyboo]

Has anyone ever used or heard reports of these damp proofing companies?

http://www.petercox.com

Certainly, I used to work for them. They operate a commissioned sales business model and have been in business for a very long time.

Thank you Matt. Does that mean they give advice and provide treatments solely on the basis of making commission?

 

[SilverSaloon]

pretty much yes, IMHO.

Search for damp proofingon youtube....

eg:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E63vIgV9Oo

and here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hljLNmuShI

Get an independent damp surveyor to look at it not a salesman

 

[xanthe]

Just out of interest, do these companies know that the whole 'rising damp' thing is controversial at best, and basically a complete myth and thus a con at worst? Or is it a case of being honestly misguided?

 

[Lime]

Just out of interest, do these companies know that the whole 'rising damp' thing is controversial at best, and basically a complete myth and thus a con at worst? Or is it a case of being honestly misguided?

It is all about an easy way to make money but there are plenty of gullible and relatively naïve people in the business who know no better.
How things have changed over my lifetime!
I now find myself in a world where people are scared into spending their money for all sorts of reasons, saving the planet being a very lucrative example.

How many people remember the Everest commercial for double glazing where they stated, "You only fit double glazing once, so fit the best: Everest."
Many people who believed every word at the time are now being cajoled into having those windows ripped out on the basis that there are better ones on the market, more efficient, have less of a carbon footprint etc.
Some people in my street in the last 20 years have replaced their windows 3 times, I wonder how good that has been for the planet?
(Meanwhile my 108 year old wooden frame windows still look better and I haven't spent tens perhaps hundreds of thousands of pounds to save 30% of my heat loss at the very best)

Same with electrical work where householders are often frightened into changing their consumer units (fuseboxes) for completely bogus reasons when their existing unit is fine for the purpose it was installed for.
How many people in the last 8 years have been pressurized into install a "17th edition" consumer unit because the old ones no longer comply with new regulations?
The number is probably in the millions and most of the work was completely unnecessary.
Now electricians on the IET website are discussing the fact that there has been a huge increase in house fires supposedly caused by plastic consumer units (mostly the so-called 17th edition units) which will probably be replaced with metal ones.
More money for some.

Compared to many things in this modern world, injection damp proofing is an old scam but people continue to fall for it, often pressured into it at purchase and often on a house that has been treated before.

I despair to be honest.

 

[Keith Bowman]

Bring back Latin and teach children the meaning of caveat emptor?

 

[xanthe]

Interesting on the electrics - is there a good site for mugging up on that.

The house we are buying has some interesting 'beams' in the cellar made of chicken wire and papier mache that conceal all the wiring and piping down there (fuse-box, boiler etc are also down in the cellar) - they were done in the 1960's and haven't been looked at since. From surveyor's report and comments when we were there, the whole shebang needs overhauling. Haven't got a clue how to know what is what with electrics in any house let alone an old one!