[Closed] Is this rising damp?

Where does that cable come from?

Just added 3rd picture.

It's a cable for the sky dish, but we don't have Sky.

Cable has been there for over 15 years.

Paint and plaster was fine when I decorated 2 years ago

Check for Rossiters then you'll know.

That pointing looks a bit shot.

Cut the cable remove that and seal the hole.

Check the guttering above the area, it could just be a guttering leak allowing water to run straight down the wall.

Avoid damp specialists, if your worried get a good reliable builder to have a look.

The fraud of rising damp

No, it's just damp.
Is it cavity wall? What year of build?

And that area looks very wet full stop. The decking looks saturated.

Put some clear waterproofing sealant on the bricks, the rain will hit the decking and bounce back up to hit the wall.

Has the decking bridged the DPC and is then allowing rain water to splash up against the wall? It looks like it might be a nine inch wall with no cavity?

Does look wet outside with possible evidence of water splashing. I'd have a good look at the gutters and pipes above next time it rains heavy.

Looks like it's been previously injected. The decking hasn't bridged the cavity but is close to floor level. Bricks look quite soft and porous to be fair. One good shout above is the brick sealer. Don't use the Thompson's shit tho as it's silicone content is low, Sovereign do a quality product.
Sky man drilled from inside and bost the face off that brick also 🙄

You are meant to drill from the inside, though thats quite a big piece of brick to blow off so suspect they kept the hammer on the whole way though. It should also be drilled on a downward angle towards outside to prevent water coming through.

What's all that muck inside the glass unit, or is it a door opening on the left?
Looks like the whole area needs a bit lot of TLC.

Another picture to give context..

House is 1900-1910. I don't think it has cavity walls.

Rain flows away from that corner and doesn't pool there. Guttering is fine.

Decking is probably ready for replacing but that's another job.

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It could be that over time you have a build up of material under the decking which is now above any damp course? I'd get one of those planks up to have a look. Plus would be useful to have a slightly bigger gap between decking and wall. Personally I'd blame the chickens!

Its just rain splashing up off the decking and soaking the wall.

1900 build would indicate no cavity but I can't see a row of headers in the brickword, so I'm not sure whether it's cavity or not.
Full length curtain restricting air flow against a cold (maybe damp) wall is perfect for chasing this sort of issue.
Clean it up, get the curtains away from the wall to get some airflow and see what happens.

I reckon that suspect looking chicken is involved somehow....

Pointing looks pretty lacking as well

Pointing looks pretty lacking as well

Chickens can't point

One more thought. It looks like there was something stuck over the cable entry previously, possibly to prevent water penetration, but it's now gone/been removed by the chickens?

It was clear silicone because sky man bost the face of the brick off. That's not how your supposed to do it apparently.

I reckon that suspect looking chicken is involved somehow….

One of them has knocked a chair over as well. I wouldn't trust em!!

Paint and plaster was fine when I decorated 2 years ago

In which case, what has changed in that area or room/s over the last 2years? Closed up a fireplace? Replaced windows? Blocked up trickle vents? For sure the full drop curtains are not helping air movement there.

There’s no such thing as rising damp, it’ll be lack of ventilation/air movement, a cold bridge, dpc failure or bridging.

The sky cable has a loop, so I doubt water will find its way through that route.

How much ventilation is there under the decking? Can water lay on the joists that abut the house?

Additionally, I doubt it would be coming from above, otherwise the distempered plaster would be showing higher up the wall too. Chances are the skirting is knackered too.

Oh and chickens = rats. So it could be the chickens or the rats. 😉

I would be pulling that beading strip off to see if the door frames have been siliconed and maybe ripping the old silicone out and re-sealing, could possibly be dripping down, pooling at the bottom of the frame and soaking the wall. Cavity will more than likely be filled at that level allowing breach.

Decking should be 150mm under the DPM so splash back could also be a cause.

Cables got a drip loop so shouldn’t be of concern

DO NOT invest in damp proof paint ‘snake oil’, address the cause of the damp.

When the time comes, would be a good idea to replace decking with flags/ paving and install a surface drain against the boundary wall,,,,

I really do not like decking 🤨

I really do not like decking 🤨

Decking is spawn of the devil. One of the worst things ever brought into a garden. There are so many better alternatives but chavs and sink estate dwellers think it has a charm. It does, but not in the way they think.

^ I agree, decking is an accident waiting to happen (winter especially) and a waste of effort/money replacing Long term.

Also, in my experience rising damp is not a myth but finding the cause can cure.

God there is some bollox spouted on the building type posts on here. "Damp proof paint" isn't snake oil, correct application painted on to old brickwork does work, "rising damp" as called by some on here does exist, dpc isn't as some think it is. I will put my hands up on this one though as I thought the stretcher at damp had been injected previously sue to the photo, on zooming in I can see it hasn't. Cavities do exist in buildings pre 1900s but are rare.

Says the self appointed STW master builder! 😉

Zoom in on pic3 in original post. Most of the pointing is shot... both at the sky cable and for a good foot or two above it.

Sort that, then paint brick outside with brick sealer and check silicone on door frame and I reckon you'll have identified the bulk of the cause.

Says the self appointed STW master builder! 😉

Hand me my crown peasant 🤣

I suspect that the patio door installation is at fault. Looks like the masonry has been cut and the cover doesn’t look very confidence inspiring neither does the dpm.
With the vast majority of damp / water ingress look to above, it really has to be very very bad to come from below.

Curtains that haven't moved in years, condensation would be my guess.