JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,003
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Post by JohnnyD on Mar 10, 2023 19:13:37 GMT 1
Back out on Sunday........Many things to tackle, the first one being.......The Humidity issue
When the builder installed the 22mm OSB on the joists, we were standing beneath them on soil about a foot down, its obviously always been like that, but should there be a barrier of something more than air? It's vented at both ends beneath the floor so there is air movement underneath. I really don't want to have to lift all that OSB again.
Thoughts please.
JD
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mysty
Member
Posts: 1,273
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Post by mysty on Mar 10, 2023 20:00:57 GMT 1
I have never used a barrier, if its well ventilated you should be fine but given your condensation issues I would have a look under the floor if you have access or cut a small hole to inspect.
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Post by pcpa on Mar 10, 2023 20:44:57 GMT 1
The airgap and ventilation will protect the timbers. Are you and the other person really less than 12" tall? On your thread regarding the humidity problems you really should have mentioned this little gem of a detail. Now that I know what is beneath your feet I can tell you that your hi-tech internet connected dehumidifier will be running 24/7 consuming loads of electricity trying and failing spectacularly to dry out the planet. You really should have switched that VMC back on, perhaps now you can appreciate why it was fitted. I think you should prepare yourself to find worse damp problems on this visit than the last, if I am wrong then I will be very happy for you to be so.
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Post by pcpa on Mar 10, 2023 20:57:51 GMT 1
Are your gutters & downpipes etc and those of your neighbours in good order?
Any surface water around your property will find its way underneath, with a floor construction like yours and mine (details later) if at all possible you should have concrete paths, patios etc all around the property with a decent fall.
My property was built by the owner who was a maçon, everybody told me it was a solid home, it has proved not to be the case, I am converting the sous sol to living accomodation so that I can then tackle the main house, they had painted the inside walls to cover a damp problem & in the last year it has fallen off to a height of 50cm even right in the middle of the sous-sol, the floor is concrete and screed.
I cut a chase in it for the shower tray drain and found that the concrete was only 4cm thick, very lean mix and a 2cm screed on top, no reinforcing mesh and no DPM, the soil on which it is laid is sopping wet like I imagine it is under your house Johnny.
As long as i take precautions regarding the steel stud and timber etc in contact with the screed (I have left the lino in place) and dont have the montant touching the walls where I am doing the contra cloisons and use a VMC as I alway do then I wont have any damp problems, it will still be there but not in the living area.
I had a similar issue at the hôtel with the rear wall of my apartement being 1m beneath soil level and the floors being carrelage over terre battu, the place is as dry as a bone all the time the VMC is running but when I cut a whole in the placo for a backbox to fish through the antenne cable the wall behind the insulation with its pare vapeur was dripping wet.
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Post by houpla on Mar 11, 2023 8:06:45 GMT 1
+1 for sorting out the surrounding area. All the rainfall from our chemin ran/runs straight down the slope to what was our barn. That's why the back wall was falling down. We put very solid foundations in but incorporated French drains on two levels as well as a caniveau encircling the back and side at ground level round the house. Then at least 1m wide or more of concrete, pointed slabs or briquettes all the way round. A concrete 'V' gully leading to a big storm drain takes care of heavy rainfall. It's dry as a bone Have you got space round the house to create an effective diversion of ground water?
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Post by jackie on Mar 11, 2023 11:29:49 GMT 1
Like Houpla we had a French drain put all around our house as part of landscaping works as the water table is very high on our land. No probs with humidity at all in the four years we have been here. We do have a VMC running all the time too.
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JohnnyD
Member
Mayenne (53) When Covid allows..........Which isn't very often these days........
Posts: 2,003
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Post by JohnnyD on Mar 11, 2023 12:59:06 GMT 1
Well we get there tomorrow at about 1800 so lets see what's what with the VMC having been left on.
JD
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Post by cernunnos on Mar 11, 2023 13:08:40 GMT 1
+1 for sorting out the surrounding area. All the rainfall from our chemin ran/runs straight down the slope to what was our barn. That's why the back wall was falling down. We put very solid foundations in but incorporated French drains on two levels as well as a caniveau encircling the back and side at ground level round the house. Then at least 1m wide or more of concrete, pointed slabs or briquettes all the way round. A concrete 'V' gully leading to a big storm drain takes care of heavy rainfall. It's dry as a bone Have you got space round the house to create an effective diversion of ground water? Not trying to be funny , just an honest question . What's a French drain ?
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mysty
Member
Posts: 1,273
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Post by mysty on Mar 11, 2023 13:24:29 GMT 1
+1 for sorting out the surrounding area. All the rainfall from our chemin ran/runs straight down the slope to what was our barn. That's why the back wall was falling down. We put very solid foundations in but incorporated French drains on two levels as well as a caniveau encircling the back and side at ground level round the house. Then at least 1m wide or more of concrete, pointed slabs or briquettes all the way round. A concrete 'V' gully leading to a big storm drain takes care of heavy rainfall. It's dry as a bone Have you got space round the house to create an effective diversion of ground water? Not trying to be funny , just an honest question . What's a French drain ? You know what it is no idea how it got that name in Inglish. Its just the 100mil pipe used in the drainage for septics with the slats on the top to catch the water.
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mysty
Member
Posts: 1,273
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Post by mysty on Mar 11, 2023 13:26:01 GMT 1
Well we get there tomorrow at about 1800 so lets see what's what with the VMC having been left on. JD Im sure you will be fine this time with the VMC on.
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Post by cernunnos on Mar 11, 2023 13:51:38 GMT 1
Not trying to be funny , just an honest question . What's a French drain ? You know what it is no idea how it got that name in Inglish. Its just the 100mil pipe used in the drainage for septics with the slats on the top to catch the water. Ahh right , a slotted pipe ?
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Post by Polarengineer on Mar 11, 2023 13:59:31 GMT 1
That muddies that up for me, I always thought it was a U shaped concrete/plastic gutter sunk in the ground at road level and with a galvanized grill on the top.
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Post by lapourtaider on Mar 11, 2023 14:04:59 GMT 1
I thought a French drain is a pebble filled gully a metre or so deep.
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Post by cernunnos on Mar 11, 2023 14:08:49 GMT 1
Right then....... a French drain is ..... a drain in France rafl
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Post by jackie on Mar 11, 2023 14:11:00 GMT 1
I thought a French drain is a pebble filled gully a metre or so deep. That sounds about right, somehow (I’m no expert on these things) wicks water away from around the house and has an outflow pipe to the ditch in front of the house.
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