Electro Osmotic Damp Proofing

Gareth2011

Hi All,

Has anyone ever used one of the electro osmotic damp proofing diy kits before? I would perfere to get it done professionaly but you know the times we live in. I found them in the uk for around 250 pounds and it covers 25 meters. As far as I know its just a metter of drilling the hole and putting in the probe hooking it all up together and job done?

BryanF

I've specified their use but never for a DIYer..

will you be pouring a floor slab after doing this?
DIY'ing it, could be an expensive mistake, if you get it wrong..

Gareth2011

BryanF wrote: »

I've specified their use but never for a DIYer..

will you be pouring a floor slab after doing this?
DIY'ing it, could be an expensive mistake, if you get it wrong..

No not pouring a floor slab after. Its a raised floor with vents underneath (1940's) house. Plan is to put that in then use tanking material then drylining the walls. (Im not tanking the walls or doing drylining. I just found a DIY kit in the uk and thought it would be easy enough to do but its not?

red sean

Any chance of a link to where you sourced the kit Gareth? I'm interested in this thread as I live in an old house as well.

Gareth2011

red sean wrote: »

Any chance of a link to where you sourced the kit Gareth? I'm interested in this thread as I live in an old house as well.

Hi Sean, As Bryan said it can go wrong so Im thinking its not as simple as it seems but sure have a look anyway.

http://www.burnspropertycare.com/cgi-bin/olscgi?cgi_req=102%7C5

http://www.platinumchemicals.co.uk/electro-osmotic-damp-proofing-kit-p-290.html

http://www.twistfix.co.uk/products/damp-proofing-osmosis/electro-osmotic-dpc-kit-product.html

red sean

Thanks Gareth, I'm going to keep an eye on what Bryan and/or others have to say.

Gareth2011

I need alot done here as have the rising damp. then need drylining. The electro osmitic seems the best bet as in old houses there is conflicting reports of what there made off. Guy who surveyed my house said 215 solid block. Man next door whos son used to own the house said there pure concrete. Another guy reckons there just rubble and concrete.

Gareth2011

http://www.ratedpeople.com/m/advice/diy-guide/building/damp-proof-walls.html

BryanF

Gareth2011 wrote: »

I need alot done here as have the rising damp. then need drylining. The electro osmitic seems the best bet as in old houses there is conflicting reports of what there made off. Guy who surveyed my house said 215 solid block. Man next door whos son used to own the house said there pure concrete. Another guy reckons there just rubble and concrete.

Gareth, drylining may not be the best option. particularly where damp is already prevalent. have you considered external insulation and French drain externally around the perimeter to reduce the rising damp

Gareth2011

BryanF wrote: »

Gareth, drylining may not be the best option. particularly where damp is already prevalent. have you considered external insulation and French drain externally around the perimeter to reduce the rising damp

Hi Bryan,

The external is too expensive for us we havent gotten quotes but I know just from seening the grant amount it will be expensive. As for the french drain we have a path running around the house front to back.Willl it involve digging up the path around the front of the house (damp areas) and then putting in the french drain? Il just tell you now in the sitting room the footpath has come away from the house maybe by about half an inch maybe more but it only goes like that for a few foot. The rest of the house the pathway is fine but damp is still there.

BryanF

i take it the wall of your house is the boundary with the public footpath?

if this is not the case, then yes, dig the paths up and install a French drain and relay if required with a gravel verge of maybe a ft around the house. this is the way rising damp has traditional been reduced as it take away any water sitting just below ground level. A suitably qualified experience Engineer should visit you before you attempt this.

tanking and drylining should be the last resort, i appreciate the cost of EWI but imo its a better option, as it keeps the concrete structure within the thermal envelope, still installing the elec osmosis system (professional preferably) and with proper ventilation below the installed Vapour barrier & insulated suspended floor, this would be my preferred solution.

Gareth2011

No the path is joined to the house I live on my own plot of 1.5 acres. The part of the house with the damp was built in 1940s. There was an extenstion added on to the back of the house which does not have damp problems. The damp literally stops when it comes to the wall where new part was built. Can the EWI stop at that point or does it need to go the whole way around the house to work?

Are the french drains difficult to put in? I don't want to go digging up my garden.

Carlow52

the hardest part of fd's is digging out what is there already.

access for machines may be problematic.

Some care is needed and some are done by hand, especially near the wall of house until its clear where the foundations of house are.

U also need to know where any and all pipes,cables, etc are situated and think about replacing steps to doors.

Having said all that it is, in my view, a must do task for rising damp in the situation u describe.

I am not a fan of electro, too many ifs and buts and maybes and unless ur conditions perfectly match the lab condition then it can be a very expensive mistake.

I would much prefer to spend such mula on decent, controlled ventilation

Gareth2011

Well that was recommended to me too. A Positive Ventilation system was what he said. this was recommended cause of the condensation. Bear in mind the attic is not insulated but will be soon. He read the walls and got a reading of between 28 and 32 where the damp was and 17-22 above it. We had hoped just condensation but its rising damp :mad:. As for the electro why are you not a fan of it? You had bad experience with it?

I was reading up on the french drains. Ive a fair idea how it works but Ive no intention of doing it myself. Well Id do what I can myself but the whole thing def not. Im trying to keep it as low cost as possible you see. Thats why im trying to steer away from the EWI as its too costly and we only need it on half the house so dont know how it will perform when its not a sealed evenelope as it were.

BryanF

re ewi performance
its going to better than dry-lining, that's for sure, especially in a damp house. I would strongly recommend you steer clear, the surface condensation you say your experiencing will just be hidden by the plasterboard.. not good!

what is the extension insulated with?

can you give us an idea of the msq external wall area (just length by height, including windows)

re french drains - much of it is labour, ring a plumber and get advice on how much he will charge to lay a connect perforated pipes and wrap with geo-textile or hemp cloth. after that, its mainly digging out or filling stone in. (with engineer's ok, of course) - I'm simplifying this but it is mainly digging!

Gareth2011

Total lenght is 54 ft that includes both ends of the front of house. height is about 9ft.3. But if I got the french drain in. Plus the elctro would the drylining not be ok then? Also you said in the other post "proper ventilation below the installed Vapour barrier & insulated suspended floor, this would be my preferred solution. "

1/ whats the installed vapour barrier
2/ yes floor is suspended by beams that are touching the ground but I cant insulate under it was just going to get a type of plastic roll that you can put over the floor from an insulation company and then pooden floor over that to stop the draught.

Gareth2011

what does Foc mean when its from a builder?

BryanF

Gareth2011 wrote: »

Total lenght is 54 ft that includes both ends of the front of house. height is about 9ft.3.

17x3 x €100m2 = €5100 + possibly grant of €3,600 (Detached House) if you do the whole lot that is..

But if I got the french drain in. Plus the elctro would the drylining not be ok then?

cant say that without survey and consideration. if it was me i would expect PI insurance from the advisor.

Also you said in the other post "proper ventilation below the installed Vapour barrier & insulated suspended floor, this would be my preferred solution. "

1/ whats the installed vapour barrier

it stops moisture going into your insulation and in a floor situation also acts as an air-tightness barrier between the suspended ventilated space underfloor and you watching the tv not wanting drafts at your feet:)

2/ yes floor is suspended by beams that are touching the ground but I cant insulate under it was just going to get a type of plastic roll that you can put over the floor from an insulation company and then wooden floor over that to stop the draught.

i'm not quiet sure if were on the same page, see here the page entitled 'Timber Suspended Ground Floor'

hope this helps - FOC could mean just about anything - possibly 'free of charge' but this is a builder:D so who knows, some context would be nice

DanWall

Many years ago I had two walls of my house done with electro osmotic damp proofing, it worked fine. Basically it was a continues copper strip about 1/8 x 1/2 inch, cemented behind the skirting board, and earthed to a rod in the ground. The damp will not go within several inches of the strip. I would however recommend chemical injection with a dam proofing liquid for solid walls; this seems to be the more modern approach.

Gareth2011

I know what your saying but with conflicting reports about what is in my walls I don't know if that will work. Did you dryline after that dan for the insulation side of things?

DanWall

Sorry for the delay. It was a modern Semi with a bridged damp course. Condensation was pooling on the windowsill downstairs, the osmosis stopped it dead. The rep showed me with a voltmeter that there was an electrical potential (milivolt) between the damp wall and the earth socket in the house
I did nothing more than replace the skirting board.