Dry rods

[paulrbarnard]

please see my thread on damp issues in Victorian dining room.

In summary, from first hand experience of fixing a major damp issue:
Penetrating damp is a big cause, root causes need to fixed. e.g. gutter, floor too high outside, etc.
Rising damp 100% is real, and if you don't have a DPC, will make your walls damp. If your DPC is bridged, i.e. render or flooring is connecting the walls above and below the DPC, the damp will spread upwards. (I don't understand why rising damp is even a debate)

@paulrbarnard can you please post plenty of pictures, inside and outside, of the wall in question? and perhaps a wider view of the outside so we can see what's around the wall?

Not right away. I just dropped wife and daughter at the airport. They will be gone for a week.

 

[Adam W.]

I wonder how much he was paid to do that video?

 

[paulrbarnard]

I wonder how much he was paid to do that video?

That’s my problem with the majority of the information I found in an initial search.
I don’t trust product placement videos at all, even the ones that state “I’m under no pressure to give a good review” yeah beyond the fact you won’t get sent stuff to review again.

 

[Ollie78]

I am having a similar quandry. Our house is 1930s with a hung floor over concrete oversite and does have a cavity.
When we bought it 8 or 9 years ago I removed the ground floor including joists because there was rot in the floor. Once it was all out I put in some telescopic vents because the existing vents were level with the concrete driveway which I niavely thought was the main cause of the damp. So with the vents in I replaced the floor with new joists and floorboards.

Since then I have discovered that basically the water table is so high we are sitting in water half the time. We have flooding sometimes so trying to rethink what to do. I know we need to put in anti backflow valves in the sewer etc and remove all the driveway and patio that touch the walls.

Sorry bit of a ramble.
Pertinent to the original post when I fitted the telescopic vents I found the cavity to be quite full of mud, sand etc and while I removed what I could get to it must be like that all the way around.
This must be bridging the DPC which is bitumin and likely porus at this age. So any water getting on the external brick where the concrete diveway touches it could potentially wick horizontally and vertically.

I have spoken to several "damp specialists" etc but found none very convincing in their ideas of what to do exactly and also not consistent with each other.

I have found one company that seem at least professional and knowledgeable on the phone who will do a non invasive survey for £150 and include advice for a solution. I have yet to schedule an appointment but will do once I get around to it they are called https://biocraftsouthwest.co.uk/ I have no affiliation with them so caveat emptor.

I do certainly think rising damp exists but what often happens is more likely penetrating damp.
I am considering taking out the floor again and tanking it like a basement up to 1 meter. I think the dry rods may "work" to a degree but inserting a new DPC in sections would be a better solution though a bit of a pain to do certainly.

I also think anyone using a £ 20 moisture meter designed for wood to prove you have damp walls needs to be thrown out immediately.

Could it be condensation causing it?

 

[paulrbarnard]

I got a bit more info from my daughter. The contractor is ripping out the concrete patio, fixing a drain that has collapsed and reinstating the French drains that were originally around the walls. It’s highly likely that some of these are contributing to the problem. He is charging a very reasonable £1200 for that. However he is also quoting another £1200 to put in the dry rods. It’s a 4M run of wall so that seems a bit excessive. I’ve told her to go ahead with the ground work. If the consensus here is to give the rods a try I’ll install them.

 

[Bingy man]

I got a bit more info from my daughter. The contractor is ripping out the concrete patio, fixing a drain that has collapsed and reinstating the French drains that were originally around the walls. It’s highly likely that some of these are contributing to the problem. He is charging a very reasonable £1200 for that. However he is also quoting another £1200 to put in the dry rods. It’s a 4M run of wall so that seems a bit excessive. I’ve told her to go ahead with the ground work. If the consensus here is to give the rods a try I’ll install them.

I’ve also never heard of dry rods apart from when I go fishing and I blank had a chat with an elder customer last week and she,s had the experts from checkatrade in for a damp issue. ( she, s house bound . They have diagnosed r/d and have recommended a chemical dpc all round , the usual crud about removing 1 mtr of plaster and useing the latest space age nasa approved water proof plaster ???and new patio doors as these are aluminium and are no longer approved??? About £6,000 estimated . Long story/ short I’ve been to see the problems and I’ve recommended scaffolding all round, replace the 3 or 4 missing tiles and remove the old cast iron gutters that are filled with soil and grass etc , and check the facia,s and soffits replace as necessary and of course new guttering . Estimated a lot less than 6,000.. I think r/ d should be removed as a diagnosis and be replaced with the new condition of rising cash

 

[Adam W.]

Asbestos was once a magik material.

@paulrbarnard Blimey I'll put the rods in for £1199.99

And I'll even do a song and dance about it.

 

[Ollie78]

I got a bit more info from my daughter. The contractor is ripping out the concrete patio, fixing a drain that has collapsed and reinstating the French drains that were originally around the walls. It’s highly likely that some of these are contributing to the problem. He is charging a very reasonable £1200 for that. However he is also quoting another £1200 to put in the dry rods. It’s a 4M run of wall so that seems a bit excessive. I’ve told her to go ahead with the ground work. If the consensus here is to give the rods a try I’ll install them.

Wow I am clearly in the wrong business.
Dry rods are £24 for 10 (at wickes so probably way less for them) and that will cover 1.2 m so generously thats £96 quid for materials leaves enough for a very nice new SDS drill and bits with a couple of days pay to drill 40 holes. Absolutely mental. probably take 2 hours.

 

[BucksDad]

The cost of these dry rods reminds me of when I got a quote from a company for a leased line to our office (small IT company of 10 people). They quoted £400 to drill a hole in the side of our building for the new cable

 

[yngndrw]

Wow I am clearly in the wrong business.
Dry rods are £24 for 10 (at wickes so probably way less for them) and that will cover 1.2 m so generously thats £96 quid for materials leaves enough for a very nice new SDS drill and bits with a couple of days pay to drill 40 holes. Absolutely mental. probably take 2 hours.

The instructions say that you must clear the dust out of each hold before inserting the rod, so let's be fair to the contractor and call it 2 hours and 10 minutes.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Wow I am clearly in the wrong business.
Dry rods are £24 for 10 (at wickes so probably way less for them) and that will cover 1.2 m so generously thats £96 quid for materials leaves enough for a very nice new SDS drill and bits with a couple of days pay to drill 40 holes. Absolutely mental. probably take 2 hours.

Exactly my reasoning. I’ll only charge my daughter £600

 

[paulrbarnard]

The instructions say that you must clear the dust out of each hold before inserting the rod, so let's be fair to the contractor and call it 2 hours and 10 minutes.

He is obviously including the cost of a Festool CTSC and a hammer drill.

 

[MF1000]

Exactly my reasoning. I’ll only charge my daughter £600

Plus bacon butties and tea I assume

 

[PDW125]

Pertinent to the original post when I fitted the telescopic vents I found the cavity to be quite full of mud, sand etc and while I removed what I could get to it must be like that all the way around.

That’s correct - below ground / DPC level it is correct to backfill the cavity to prevent the walls being “squashed” when external backfill is completed. It doesn’t need to be done but was standard practice for years

 

[Kriggi]

This video from Skill Builder explains about installing Dry Rods. Easy job, not £1,200 worth!



Oops, double post, should have read the thread from the beginning!

 

[redhunter350]

my daughter has a damp walk in her kitchen. The builder she has contacted has recommended dry rods. I know nothing about them, do they work?

Paul, I know nothing about the rods but an old pal of mine used to do chemical damp proofing and it was very successful, he did several walls for my daughter in an old farm house - no DPC ! all 100% success.
The company who supplied the chemicals was Sovereign Chemicals in Barrow- in-Furness https://www.sovchem.co.uk/
I feel sure they will have a partner in your area if you contact them. Feel free to message me if wish
John

 

[MikeJhn]

Got hold of the Dry Rod BBA certificate.

 

[Ollie78]

That’s correct - below ground / DPC level it is correct to backfill the cavity to prevent the walls being “squashed” when external backfill is completed. It doesn’t need to be done but was standard practice for years

Perhaps, but this was above the DPC by quite a bit.

 

[MarkAW]

Sound like treating the symptoms rather than treating the cause.

Get an expert in who specialises in damp, if even only for a consultation. They'll have experience and know what to look for.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Got hold of the Dry Rod BBA certificate.

Seems too good to be true. Will certainly give them a go.