Can a blocked rain gully cause water in house?

[droogie]

Hi

We have had a problem will an intermittent very shallow pool of water/dampness in the corner of our kitchen since we bought our house last December. After eventually tracking down a good plumber he has said that it isn't a pipework problem and is probably water coming up through the floor.

Last night I notice the rain gully (which is exactly at the corner on the outside of the wall where the problem is) was blocked up with a lot of debris. I've cleared it now (oh, the smell!).

Could this be causing water in the house (even though the gulley is below the damp course) or should I continue the hunt for a good builder (anyone recommend one in Nottingham?)

Thanks

Heather

[The Natural Philosopher]

It can be yes.

If you have a solid brick wall, then any splashing onto the wall will result in a damp patch..solid walls aren't waterproof - they sort of rely on the fact that it doesn't rain onto them all the time, and what there is mostly runs off and evaporates before it penetrates too far. But its a fine balance, and heavy soaking will eventually penetrate inside.

OTOH it may just be very cold at that point, and subject to condensation.

When I was tiling my kitchen in the very hot summer a few years back, using a LOT of water in the cement, and running the cold tap a lot, water was DRIPPING of the incoming water pipe...I thought I had a leak, but it was just condensation..

[Phil L]

It's unlikely to be water from the drains...water rarely goes *upwards* enough to cause a puddle, no matter how shallow, this water has to be coming downwards, but some questions need answering before any diagnosis can be made:

1) how old is the house? (approx) 2) does it have cavity walls or are they solid? 3) Is this an exterior corner, IE is it the corner of the house or extension or is it an internal corner? 4) If it is an exterior corner, is there a down spout (outside) from the gutter near it? 6) Is there a water main in this room and if so how far is it from the corner? 7) is there any damp on any of the walls or ceiling? 8) is the exterior brickwork stained with water marks or algy/moss?

[droogie]

2) Solid walls 3) It is the outside corner of the house, although there is an extension coming out about a foot along the back wall so it's a bit of a dog's leg 4) There are two down spouts (one from the main roof, one from the extension), one is an old metal one and has a bit of loose joint but I can't see any evidence of a leak/hole/blockage 5) where's 5? :) 6) The water main is a couple of feet from the water and appears dry 7) some dampness on the lower walls by the water on the floor but elsewhere is fine 8) no marks outside

It's been raining quite heavily today so I'll nervously check it when I get home

Thanks for your help

[normanwisdom]

Bet it's spilling from the top or a joint in down pipe. You might have cured it by removing blockage in gulley? Have a good look when it's pissing down.

cheers Jacob

[droogie]

I'll go out with my brolly next time - ironically if we don't need a builder to fix the wet kitchen problem we were going to replace the gutters anyway as there is a leak at the front.

Thanks

[Phil L]

It can only be one of two things;

1) you have a blocked downspout (or gutter) and the water is coming through the wall somehow, although this is unlikely as there's no evidence on the exterior brickwork.

2) the water main has burst underneath the floor...this is looking like the red hot favourite up to now and sadly, it's going to get worse and it ain't going to go away until it's fixed, you may be able to claim on your house insurance, but don't tell them that it's been like this since you moved in! The repair in itself is only a minor job, it's getting to it that is the pain in the arse, obviously the floor will have to come up, and anything on it- kitchen units etc will have to be removed prior to this, hopefully, it may be localised in this corner where you are seeing the water, but in reality, it could be anywhere.

[droogie]

I would guess that, as it comes and goes and is loosely based around rainfall, that it is more likely to be number 1 (I hope). A plumber has looked at the main's pipe and from where it comes in to the house and where the water is reckoned it was coming through the brickwork too though I guess the only way to really know that is to take up the floor.