Damp issues in terraced house

[dollsmouse8]

Inspired by another thread, I am trying to fix the damp smell in two areas in my Edwardian terrace house.

I have a damp smell coming from a cupboard in my kitchen along the side return. To try and fix it, today I have removed a wooden trellis from the wall on the outside, it was painted underneath and the paint was peeling, is this caused by damp? The trellis was installed by owner before the previous one, they moved the outside door in the kitchen, didn't do a very good job with the new brickwork and put the trellis in to cover it up. I think there may be gaps at the bottom of the brickwork, where the step would have been as I've had slugs and mice in the kitchen. I have also removed a wooden step from the outside door in the dining room, adjacent to the damp cupboard. It had ventilation holes in it, however it was mostly blocking an air brick. It smelt damp underneath, I have cleaned the air brick and removed the brick which was propping it up. The brick was in the corner, under the outside of the door and was stopping air getting to both of the outside walls. Does this sound like it could be the fix for the damp? There was a gutter leaking above this area, it has now been fixed too.

Other issue is at the front of the house in the living room, some days there is a damp smell. There are no signs on the inside wall. I've just noticed that the drain in the corner has moss on its slope and some plants around it. I'm planning to clean it and cut back the plants right next to the drain and in the bed about a foot from the wall. I've cleared the little weeds growing in the gravel drainage channel next to the wall. This was put in by the previous owners. I was going to get a new front door for the porch as it has a huge gap underneath, I'm reconsidering as I have noticed there are ventilation holes in the original wooden step under the inner front door.

@PigletJohn @dontbenastyhaveapasty Any advice would be great, thank you.

Damp in a kitchen is usually leak related.

Please post pics of the inside and outside wall.

Please include outside drains, downpipes and manhole covers.

Walk round the house looking for the DPC. Mark it in chalk. Once you have found it, it will be at the same level all round the house. It may well be buried under earth or paving, or bridged with render.

Btw you do not have to buy a new door to fill a gap.

An original door is a great asset.

I still need to look for the damp proof course, here are some photos, sorry for the delay. The broken step and bad brickwork is adjacent to the damp cupboard, the soil/waste pipe is above this. I can't get into inside wall due to cupboard, I have had a look with a torch and can't see any damp. I can see some insulation behind it, in the same area where the broken step is, OH put it under the cupboard due to a draught.

In the front, I've noticed that the drain cover is broken and I'm going to replace it.

I see you have long-term damp at the foot of the wall. Above it is an iron soil pipe which I guess to be around a hundred years old.

There may possibly be some kind of repair at one of the joints, I can't make it out.

The pipe probably connects to salt-glazed clay, at or just below, the original ground level. This is very likely cracked or broken and leaking.

if the pipe was leaking, that would be consistent with the damp patch and with its age.

Do you ever see weeds or red worms near the damp patch? Have you ever seen a wild tomato plant nearby?

Thanks, I haven't seen a wild tomato plant. I have seen a worm disappearing into a tiny hole in the corner of the wall, it looked like an earthworm. There are a lot of small gaps in the brickwork, I need to fix them. Kitchen needs replacing as it's pretty old, will I need to dig the floor out to the replace the pipes then? The floor in the kitchen is concrete, the dining room is floorboards.

if the wet patch is on an outside wall, it is more likely the soil pipe and drain. if the paving level has been raised since the house was built (very common) it may bridge the original DPC and cause damp at low level. A cracked drain in the ground is often hidden by patching the concrete, and you often seen multiple patches and cracks, which may sound hollow because the ground underneath is washed away.

If the kitchen floor is wet it is likely to be the incoming water supply pipe. Tends to be where the pipe turn up to come through the floor, where the kitchen sink used to be when the house was built, but can be along the route of the pipe, usually in a straight line between that point, and the stopcock or water meter under the pavement at the front. Terraced houses sometimes have the pipe running behind them, especially if there is is a back lane or alley in Victorian build.

If the kitchen sink itself is leaking you will find rot and mould on the shelves beneath.

I can't see any damp on the inside wall, it looks like it on the outside. There is an old TV cable running from the roof into the wall where the old kitchen door was, it isn't in use now and DH is going to take it out in case the water is running down the cable, through the hole and into the house. I'm going to have a look at the concrete path next to the side return.

On the front of the house, I have cleaned out the blocked drain and I'm replacing the broken grate where the leaves have been getting in. It was full of leaves, rotten leaves and earthworms.

Thanks for the advice!

if there is any slack in the cable, he can make a "drip loop" that will prevent water running into the house.

Professional sparkies' wrinkle.

drip loop

it can be clipped neatly against the wall rather than sticking out as in the pic. A twist loop does the same thing.

captnpauley.typepad.com/.a/6a0111685112b3970c0105371a237d970b-pi

@PigletJohn - what does the wild tomato plant mean? I have just found one near a drain! 😳😳

the seeds of the tomato are undamaged in transit through the human digestive system, and emerge ready to germinate.

They thrive in rich, damp soil containing plenty of decaying organic material.

Often found near broken soil pipes and sewers.

@PigletJohn

the seeds of the tomato are undamaged in transit through the human digestive system, and emerge ready to germinate.

They thrive in rich, damp soil containing plenty of decaying organic material.

Often found near broken soil pipes and sewers.

Ah! I thought you might say that!

Thanks for the cable loop tip.

The concrete on the path next to the damp wall is cracked, I think it is newer than the house.

I've seen the tomato plants on an alleyway near a row of Victorian houses, I didn't realise it meant that the drains were cracked.

The concrete on the path next to the damp wall is cracked, I think it is newer than the house.

this is typical where a cracked drain has washed away the soil beneath.

It sounds the same along the whole path, I'm not sure it is hollow. I have noticed some damp on the other areas of the kitchen wall when I've compared them to the damp corner. The area around the soil pipe is dry, the area on the other side of the wall from the kitchen sink and water pipe into the drain from the kitchen sink looks damp. There's a couple of issues: the sealant and wooden batton on the back of the worktop behind the sink has come off and water can get down the back. The hole where the waste water pipe comes out from the kitchen into the outside drain is too big and you can see daylight though it. It's insulated with sheep's wool insulation, I'm going to remove it and check the wall behind it. Do I need to seal the hole properly with cement?

the hole in the wall? yes. you can do it with sand and cement mortar, pressed in hard. to keep out mice, slugs, flies etc.

You’re awesome PigletJohn - always here just being knowledgable and helpful 😊

Thanks, that's really helpful, I will do that. I've had mice in the past, maybe that is their entrance point. I had slugs before, until the mice came, I think they've eaten them.

I had slugs before, until the mice came, I think they've eaten them

I goggled and was astonished to find that mice do that

Slugs are usually attracted to damp places so look for leaks and get that wall dry. Drain leaks tend to include decaying organic matter for them to eat.

I was happy that the slugs had disappeared, until I realised there were mice and they must have been there for longer than thought. The slugs used to appear in the damp cupboard .

It will be a couple of years until the kitchen is replaced, I need to find a way to get the cupboard out temporarily without breaking it.

Thank you for your great advice! The damp brickwork on the front of the house next to the drain looks drier since I replaced the drain grate, I've cleared the moss from the bricks today to see if that helps.

If the gulley is brown glazed clay, it is most likely cracked and leaking into the ground next to the wall.

Thanks, I think it is, I'll check. It was full of leaves, mud and earthworms when I cleared it out and replaced the broken grate.