ideas and advice on results of strucutral survey

[Matt Green]

Ditto woodworm - my attic beams are riddled with flight holes from the '30s. The 1830s. Always worth checking if you suspect ongoing activity, but I think the Matt was hinting in his reply that it may not even be a problem, just evidence of past woodworm activity.

Unless the house has been derelict is recent years or had a dodgy roof, the quality of timber used to make that house is such that any furniture beetle is long, long gone. If it's really bothering you: give the attic and good sweep and the floor voids a thorough clearing out and look for fresh dust next summer.

 

[Penners]

Beka - as Moo has said, this is a chatty forum, full of nice people. But there are also lots of people with a great deal of useful knowledge. As in life, conversations wander around, get silly, get serious and everything in between. But you'll inevitably get some nuggets of really useful information amongst the chat.

So relax and enjoy it! :wink:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

It is a very nice chatty forum but very informative too; and is now my first website of the day. It has even taken over from politicalbetting,com - which can make you money if you are canny!

 

[Penners]

I bet you've made more money from this site, though. All that free advice that makes it less likely you'll need to call in a plumber, brickie, plasterer, joiner, electrician, roofer, tiler, pheasant-plucker, bottle-washer, et al.

 

[Moo]

I do hope that Beka will be reading all these well-intentioned messages. If not, we're all chatting to empty ether.
On the other hand, though, she could be sitting there as a 'guest', giggling away at our attempts to ingratiate ourselves (or, rather, the forum) and tempt her back.

 

[Penners]

we're all chatting to empty ether.

You say ether, I say either.

 

[skier-hughes]

I do hope that Beka will be reading all these well-intentioned messages. If not, we're all chatting to empty ether.
On the other hand, though, she could be sitting there as a 'guest', giggling away at our attempts to ingratiate ourselves (or, rather, the forum) and tempt her back.

And why can't Beka be a chappie?

 

[Moo]

Of course. I must, subconsciously, have added a 'c' and jumped to an unsubstantiated conclusion.

Thanks for the reminder.

xxx M

 

[DaveBrigg]

Hair today, gone tomorrow...

 

[skier-hughes]

I see what you are referring to there

 

[DaveBrigg]

(S)he had a lot of advice on the first post. I actually think the comment was a reference to Family Wiggs

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Yep - SWMBO says I am usually the root cause of most trouble to be found. :twisted:

 

[Penners]

Yep - SWMBO says I am usually the root cause of most trouble

Well, that's an extraordinary coincidence....

 

[beka]

Thanks for ongoing replies - Yes I am still here but have been busy sorting out the paperwork associated with the purchase!

I've done a fair amount of reading up on Damp and my research comes to the same conclusion as much of the advice here, its all a big myth designed to make money. I actually almost got into an argument with somone at work on tuesdya who was about to have a 'damp' survey and when I said something about damp surveys being a waste of time they said "well my husband is a joiner and he knows about buildings and the damp man had a 'proper' meter so it cna't be a cowboy"!!!!

- yep I read up on how the meter's measure electricity conductivity not damp. I'd always actually suspected that as I am reasonably bright and couldnt' work out how a meter that seemed to work on an electrical basis could acuratly measure how 'wet' something was? Otherwise we could have tumble dryers that could measure how wet your clothes were and accuratly dry them, turning off when things were bone dry.

Regarding the beetles thats been reassuring, my biggest concerns are always structural - is there something damaging te basic structure that holds the building together. No worries about a few holes, we plan on boarding out the loft for storage anyway so will be doing a big clear/sweep/board job up there.

 

[skier-hughes]

With the boarding/storing/using of the space, make sure you calculate whether the beams can take the weight.

 

[Penners]

I read up on how the meter's measure electricity conductivity not damp. I'd always actually suspected that as I am reasonably bright and couldnt' work out how a meter that seemed to work on an electrical basis could acuratly measure how 'wet' something was?

Measuring electrical conductivity is a valid way of measuring damp, provided you do it under the right circumstances, with no extraneous factors to influence the result. Remember that water conducts electricity - that's the principle on which these meters work.

A damp meter (sometimes called a Protimeter) with two pointy prongs - often used to measure damp in walls - is not the way to do it. A meter like this is actually designed for use in the timber industry, to measure the moisture content of a piece of wood. You're supposed to bury the prongs into the wood in order to get a reasonably accurate reading.

The trouble is that meters like this are often just pressed on to the surface of a wall, and when they show a high-ish reading the wall is pronounced to be damp. This is no indication of what's going on inside the wall, and the reading may very well be measuring simply condensation on the surface of the wall.

 

[Matt Green]

Resistance meters are prefectly useful as long as they are used with a little thought. They are non-destructive, and can give you a lot of comparitive readings pretty quickly. On plaster they are best used to give a profile of comparitive readings over a wall. A alternative use is in timber skirtings and carpet grippers.

Sticking them in above a skirting board and noting when a light turns orange is a sign the operator needs a little more training.

Matt

 

[Lime]

Resistance meters are a very crude method of detecting damp in brickwork and plaster.
They only measure what is on the surface.
So you can have a scenario of soaking brickwork but dry plaster... meter says dry.
Or the reverse, completely dry brickwork but the surface of the plaster between the two prongs is damp ... meter says wet.

I use an electromagnetic detector for damp which penetrates the wall much further and gives a more accurate result.
It can read correctly the first scenario above.

But to expect a device held in the hand to send a signal of whatever sort forward through 9-18 inches of brickwork and then expect some sort of reflected signal to guage the moisture content is absurd.

If the meters were so accurate, don't you think they would use them when taken to court for their product not preventing damp?
No, they drill out core samples which is the only true method of calculating damp in brickwork.

 

[shelli]

Otherwise we could have tumble dryers that could measure how wet your clothes were and accuratly dry them, turning off when things were bone dry.

Mine does that! - has a sensor inside - hey wait a minute....

maybe that is a possible use for all the damp survey men - forcibly build them into tumble dryers with their little damp meters!!