Oh no! not another damp question !!

[ChasHyde]

Sorry, but yes.

1905 Edwardian semi, quarry tiled kitchen, living room and hall (nice mosaic!!) After removing lots of plaster, the damp problem has receded (ebbed?) but still damp remains on the quarry tiled areas in a diagonal path through the house from back to front doors.

Someone suggested the house was built on a stream!!?? Any ideas?

Thanks for reading this, and for any reply you think may help.

 

[middi]

It has to be remembered that the glaze on quarry tilles makes them impervious, they also happen to be on the coldest point in a room, therefore any unextracted water vapour within that particular room would create a watery film on the glazed surface of the tiles.

It is worth checking this point first, ventilation at this time of the year should be no problem, allow as much as you can .

 

[ChasHyde]

As I am working on the property at the moment, it is lcoked up all night, then both doors are open all day, so I would have expected the draught to dry out the tiles ??

 

[middi]

I understand that the house is well ventilated during the day. As we have been having lot of humid warm air lately this may condense on the tiles when you close up at night time, especially after midnight on when the temp. drops and this moisture loaded warm air will tend to settle as water film on the glazed tiles.

Quarry tiles are notorious for this kind of problem.

Obviousely I am not dismissing the fact that you may have something like a leaky pipe, a stream or very damp ground.

 

[Matt Green]

Does it really run from door to door?

If the pattern is that specific, it it either an under-floor problem (pipe, stream, drain, gulley) of mechanical damage from wear above.

Had the building or site been used for a different purpose prior to being a residence?


Matt

 

[ChasHyde]

Almost that specific. The semis have their front doors adjacent to one another, and they guy next door said that when we had a downpour (one of many) recently, water was running from underneath his front door, not literally, but from below the hall floor.

As far as I know the land was not used fopr anything else prior to its build, but these semis were the first to be built in the street.

 

[Matt Green]

If sounds like the house has a strong dose of character.

You'd need some sort of investigative work undertaken to determine if its ground water or from a fresh source. Bear in mind that its possible to cause more damage finding out the cause than the problem is inflicting itself.

If the damage is seriously affecting the finish of the tiles it might be worth considering.


Matt

 

[andrew gayton]

if the damp patch runs from front to back door, could it be that the glaze on the tiles have worn - this being a well trodden route for many years - and the tiles have become saturated? just a thought.

 

[ChasHyde]

Thanks for all your suggestions. The culprit is looking to be a gully which was at the back door, taking all the rainwater from the roof, as well as the waste water from the kitchen sink, bath and washhand basin, The glazed gully was cracked leading to water seepage under even very dry conditions !!

The seepage only occurred when water was added to the gully, causing it to flow though the trap into the sewer, so a crack in the pipe would seem to be the problem. This gully has been removed, and the guttering and wastes re-routed, and things SEEM to be drying up - but I will still keep my fingers crossed !!