I agree with Rob, you need to work out where the water is coming from and what is stopping it from evaporating. We used to have a damp corner but don't any more. We sorted it by reducing ground levels outside and by removing the cement that was stopping the moisture from evaporating.
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MatthewC
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I said that on Sunday!robgil said:
Zebra
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robgil said:
Today my sister and I took this advice, and managed to excavate the other side of the chimney, not from the fireplace side but by knocking down a wall built in the 60s. Found a full height void maybe 12" x 18" full of rubble and bricks (why did they do that? - not wanting to pay for skips I suppose). Kept it all wet, no dust. I am sure that emptying it out and removing the cement render from the old brickwork will help with the damp. And now I have not only a bread oven, but a broom cupboard!! :lol:
Zebra
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Hi, to return to this post if I may, I have a bread oven on the side of my fireplace, under which is a void which cannot be accessed from any side, and which I suspected is contributing to the damp problems in that corner of the building. Everywhere else I have been able to lower external ground levels etc to remove sources of damp against the walls, everywhere except here. In this corner I have made other improvements to help with damp - French drain, removed cement render, improvements to guttering - but there is still this void.
I've now pulled out a brick on the outer wall of the bread oven, low down, and this is what I found - rubble and soil. The soil is very fine and seems to come up to the level of the hole I've made, which is two courses above internal ground level. The rubble has a white crustiness on it, and is presumably what supports the flagstone base of the bread oven.
Question is, there are a number of options:
- leave alone and put the brick back, see how the damp is come winter
- put an airbrick instead of the brick I've taken out, see if that helps at all
- pull out a few more bricks, try to excavate the rubble and soil, then put it back (risk of collapse of floor of bread oven?)
- remove the flagstone base of the bread oven :shock: excavate, put rubble back without soil, put flagstone base back
Has anybody had a similar situation? What do you reckon?
I've now pulled out a brick on the outer wall of the bread oven, low down, and this is what I found - rubble and soil. The soil is very fine and seems to come up to the level of the hole I've made, which is two courses above internal ground level. The rubble has a white crustiness on it, and is presumably what supports the flagstone base of the bread oven.
Question is, there are a number of options:
- leave alone and put the brick back, see how the damp is come winter
- put an airbrick instead of the brick I've taken out, see if that helps at all
- pull out a few more bricks, try to excavate the rubble and soil, then put it back (risk of collapse of floor of bread oven?)
- remove the flagstone base of the bread oven :shock: excavate, put rubble back without soil, put flagstone base back
Has anybody had a similar situation? What do you reckon?
Penners
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Hmmm, you have a dilemma, Zebra.
It's a fair assumption that the rubble infill could be contributing to the damp in that structure. But, as you observe, to remove it would risk causing a collapse of the floor of the bread oven. If the infill is pretty solid, it's unlikely that introducing an air brick is going to contribute much in the way of drying it out.
As you have taken other measures to try and dry out the structure - French drain, removal of cement render, improved guttering - I'd be inclined to leave things as they are for a year or so and then see whether the situation has improved. Drying out a big lump of masonry like that could take many months.
It's a fair assumption that the rubble infill could be contributing to the damp in that structure. But, as you observe, to remove it would risk causing a collapse of the floor of the bread oven. If the infill is pretty solid, it's unlikely that introducing an air brick is going to contribute much in the way of drying it out.
As you have taken other measures to try and dry out the structure - French drain, removal of cement render, improved guttering - I'd be inclined to leave things as they are for a year or so and then see whether the situation has improved. Drying out a big lump of masonry like that could take many months.
Zebra
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Thanks Penners, now you say it, I did suspect that would be the right thing to do. So, leave well alone with a caveat that I can always come back to it later. Hmm, does that approach have anything to do with why I have a hundred things half finished?
Penners
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Actually, Zebra, I'm an enthusiast for having several jobs all going at the same time. It can prevent boredom if you have something else to switch to for a while. And boredom - in my experience - can risk mistakes.
Zebra
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I absolutely agree with that. Sometimes I go all out to get something done, but sometimes flitting about provides variety, even if to the outside observer things seem totally chaotic!
Penners
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In my case the outside observer would be absolutely correct. 