In our barn conversion, we have two, 18ins-thick internal stone walls running from the front to the back of the property.
The building inspector says we have to use some kind of dampproofing measure.
Injection is out because it hardly ever works, especially in walls such as these (two leaves with rubble in-fill).
There is the electro-thingy option - how effective/green is that?
Or we are looking at a material sold by Triton (presumably not the shower people) which is basically a thick plastic impermiable membrane with a stud pattern on the wall side on which any damp is supposed to condense and run to the bottom. It can be used with a condensate drain at the bottom, but that's not an option for us.
Is there anyone where with suggestions?
Ta
Tony
posted on 04-05-06
Are these walls exposed to outside? will they be covered, insulated or plastered? What type of stone? and is it lime mortar?
Biff
posted on 05-05-06
>The building inspector says we have to use some kind of dampproofing measure.
What did he suggest? The Buildings Regs do not say you have to have a dpc. The Law says:
Resistance to moisture
C2. The floors, walls and roof of the building shall adequately protect
the building and people who use the building from harmful effects
caused by:
(a) ground moisture;
(b) precipitation and wind-driven spray;
(c) interstitial and surface condensation;
I'd make sure the floor did not have a dpm either (or have you already poured concrete over polythene, ensuring the the walls are the only route that water can escape through?) and that the walls are not coated with anything that acts as a vapour barrier. Then ensure that the rooms are adequately ventilated and heated.
Gareth D
posted on 06-05-06
Tony: the walls key into the external walls. They are a mix of river boulder and sandstone. I think the mortar is lime. If we use the Triton membrane system, they'll just be plastered over. If not, simply dry lined.
Biff: that's a good point. Now you ask, I need to check whether it's the architect specifying a chemical treatment (and therefore introducing an assumption something is needed), or the inspector insisting something's needed. The floor does have a new dpm (Visqueen under concrete slab), and the contruction we are using on the outside walls has Klober Permoframe next to the stone walls on stud partitions.
Thanks for any help...
Gareth D
posted on 14-05-06
My original question seems to have been overlooked. Can anyone help?
We are now considering an electro-osmotic system...
Biff
posted on 14-05-06
If the floor ahs been given a dpm, rural mythology has it that the moisture will be driven into the walls because it can't escape through the floor. Can't say I quite understand the physics of that though.
We had some discussion about electro-osmosis some months ago I think. There was a firm that got taken to court a couple of years ago for claiming that it worked and the court decided it didn't. All very dodgy.
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