DaveBrigg
Member
- Messages
- 908
- Location
- North Lincs
The last time rising damp was debated, it was suggested that someone carry out an experiment to see whether damp could be made to rise. Sadly, I managed just that, without realising it.
We've been having trouble with the central heating for nearly a year, since the January earthquake in fact. The radiators became clogged with rust, which was mystifying since they are only a couple of years old, and the system is treated with Fernox. There was also a lot of air in the system, blocking some of the circuit. In November we had every pipe and radiator jet blasted, filled with clean water and treated again to stop rust. A couple of weeks later the air blocks had returned and the water was running a muddy brown again.
As a last resort I investigated a damp spot at the base of the kitchen radiator. The pipework is push-fit, and buried in the wall to avoid damaging the stone floor. Chiselling away the lime mortar produced a steady dripping. As I followed the pipe away from the radiator, and behind a dresser, the drip turned to a trickle. A metre later, there was a steady flow and the problem was revealed as a pipe which had come out of an elbow. The reason for the rust became clear. The system was steadily draining itself into the base of the wall, and we now have rust-proof brickwork.
The wall is damp to a height of about a metre. There must have been a couple of hundred litres of water travelling through the base of the wall without ever flooding the kitchen floor, which is a testament to the sponge-like properties of lime plaster, and the efficiency of the French drain on the other side. The damp was not visible on the outside because of cement render, and then replacement lime which is in the last stages of drying. Two weeks later and the damp is still clear, although the level is slowly falling.
I know that emptying a central heating system into the base of a wall is quite extreme, but if a property has a wall adjoining land which becomes waterlogged when it rains, presumably a similar effect can occur. If you do have damp, buy a large piece of furniture and no-one will know.
We've been having trouble with the central heating for nearly a year, since the January earthquake in fact. The radiators became clogged with rust, which was mystifying since they are only a couple of years old, and the system is treated with Fernox. There was also a lot of air in the system, blocking some of the circuit. In November we had every pipe and radiator jet blasted, filled with clean water and treated again to stop rust. A couple of weeks later the air blocks had returned and the water was running a muddy brown again.
As a last resort I investigated a damp spot at the base of the kitchen radiator. The pipework is push-fit, and buried in the wall to avoid damaging the stone floor. Chiselling away the lime mortar produced a steady dripping. As I followed the pipe away from the radiator, and behind a dresser, the drip turned to a trickle. A metre later, there was a steady flow and the problem was revealed as a pipe which had come out of an elbow. The reason for the rust became clear. The system was steadily draining itself into the base of the wall, and we now have rust-proof brickwork.
The wall is damp to a height of about a metre. There must have been a couple of hundred litres of water travelling through the base of the wall without ever flooding the kitchen floor, which is a testament to the sponge-like properties of lime plaster, and the efficiency of the French drain on the other side. The damp was not visible on the outside because of cement render, and then replacement lime which is in the last stages of drying. Two weeks later and the damp is still clear, although the level is slowly falling.
I know that emptying a central heating system into the base of a wall is quite extreme, but if a property has a wall adjoining land which becomes waterlogged when it rains, presumably a similar effect can occur. If you do have damp, buy a large piece of furniture and no-one will know.