Damp caused by cement filled hole?

[paul22]

Hoping someone could help. i have a problem with damp on my living room wall about 8ft high. I have been wrongly advsed as to the route of the problem. Firstly i had the wall dug out and replastered but the damp came back. I then re-sealed surrounding windows and of late i had the roof re-felted and drains replaced but the problem is as bad as ever. I notice on the exterior wall that there was some kind of vent and i believe that this has simply been filled with cement. Is it possible that this could be the route of the damp. The exterior wall is red brick. Any help or advice greatfully received!

[chaniarts]

where does the vent come out on the roof, and does it have a cap on it?

[DerbyDad03]

Maybe there's a language issue here, so let me ask some questions...

re: "i have a problem with damp on my living room wall about 8ft high"

Do you mean a "damp spot", as in the wall is wet?

re: "i had the wall dug out and replastered but the damp came back."

By "dug out" do you mean stripped back to the studs? If so, what was observed while the wall was open?

By "replastered" do you really mean that they used plaster and not drywall?

re: "I then re-sealed surrounding windows and of late i had the roof re-felted and drains replaced"

How did you "re-seal surrounding windows" and where are they located with respect to the damp (spot?)?

What do you mean by you "had the roof re-felted"?

Felt paper is typically under the shingles and you can't just replace the felt.

What do you mean by you had the "drains replaced"? Do you mean the gutters and downspouts?

re: "on the exterior wall there was some kind of vent and i believe that this has simply been filled with cement"

Where is this "vent" in relation to the damp (spot?)?

Why was it filled with cement?

[Sonny]

And what is this vent venting from? Is there some appliance or home system this vent is to be venting? What appliance or home system, if so?

[paul22]

Thanks for the replies. Yes theres perhaps a language issue here. The roof was re-felted professionally as was the windows re-sealed and guttering and down pipe replaced. The damp is seen clearly in the interior wall, although the 'vent area' can be seen from the exterior. Not so sure why the vent was there in any case. the damp area is a little lower the vent area. When the wall was replastered only the damp area was attended to and this was on the internal wall and not the exterior

[dennisgauge]

The point of clarifying is to EXPAND on what you said, not repeat it verbatim.

We "dumb Americans" don't know know "damp" as a noun. We don't know "felted" as a verb, and we haven't used felt as a weatherproofing material since the 1950's.

[jamesgangnc]

There are a number of concrete and brick sealer products. Clear sealers you can spray on. Get on of those and then wait for a period of dry weather. A week of so should do it. Then apply the sealer to the concrete patch and the surrounding bricks. See if that helps.

[DerbyDad03]

Sure we do! ;-)

oofing material since the 1950's.

[Evan]

So you have attempted to repair a water problem by doing totally unneeded work and are baffled to find that you are still having water problems ?

The Roof: You would have known if the roof was making the wall wet, as the ceiling under said roof would have been "damp" as well...

Windows: You would have seen traces of water leaking in around and below the windows if they were the source of the "damp"...

The sealed up "vent" hole: How high up on the wall is that located ? If it were the cause the "damp" would only be located in areas of the wall directly below that opening and its later patch...

Now let's address your actual problem...

You have an exterior wall which is clad in red brick (yet you don't mention anything about examining the outside of this wall at all) where you had to have some of the interior of that wall removed and repaired because it was "damp"...

What is going on with the outside of this wall ? Are there water issues present ? Does the brick cladding continue below the grade level of the soil or do they rest on a concrete brick ledge above grade ? Many bricks are porous and will wick up water -- what sort of moisture barrier is present in your walls construction ?

You need to have someone who actually has a clue of what they are doing inspect your red brick wall paying close attention to where the grade level is in relation to the bricks, also, the mortar or "pointing" between the bricks and if it has been damaged in any way...

How about doing some investigation of the conditions effecting the wall from the outside, as the moisture usually comes inside from outside as you would have had "damp" on all the walls if it was an indoor humidity problem with your house in general...