Hi,

 

Hoping someone might be able to help with an issue I came across today.

 

A damp spot has recently appeared above my kitchen window.

 

The house is timber frame construction with blockwork outer skin. It has been roughcasted (before christmas) and the walls were plastered last month. I have only noticed the patch today and. The water has only recently been turned on (there is plumbing above - a bath, but there don't seem to be any obvious leaks although I haven't run anything for a significant length of time). I can see from pictures last week that the area was dry.

 

The dpm above the lintels and weep vents all seem to have been installed correctly...

 

I'm a bit stumped.

Cut an inspection hole out of the plaster board.

Best to do it now while you still in construction mode.

I’d have my money on a plumbing leak 

I The trays should cope with anything soaking through 

Why is the DPC discharging to the outside ABOVE the lintel?

2 hours ago, twice round the block said:

Cut an inspection hole out of the plaster board.

Best to do it now while you still in construction mode.

 

I came out of construction mode about 2 months ago but I think i'll need to

 

 

1 hour ago, nod said:

I’d have my money on a plumbing leak 

I The trays should cope with anything soaking through 

 

I'm leaning that way too; I'm assuming the dpm is quite hard to tear when the blocks go up. 

 

41 minutes ago, ETC said:

Why is the DPC discharging to the outside ABOVE the lintel?

I think that's the way it is supposed to be...

 

Thanks for your responses, will see what tomorrow brings.

DPC should discharge below the lintel.

59 minutes ago, ETC said:

Why is the DPC discharging to the outside ABOVE the lintel?

Interesting point and a good spot!

 

This is the way I would detail this as the concrete lintel looks like a non composite prestressed lintel and essentially impervious.

 

On the other hand if it was a composite lintel that relies on courses of masonry bonded to the top of the lintel for strength then the above detail is definitely not correct as the tray at this level creates a slip plane.

 

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, ETC said:

DPC should discharge below the lintel.

I feel more comfortable detailing (if a non composite lintel) as per the picture as it simplifies the window head weather proofing and less risk that some daft window installer will put a screw though it.

 

1 hour ago, nod said:

I’d have my money on a plumbing leak

Yes, check the obvious first as Nod says.

14 minutes ago, Gus Potter said:

I feel more comfortable detailing (if a non composite lintel) as per the picture as it simplifies the window head weather proofing and less risk that some daft window installer will put a screw though it.

 

Yes, check the obvious first as Nod says.

Not convinced.

4 minutes ago, ETC said:

Not convinced.

Ok, for another day. Catch you another time. Keep up the good work, I enjoy / learn from your input.

 

Off to have something to eat as starving!

 

 

1 hour ago, Gus Potter said:

Ok, for another day. Catch you another time. Keep up the good work, I enjoy / learn from your input.

 

Off to have something to eat as starving!

 

 

Grand job. 

That is approx an egg cup of water. 

Does it change with time/ weather?

It seems to coincide with the spot where 2 strips of dpc coincide, so a theoretical gap back between them.??

I dried out the spot with a hair dryer yesterday, although I'm left with a small dark area. No (or little rain) overnight and no patch today. I've run all the baths and showers and nothing. 
 

it's just odd because we had some dreadful weather prior to the patch appearing (I checked back on my pictures) and it just seemed to coincide with water being turned on last week (we also had poor weather though)...

Perhaps soak it with a hose pipe (pretend to be severe weather) and see if it re appears.

When you say dreadful weather was it also very windy? If you run taps and empty loos and sinks and it’s remained dry then it has to be rain. Get a hose on it as suggested. 

Aye, it was very windy. 

I'll try the hose, but like you say it looks like it's coming in from outside. 
 

Assuming the fix is render off, cut out some blocks and sort out whatever the issue with the dpm is?

 

Thanks again

Found another picture. I'm not sure if there could be a tear in the dpm??