Question regarding damp

idkhow2diy · Post by **idkhow2diy** » Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:54 am

Hi all

I have a question about damp that is a little involved but I'll have a go. Detached house, pitched concrete tile roof, flat roof to side. The house is let so I can only go on what I am told. A survey suggested the chimney stack was to blame and this has been removed and made good.

How likely is it that damp from a crack in the render would get through the chimney breast in an upstairs bedroom (chimneys are internal) and then go uphill and along the ceiling towards the centre of the house? My thought are that the eaves are lower than the ceiling and so any crack in the render is lower still, by a way, so the water has to rise up a lot.

Sorry to write it that way... but I'd rather suspect the damp is because of the roof, not the render. But is that a reasonable assumption?

Ta

kellys_eye · Post by **kellys_eye** » Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:22 am

Water can 'wick' uphill but not much more than inches (in my experience) so if the damp is higher than a foot over where the original (claimed) leak was then you have other issues.

idkhow2diy · Post by **idkhow2diy** » Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:42 am

kellys_eye wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:22 am Water can 'wick' uphill but not much more than inches (in my experience) so if the damp is higher than a foot over where the original (claimed) leak was then you have other issues.

Thanks - that was my thought. I don't want to write an essay explaining the complexities of landlord life (!) but I'd more think the water is coming downwards i.e. the roof is dead, rather than cleverly up a couple of feet and 10 feet across away from the outside walls. The roof is scheduled to be replaced anyway in a few days and any cracks in the rendering will be sorted while the scaffolding is up.