Marineboy
Established Member
Yes, thanks jackbequick for that detailed description of your experience and how to apply what you know to my situation. But i wouldn’t know a termite if I stepped on one
Damp in garage wall
- Thread starter Marineboy
- Start date
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SammyQ
Established Member
Oh..I dont know...there have been a few posting on here today in another thread
..reminded me of Jacob!!
Sam
bjm
Naturally different
You're safe up there for now but they are moving north slowly!
Jackbequick
Established Member
I mentioned the information given in the was sparse. Rising damp should be be easily tracked when there is no inner wall at all and repairing the situation very simple as access is unrestricted. I covered all bases in a very readable style with information indicating rip tear and bust and racing to replace walls when observation is important enough to delay it...even for extended periods...as must when needing an absolute on degree of leakage. It was a way of offering a great deal of expertise through personal experience to which I thought others might relate now or in the future.
I raised the Termite situation as a secondary and possible event when there is an inner wall. There was also considerable correct information given which is pertinent whether there is an inside wall or not. It's not all about termites however I imagine some are moving south from the denser forest rather than north. At UK Workshop there seems to be an element of a 'smartie' 'clique' which makes me wonder 'why do you bother' trying to really offer an education rather than just 'do this, buy that'. I get nothing out of it. I have expertise which I share in a manner which gives people a wide grounding in the issues so they can do their problem solving safely and knowing where to stop and seek expert, paid assistance.
My approach has been always complimentary, always looking at the whole picture. I do it for the benefit of others, not myself, I already know the answers at this level anyway.. , have the experience and was a consultant in engineering, design and specialist management professionally. As well as having half a dozen trades I have postgraduate achievement. I was also a teacher, giving grounding to students beyond the requirements of the TAFE so I left them with the best chance of success and survival in high risk environments. Not all environments are high risk of course.
As I seem to be the butt of a stream of amusement for this latest contribution ...I think it's time to disconnect from UK workshop altogether and leave it to its meanderings and wanderings and do things the way it apparently does things. I'll do that tomorrow. Voila.
I raised the Termite situation as a secondary and possible event when there is an inner wall. There was also considerable correct information given which is pertinent whether there is an inside wall or not. It's not all about termites however I imagine some are moving south from the denser forest rather than north. At UK Workshop there seems to be an element of a 'smartie' 'clique' which makes me wonder 'why do you bother' trying to really offer an education rather than just 'do this, buy that'. I get nothing out of it. I have expertise which I share in a manner which gives people a wide grounding in the issues so they can do their problem solving safely and knowing where to stop and seek expert, paid assistance.
My approach has been always complimentary, always looking at the whole picture. I do it for the benefit of others, not myself, I already know the answers at this level anyway.. , have the experience and was a consultant in engineering, design and specialist management professionally. As well as having half a dozen trades I have postgraduate achievement. I was also a teacher, giving grounding to students beyond the requirements of the TAFE so I left them with the best chance of success and survival in high risk environments. Not all environments are high risk of course.
As I seem to be the butt of a stream of amusement for this latest contribution ...I think it's time to disconnect from UK workshop altogether and leave it to its meanderings and wanderings and do things the way it apparently does things. I'll do that tomorrow. Voila.
Jackbequick
Established Member
Yes...it's quite possibly just condensation...unless water is being channeled along in such manner as to hold water against exposed brick or above the concrete slab surface. In amongst the wild suggestions which I glanced-through including a massive trench and so on I may have missed some important detail It was not in the opening statement. I didn't see your above contention in your earlier post. With single brick exposed to continuous water and no interior wall, water on the slab might be an outcome. I didn't see that mentioned in the opening problem. On the other hand, water can come from inside the building , as I mentioned. As you and I each realise and I emphasised...getting to the problem is the first step. It seems that the one you mention was about the only one I didn't cover...
Others also presumed there was an inner wall...were there not mortar dropping would have no effect. fromm them I drew a conclusion for an interior wall,,,The presumption was a 4 or 6 inch slab through which water would not readily penetrate. Your 'heads-up' on the actual situation, elements of my panoramic dissertation cover. In any event whether most of it had no relevance at all as you maintain, an on your information above, yes that's right.......some did.... and the rest can be useful in other damp situations when 'get in and get out and get paid' may not be the best long term solution in a house with interior walls."Should be fine now' doesn't always end up that way...Voila and Au revoir.
Others also presumed there was an inner wall...were there not mortar dropping would have no effect. fromm them I drew a conclusion for an interior wall,,,The presumption was a 4 or 6 inch slab through which water would not readily penetrate. Your 'heads-up' on the actual situation, elements of my panoramic dissertation cover. In any event whether most of it had no relevance at all as you maintain, an on your information above, yes that's right.......some did.... and the rest can be useful in other damp situations when 'get in and get out and get paid' may not be the best long term solution in a house with interior walls."Should be fine now' doesn't always end up that way...Voila and Au revoir.
Jackbequick
Established Member
It seems there is a cavity.....though not an interior stud wall wall. The way a brickie will clear the small cavity of mortar is to hang a rope horizontally below his work and pull it up to periodically clear the gap. Re-looking at the photo the slab looks 'rough as guts and has no membrane.The possibility is then that the garage was built as a different project . I don't know but there is obviously an issue irrespective of the photo when water can be trapped and sit between an impervious item and brickwork. Presumably there was some logic somewhere in building around the slab and not on top of it. "Why" doesn't help much at this stage. A six inch slab would suggest, if thought through at the time, maybe a truck or agricultural machinery or say a heavy lathe was intended to sit on it. I see no reo near the corner of the slab (presuming it is the slab in question) so whoever poured it may have thought 6 inch would be fine without reo. Four inch with mesh bonding it would typically be on in a garage
As the photos seemed ?? compared with the problem I worked on the text...One thing I seriously disagree with is advising an inexpert person to use a concrete cutter. They can be quite dangerous particularly with no experience in their behaviour. For the rest, yes and as I noted in my dissertation, we have to get down below the slab to get rid of the water.... The method I proposed presumed the slab at ground level and the technique I proposed with 12 x 18 inch (or 18 x18 is ok for a seepage trench, consolidated river sand and sloping for trench run-off , is sound. The concept is moving the water away trough natural drainage provided by us. In this case if there are a couple of brick courses below the slab (sitting on???) we have to get below that or else get the water away quickly so it doesn't much affect the brick...Of course ice /snow melting is another consideration . Voila
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Marineboy
Established Member
Oops. Clearly touched a nerve there. Didn’t mean to offend. Shame to lose such a highly qualified source of info.
Marineboy
Established Member
Sorry, thought you’d left the forum?
Lons
Established Member
SammyQ
Established Member
I was once told, in all seriousness, by a well-read academic, that:
Cannon balls on a Tudor warship, were stored (prevented from rolling about with ships heaving and pitching) on a brass tray, called 'a monkey'. In frosty weather, the coefficient of contraction was such that...
He was SO earnest....
Sam
Cannon balls on a Tudor warship, were stored (prevented from rolling about with ships heaving and pitching) on a brass tray, called 'a monkey'. In frosty weather, the coefficient of contraction was such that...
He was SO earnest....
Sam
Lons
Established Member
Jack
I'm not going to argue with you but you've made assumptions that are wrong.
* What makes you think there is a cavity? My post you quoted was in response to another member not the OP.
* There is only one photograph which is of the concrete slab which is on the OUTSIDE of the garage and not the slab you assume it was built on. That slab is too high and is the cause of the problem.
* Why you assume that the OP is "an inexpert person"? He had already worked out the problem himself and several of us have confirmed his findings, how do you know if he's used a cutter or not in the past?
* Why would you "presume the slab at ground level"? The photograph very clearly shows it is not.
I was very polite with my answer and thanked you for the information which is interesting but it certainly is not relevant for the damp issue in this garage wall and like the OP I wouldn't know a termite either as we don't have them in this part of the world. Your input might better have been a separate thread where people would maybe benefit from your experience.
Lons
Established Member
Oh..I dont know...there have been a few posting on here today in another thread
Sam
okeydokey
Established Member
A simple solution would seem to be hire a petrol disc cutter (not expensive) for a weekend. Cut a slot/groove say 12" away from the wall or whatever distance is good taking into account the size of the cutter machine. Break up and remove that 12" of concrete (maybe hire a electric breaker as well) then allow natural ventilation for a while to dry out the base of the wall and where the concrete was removed. If it helps to break it up make several cuts in the concrete. If the fall of the concrete is towards the garage wall then install a low profile concrete/galvanised grid on top in the opened up area with pea shingle say 3" away from the wall allowing that drain fall to whichever direction you prefer.
The original question has certainly elicited vastly over complicated suggestions.
In essence, a vented gap needs to be created betwixt the wall and the slab.
Ideally extending below the internal floor level.
For belt and braces, a small landdrain should be installed (also vented), to carry
away any ground water flow.
The photo I put in a previous post shows a type of membrane ideal for this kind
of scenario. You can even concrete back up to it afterwards, leaving a neatly
finished job.
Hire a decent disc cutter and a medium sized breaker and crack on with it.
In essence, a vented gap needs to be created betwixt the wall and the slab.
Ideally extending below the internal floor level.
For belt and braces, a small landdrain should be installed (also vented), to carry
away any ground water flow.
The photo I put in a previous post shows a type of membrane ideal for this kind
of scenario. You can even concrete back up to it afterwards, leaving a neatly
finished job.
Hire a decent disc cutter and a medium sized breaker and crack on with it.
Ex-bloomin-actly!!The original question has certainly elicited vastly over complicated suggestions.
In essence, a vented gap needs to be created betwixt the wall and the slab.
Ideally extending below the internal floor level.
For belt and braces, a small landdrain should be installed (also vented), to carry
away any ground water flow.
The photo I put in a previous post shows a type of membrane ideal for this kind
of scenario. You can even concrete back up to it afterwards, leaving a neatly
finished job.
Hire a decent disc cutter and a medium sized breaker and crack on with it.
Lons
Established Member
The OP knows what he needs to do and if we're honest he knew before he posted but was looking for confirmation and ideas of how to best cut away the offending concrete, the thread has gone way way beyond what it needed to ( as is often the case ).
I could have done the job in the time we've spent on the thread.
