Are these really ok?

[fluffytail10]

Hello everyone,

hope u can see the pic....

When we moved into our house a year and a bit ago, the surveyor told us that the little cupboard next the fireplace was very damp but otherwise ok. On the outside wall was a broken downpipe, so we assumed the damp must come from that.

However, one year on, the bricks are still very damp, and hopefully you can see the amount of dust that fell off when i gave them a quick feel! They also seem to hv mould on.

The chimeny stack wall that join onto this wall (well nearly, there's 1cm gap) is bone dry.The floor of the cupboard is broken pamments in one place and bare loose soil elsewhere- i think dug up when the previous owners added a DPC.

All i want to know is - are these bricks safe? They are supporting the stairs and i'm not as thin as i used to be!!!

Yes ok i know its just another damp problem in disguise!!

i posted a while ago about getting fireplace restored, hv saved up money and quotes are due this weekend.

thanks in advance

 

[Penners]

It looks from your photo as though there is some crumbling plaster (of some sort) still covering much of the bricks. This makes it very difficult to see how stable the bricks themselves appear. It may also be making it difficult for them to dry out.

If I were you, I would try to get the bricks as clean and free from plaster/muck/mould as possible. Then leave the door of the cupboard open for several weeks - even months. If you are having regular fires in the adjacent fireplace over the winter, so much the better.

You'll also be able to get a better idea of the condition of the bricks, when they're clearly visible.

 

[Flyfisher]

How thick is the wall and what is its construction? There's an oft-repeated rule-of-thumb on here that suggests it takes one month for one inch of wall to dry out. If the damp is the result of a leaking downpipe then it's a fair assumption that the wall was thoroughly saturated, so a thick wall might easly take 12 months to fully dry out. The good news, I think, is that the stack is completely dry - amazing what even a small, well-ventilated air gap can achieve.

I don't think I'd be worrying too much just yet, although it might be a good idea to go outside next time it rains and double check that there are still no more leaks dripping onto the wall. I also agree with Penners about leaving the cupboard doors open wide until the wall has thoroughly dried out.

 

[fluffytail10]

Good morning, thanks for all the advice.

I tried brushing the bricks but they started to crumble away so i thought id better stop. The cupboard has never had a door on so it must be getting plenty of air. It's only this upper patch thats damp, the bricks near the floor are totally dry and we relocated the down pipe so i know its not that.

The weird plaster stuff on the outside walls seems to hv been replaced in this area so maybe its an old problem? could they hv plastered over the damp?


Ah well i shall just tread carefully from now on!

 

[JoceAndChris]

They could, and did, plaster over damp, alas.

Your bricks behave just as my damp bricks do downstairs. In places 2 inches of face have gone biting into the depth of the brick, and more crumble away every day- it's very distressing to see- I know. But there is still a lot of structural strength there. Houses don't just fall down. As you say your bricks are getting plenty of ventilation then either a) you have not allowed enough drying out time since fixing the leak and things will improve b) there is another source of water ingress.

I would try not to worry too much, this is a small area that could ultimately be repaired, and just monitor the situation over the winter to see what happens.

 

[fluffytail10]

got a bit bored after a few hours marking and had another prod. after a couple of cm i did find solid brick so am not so worried now.

And what weird bricks they are! - i dont think there's a single one thats the same size and shape as another.

Thank u so much for all ur replies i feel much happier now

i just love this site - what a wealth of info and fun
xxxxx

 

[Penners]

i just love this site - what a wealth of info and fun

Fun?

FUN???

If you're having fun, you're not working hard enough!

:wink:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Given Joce's profilic output on here today (and updates on Another Place), she is clearly the one having too much fun and too little work today! 8)

(Mwah mwah Joce - just joshing)

 

[JoceAndChris]

I'm waiting for everything to dry. It may take several weeks. 8) :lol:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Haven't you got a chicken-shed to carpet or something? :wink:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Done! (Well, layer of thick plastic sheeting, Stalosan, Diatom, Poultry Shield, dust extracted horse bedding, choice of perches, new nesting boxes, a whole week's reading of The Times, mirrored, painted, curtained, walls covered internally in pretty oilcloth, Virginia Creepered, in fact - a good deal nicer than this house!)

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Well done- I just bought a new (well, 42 yr old!) tractor tonight!

Isn't The Times a bit left wing* for your average chook?


*groan :lol:

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Wiggs, that was a fowl slur...

 

[FamilyWiggs]

A cheep jibe, Hughesy! :lol:

 

[Flyfisher]

Well done- I just bought a new (well, 42 yr old!) tractor tonight!

Makes my 37 year old one seem positively new. What model did you go for? (it counts as period property doesn't it, or is it a digression too far?)

 

[Tom]

Well done- I just bought a new (well, 42 yr old!) tractor tonight!

What is it you've bought? I have a 1959 Ferguson TED20 and a 1975 Zetor 6711.

Jaqy

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Oh Lord.

Want to know what I've got?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btEpF334Rtc

 

[Tom]

Excellent!! Haven't seen that for years :lol: :lol:

Jaqy

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I have a 1948 TEA that doesn't go and now a 4 cylinder diesel MF 35 that does go...

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Excellent!! Haven't seen that for years :lol: :lol:

Jaqy

I've got a muckspreader too but there isn't a really good rendition of that song on youtube, as far as I can tell - only this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xRd02K-aa8

My Grandad was a building inspector with a particular interest in drains - he found this very late in life and it quickly became a favourite, to the extent that it was almost played at his funeral.