Conservatory floor damp

[gebbione]

Some of the floorboard in the conservatory was swollen due to moisture. The water was also obvious on the carpet laying on top of the wooden floorboard. This is close to an area where radiators and heat pipes are but no leak is visible above the concrete floor.

I decided to do a trace and access and insurance has removed the floor board but believed the problem was not due to the pipe but due to a construction defect, so rejected the claim. The outside flooring level is slightly higher than the conservatory floor. Also the conservatory roof water is dropped on a gully next the outside wall and the water then gets to a drain but there is no apparent problem with that.

As I noticed heating pressure problems I thought the water under the floorboard was coming from a leaking pipe. But the problem was with the leaking boiler. Now fixed and not leaking anymore. Also stopped dropping pressure.

On the concrete floor i notice the water is more obvious after a few days of rain. Then the heat in the pipe warms up the water and it evaporates through the concrete floor.

I have had a damp proofing company around and they suggest it might be difficult to establish what to fix and where the problem is. What is your opinion? Who can i contact in NW London to diagnose/fix the problem other than damp proofing companies?

 

[vinn]

Can you post a photo of the exterior showing how and why the external surface level is higher than the inside FFL?
Photo two seems to show flags or tiles on a patio or path?

 

[gebbione]

@vinn just added a photo of the door, gully and flooring from the inside of the conservatory to the outside
Also a photo from outside showing the roof and gutter. Finally another one showing the gully, built next to the outside wall, and gutter that take the water coming from the roof to a drain pipe on the side of the conservatory. No sign of water is seen next the drain pipe, just under the heat pipes when it rains for a few days. Pls let me know if you need more precise details

Notes, the gully is clean and when it rains it does not look like overflooded with water. Still the water comes through the inside maybe from under the property. This is my current suspicion

 

[HERTS P&D]

Check the gutter joint above the door.

Andy

 

[gebbione]

Check the gutter joint above the door.

Andy

Thanks for the comment but the gutter joint above the door, and throughout the roof hedge, are working great. When it rains i see the first line of tiles next the gully fully dry and the water from the gutters comes through the ceramic gully fine down to the drain without spilling out on the wall or tiles.

 

[vinn]

On the door reveal the skirting is missing - why not investigate there to see if you have a DPM membrane flopped up behind the skirting?
The lower part of the wall seems to have possible signs of damp?
Is that wall a 9" or an 11" wall?
The door frame is sitting on a raised packing of concrete - which is a good barrier against any penetrating damp.
You have a deep eaves soffit - which is also a good building detail.
Is the linear/channel drain a complete drain and not just grills set in mortar?
I assume that the down pipe discharges into the channel? Where does this channel drain to - into a gulley that is a sump gulley or a gulley that connects to the main sewage?

Two indicators that this conservatory might have been a bit of a DIY job are: the very low roof pitch and the rough concrete floor surface.

 

[gebbione]

On the door reveal the skirting is missing - why not investigate there to see if you have a DPM membrane flopped up behind the skirting?
The lower part of the wall seems to have possible signs of damp?
Is that wall a 9" or an 11" wall?
The door frame is sitting on a raised packing of concrete - which is a good barrier against any penetrating damp.
You have a deep eaves soffit - which is also a good building detail.
Is the linear/channel drain a complete drain and not just grills set in mortar?
I assume that the down pipe discharges into the channel? Where does this channel drain to - into a gulley that is a sump gulley or a gulley that connects to the main sewage?

Two indicators that this conservatory might have been a bit of a DIY job are: the very low roof pitch and the rough concrete floor surface.

regarding the door skirting, there is just as much wood frame they could fit around. The concrete is not affected but indeed DPM is everywhere though I think the problem is because its finish is not good. If you see one of the images where the damp floor is visible you can see on the left under the skirting some of the black DPM

about damp on the wall,I had a damp proofing company around during a rainy day. They noticed minor signs of damp and in that instance they thought there was no reason to think the walls were damp. When they came the area near the radiator was not so damp because i think I did not cover it. Damp become obvious if I cover the area back with the carpet underlay as it helps holding the water that comes up from the concrete floor, I assume. In the last few days we had rain and the area became damp again. Instead during the weekend we had 20+ degrees and it was all dry.

wall is 9"

the channel is made of terracotta and it takes the water down to a pipe that goes to the inside of the house to a gully with a trap that I assume then connects to the main drains.

At the moment the fact that insurance rejected the claim and that this damp proofing company also didnt spot the problem has not helped. Also I tried to call other damp proofing companies and some charge to do a survey but other just refused to help based on the description and photos.

I think the problem at the moment is in relation to some area in the DPM next the heating pipes gone wrong or not done well but I am unsure who I should involve or call to inspect it. Am I right assuming that if DPM was solid then water should not come up the flooring?

I have added some images where the DMP is visible