Damp garage... need suggestions!

[hooblah]

Hey guys my garage gets damp when the rainy season starts, it been doing it for some time and I wanted to deal with it over summer but it didn't happen. Oh well.
I don't mind a temporary solution as I plan to knock the garage down and build a new one in a couple of years, but for now I just need to stop everything going rusty!

So my garage is half sunk into the ground on two sides, the water is permeating through the mortar between the block work and condensing on the roof. This then drips everywhere. The blocks seem dry but I can't be 100%.

My initial plan was to dig a trench around the garage and slap bitumen all over the walls or lay dpc, but its a last resort as its a lot of effort and will cost a lot to hire a digger, skip, etc. My neighbour said I would probably have to drill holes into the foundations of the garage and inject some 'stuff' to stop the rising damp even after digging a trench.

Another thing I've heard of is tanking. This would mean clearing out the whole garage and stripping it bare (another pain in the **** job that's not quick and easy) to apply the slurry.

As I said, I need somethign quick and easy, and cheap! Any suggestions?
Can I just get this injection stuff and drill holes from the inside of my garage?

 

[captain-destructo]

dig the trench and dont fill it in if possible
or
render the inside walls using a waterprofing addmix
http://www.sovchem.co.uk/damp-proofing/plasterers-renders/rendermix-concentrate-1.html
http://www.safeguardeurope.com/products/renderguard_gold.php

it would also be a good idea to insulate the roof if possible to help stop the condensation

 

[anjum]

As a temporary solution you could just waterproof from the inside of the garage with plastic DPM or bitumen. The walls will still get damp but at least it wont come through. You could then put water resistant plasterboard on top to prevent the DPM getting damaged. Use DPM nails/fixings or some adhesive to fix the DPM and the plasterboard for best results. You could go the whole hog and fit a basement waterproofing system, expensive if you're going to knock the garage down in a couple of years though.

It may be an idea to look at your roof insulation if the water is condensing on there.

 

[DanielW]

Dehumidifier,I had an upright one and put it in a room that was constantly damp in the winter,after being in their 24 hours you could feel the difference immediatly you walked in the room...it just felt warm and dry as opposed to cold and damp.

For a shed you would need an industrial one over the winter,those table top ones would not suffice.

Vast difference.

 

[wristpin]

Not what you want to hear but digging the trench has to be the way to go but what's wrong with a spade and barrow?
If collapse of the trench is likely back fill with shingle but if applicable arrange the guttering to take the roof water away!
That should get rid of the problem rather than stick a band aid on it.

 

[brightspark]

theres no cheap fix. tanking would be the easiest solution but u would need it emptied out job done .tanking can keep water in swimming pools so it can keep it out just as well

 

[MattF]

Not what you want to hear but digging the trench has to be the way to go but what's wrong with a spade and barrow?

That's what I'd go with. Once you get into the swing of it, a large amount of area is no big thing, (coming from a bloke who managed to make his pickaxe pick approximately half its start length through wear on one project ).

 

[hooblah]

Thanks for the help guys!

Digging the trench will be difficult as i there is a lot of soil, and beneath that the ground is very chalky. Not to mention there's quite a bit of concrete to get through as well. I reckon I'd have to hire a small digger and a skip and a kango at the very least.

If using bitumen/DPM on the inside do I just cover the entire wall from top to bottom? What's to stop it seeping out from the edges?

I'll put some insulation between the joists at some point but dealing with the damp is my first priority.

A dehumidifier will cost too much to run if its there 24/7 for 6 months. I'd prefer to address the cause rather than the effect.

I'm looking for the easiest and cheapest solution. DPM/bitumen seems to be winning.

 

[MattF]

Digging the trench will be difficult as i there is a lot of soil, and beneath that the ground is very chalky. Not to mention there's quite a bit of concrete to get through as well. I reckon I'd have to hire a small digger and a skip and a kango at the very least.


[...]

I'd prefer to address the cause rather than the effect.

I'm looking for the easiest and cheapest solution. DPM/bitumen seems to be winning.

You're either wanting to address the cause else you want the simplest/cheapest option. Not intending to seem snotty or owt, but you really do need to answer that question honestly before progressing.

If you want to sort the cause, backdig from the walls. Anything else is merely glossing over the problem. Tanking it is only covering the effect. That in itself could exacerbate the problem, as you'd then lose the drying effect of the internal air on the walls. The moisture problem will creep and spread.

Honestly, you'll only be kicking yourself later on down the line if you try avoiding the digging out route, and chalk is a doddle to get through. I dug a 16'x10'x8' hole through hard clay and sand/sandstone with nowt more than a barrow, pickaxe, spade, shovel and a long heavy rod, (using the technique grave diggers and such used in the past for breaking up hard/compact ground), when necessary. You only need to spend a few hours per time on it, and you'll get through it surprisingly quickly once you get into the swing. Even if it takes a month or two, you know it's done for good once done.

You can merrily tank/seal the surfaces when you've done and they've dried out somewhat, if you feel the urge.

 

[pedrobedro]

You can merrily tank/seal the surfaces when you've done and they've dried out somewhat, if you feel the urge.

Does tanking have to be done merrily ? I did mine while I was sober. If you're building the new garage in the same position you may as well do the digging now.

 

[hooblah]

But I dont want to go outside! It's cold and wet. Very wet

OK I'll go outside.

But first, what do you guys think of this?
http://www.safeguardeurope.com/products/dryrod-damp-proofing-rods.php

 

[brightspark]

Thanks for the help guys!

Digging the trench will be difficult as i there is a lot of soil, and beneath that the ground is very chalky. Not to mention there's quite a bit of concrete to get through as well. I reckon I'd have to hire a small digger and a skip and a kango at the very least.

If using bitumen/DPM on the inside do I just cover the entire wall from top to bottom? What's to stop it seeping out from the edges?

I'll put some insulation between the joists at some point but dealing with the damp is my first priority.

A dehumidifier will cost too much to run if its there 24/7 for 6 months. I'd prefer to address the cause rather than the effect.

I'm looking for the easiest and cheapest solution. DPM/bitumen seems to be winning.

d

But I dont want to go outside! It's cold and wet. Very wet

OK I'll go outside.

But first, what do you guys think of this?
http://www.safeguardeurope.com/products/dryrod-damp-proofing-rods.php

u may have rising damp but u allso have penetrating damp as well so there not much use

 

[hooblah]

Hmm ok it looks like I need to buy a gazebo...

Matt whats this gravediggers technique?

 

[brightspark]

if u want a cheap fix buy a gallon of sbr bonding agent mix it 9 to one with water and add cement till a slurry paint on walls .when dry give it another coating of sbr at 2 to one mix. it sticks to damp wet walls and doesnt re emilsify like unibond pva

 

[darren.a.roberts]

French drain to try and draw the water away from the garage in the first place?

 

[captain-destructo]

pictures would be great so we can see the lay of the land so to say

 

[MattF]

Matt whats this gravediggers technique?

When you're trying to dig through hard layers, else break hard stuff away from an edge, you use a long, heavy rod. Something around 5' or 6' long, around an inch or two in width, with a somewhat pointed tip, and you literally just ram it into the earth/layer as hard as you can with your arms. It helps breaks up the tough stuff if you're digging straight down, and once you have that initial hole there, you can work backwards from it and lever the stuff into the hole with it. It's literally the old version of the modern pneumatic jobbies. Once you get the hang of it, they're not as hard to use as you might expect, though they give you a good workout regardless. Really hard stuff you can let the weight of the rod itself do most of the work and also get a bit of spring back for another stroke by letting it slip slightly through your hands. Softer stuff it obviously tends to embed, so that you have to use pure arm strength on the uplift, but you can use the same slipping method on the down stroke once you have it shifting. You're literally just spearing the earth as hard as you can, hence the heavier and tougher the rod the better.

French drain to try and draw the water away from the garage in the first place?

He could just leave the channel empty if there's no chance of the earth slipping back up against the wall. All that aggregate would have to be shifted again if he builds another one later down the line. Adding one further back would be adding extra work which might not be needed once the stuff against the wall is shifted.

 

[MattF]

Does tanking have to be done merrily ? I did mine while I was sober.

It just makes the going more pleasant. Whistling while you work worked for the dwarves.

 

[Rig Pig]

Tank it and insulate to stop condensation.

 

[the snooper]

im with the others get the soil off the walls and let the water run away rather then soak into the walls