PigletJohn - I'm damp and need your help!

[BossWitch]

I had a thread a few months back about a house we were looking to purchase which had suspected rising damp. PigletJohn had some really good advice, about looking for leaks rather than accepting it as rising damp, hence the name drop in the thread title - we bought the house and could do with some advice if you're about!

Our initial mortgage survey threw up 'possibility of rising damp' so we had the requested damp and timber survey done and that did indeed mention something along the lines of damp with possibility of it being rising damp.

House is a late '40's brick built ex-council semi.

We ripped up the floor in the dining room today and made a couple of discoveries. There was a laminate floor down before with a foil backed foam underlay. Taking this up we noticed that there was a small amount of dampness on what was the hearth (to the right of the door in the first picture). From this it almost looks like damp has spread pretty much straight out from the old fireplace (the darker patches in the photo) then hit the opposite wall and spread. Although the darker patches didn't feel damp compared to the slightly lighter patches (though admittedly only using my hands). The floor isn't properly level so it would make sense for there to be odd spread patterns to any moisture coming from the chimney. We can't tell if the chimney has been capped off properly, but we were told by the vendors that the roof was re-done 3 years ago so the lead flashing around the chimney would have been disturbed then. The fireplace is all blocked up at the minute but we are planning on taking a very big hammer to that tomorrow to see what's behind there and if it looks like moisture is coming down.

The other thing that we've found in this room is the stop cock (we think) hidden behind a radiator cover (picture 2!). This has started to corrode but not sure if this is because this is leaking too or if the dampness in the floor has affected the pipe. Also, not sure if it's lead or not.

Has anyone come across similar stuff in their house / been renovating a house had found things like this? All opinions and advice wanted! We can't really decide what our next step should be!

Well I am sure that title will get his attention!

Some more pics below showing the stopcock where it comes in through the big patch of concrete (no idea why that's there) before joining the copper pipe with a plastic compression fitting and disappearing up the wall presumably to tee off to various places under the floor boards. There was a back boiler at some point I think but has been replaced with a combi in the last 10 years or so. From a quick head poke in the loft it looks like the old galvanised tank is no longer connected but still there.

Hoping so, MissDuke!

Ooh just remembered I can do @PigletJohn these days...

I'm not he, but I can tell you that concrete corrodes copper so the copper pipework in the floor may be leaking if it hasn't been lagged sufficiently before being concreted in.

Chimneys which aren't being used still need air circulation to stop damp issues so if there are no air grilles or air bricks that can be problematic.

Oh and plastic push fittings on copper pipes are more susceptible to failure and leaking than soldered joints in metal.

I think PigletJohn is not a "he"

as fudge says, copper pipes in concrete are liable to corrode and also to leak at the joints.

If you are not living in the house, turn off the outside stopcock and drain the pipes as best you can.

Is there a water meter?

Have a proper look in the loft. There might be a large and a small tank. What colour is the hot water cylinder?

I would be quite cheerful to see all the old plumbing ripped out an re-done nicely. Not keen on patching up, especially when there are pipes buried in concrete.

Gender is non-specific

Oink!

Thanks for the helpful replies Fudge and Piglet! (Apologies for any accidental misgendering...)

So, update!

Mr Witch and I took a large hammer to the fireplace today. It seems as though this room was originally the kitchen, and that there was once a range cooker in this fireplace, which was then replaced by a fire and back boiler. This would presumably explain why the water main comes in to the house here rather than going around the back to where the kitchen is now? Am also thinking that the reason for the concrete patch around the water pipe (as opposed to the rest of the concrete floor) is because there may have been tiles here originally and the sink in this spot, and this is a repair from when these were ripped out?

Anyway - the old back boiler is still in the chimney, we think all disconnected. We're planning on pulling this all out over the next couple of days and will then have a nice big alcove. Once this is done and we've had a proper look at it, we'll get a roofer into make sure the chimney is properly capped off, and also reinstate an air brick / air grille higher up as it looks like there has been one which has been plastered over.

Current thinking with regard to the water pipe is to dig out the concrete around it, replace the corroded pipe and the joint with a proper soldered one and then box this in and re-do the floor around it. Unfortunately I think a full re-plumb is out of budget for now, so it will have to be making good what is there before getting the room replastered.

There is an outside stop cock and water meter in the front garden just at the edge of the property (found this today somewhat buried in a flower bed) so no problems turning off supply to do the work.

Will have a proper shufty in the loft tomorrow if possible and check out the tank. From a quick look it seemed that the old galvanised cold water tank was disconnected. No hot water cylinder anywhere as it's now a combi boiler.

Attached a pic of the smashy smashy from today in case anyone really enjoys looking at rubble and soot....