my partner is trying, and struggling, to drill into brick so we can inject a damp-proof course. The house is 100 years' old. I think the drill, borrowed from her father, is powerful enough but the bits (£5 jobs, presumably tungsten carbide, from local DIY stores) are being blunted every few bricks and are making barely any impression on the bricks given the amount of effort going into the job. Can anyone advise please?
drilling into masonry - possibly engineering brick
- Thread starter cfb
- Start date
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breezer
yes, injected damp proof courses are a waste of time and money
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breezer
a damp proof couse is supposed to be a "layer", like jam in a sponge cake, but if you inject it you get a dough-nut, (all jam in middle, not thin all even layer)
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breezer
how can it, there is another brick sitting on top of it and cement between the two, you could not put a cigarette paper in let alone a dpc liquid
hang on my real interest was in learning how to drill holes in stubborn brick. In the original house there was a physical damp-proof layer (bitumen). Why was this? Presumably to prevent damp rising from the earth up the walls. What happens when/if this layer breaks down? Surely it makes sense to introduce a new damp-proof layer? It thus seems nonsense to me to say 'the damp must go elsewhere' (though I did hesitate slightly before disagreeing with any professionals). Also I'm still unconvinced by the doughnut argument - I can't put a cigarette paper in where exactly? Beside all this can anyone help me with my original question, please?
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breezer
yes a dpc will eventualy break down, but you cant fix it by injecting anything. ok so you have a hole in one brick, you inject? where does it go? just like a dough-nut.
as you said if it had a bitumen layer how is one or even several holes going to get the old bitumen out (all of it) and something new in? back to the dough-nut
as for the cigarette paper read it again.
as you said if it had a bitumen layer how is one or even several holes going to get the old bitumen out (all of it) and something new in? back to the dough-nut
as for the cigarette paper read it again.
thank-you fitter, that was more like the answer I was looking for. Breezer, I have a feeling you don't even understand the principal you're criticising. The fluid seeps into the entire brick as the brick is porous and the fluid is applied under pressure. Does it get into the mortar aswell to create one continuous layer? I don't know as I'm an amateur.
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breezer
you have been given several links that show it will not be of much / any use, still its not my money you are wasting.
you also forget that if you are having trouble drilling into the brick, how is the "fluid" going to be absorbed if the brick is so dense?
good luck.
I really would like to know the outcome
you also forget that if you are having trouble drilling into the brick, how is the "fluid" going to be absorbed if the brick is so dense?
good luck.
I really would like to know the outcome
Fair enough, we're not here to criticise but trying to help you not to waste your money but then it's your money.cfb said:
If you think about it, would you paint on wet wood (?) because that's the exactly what you're doing with the DPC treatment with wet wall.
Argos /Index catalogue do an SDS rotary hammer drill (including set of drills and chisels-unlike the screwfix one) for under £30.
From experience I can recommend these to the Diyer.
My local hire shop wanted £25+VAT for one.Buy one and then throw it away after 2 days and youre still in pocket!.I can get about 5 months HEAVY use out of them.They will put a 20mm drill through a stone wall in seconds.
If you have resounding ,long lasting,success with your dpc injection,and I am genuinly sorry to say,agian from past experience, I dont think you ever will, you will have wasted your time if you replaster with normal plaster as it will draw salt,which attracts moisture,which gives you the damp.
You MUST use a "Limelite" renovating plaster.It doesnt contain the salt leaching element.It is expensive but it works.
I would go as far as to repeat what my building inspector said to me(to the chagrin of the damp proofing industry) that removing the lower 1 metre of the existing plaster and refinishing with limelite would sort out rising damp without any DPC injection.
Ues the links masona has given to eliminate penetrating damp.
From experience I can recommend these to the Diyer.
My local hire shop wanted £25+VAT for one.Buy one and then throw it away after 2 days and youre still in pocket!.I can get about 5 months HEAVY use out of them.They will put a 20mm drill through a stone wall in seconds.
If you have resounding ,long lasting,success with your dpc injection,and I am genuinly sorry to say,agian from past experience, I dont think you ever will, you will have wasted your time if you replaster with normal plaster as it will draw salt,which attracts moisture,which gives you the damp.
You MUST use a "Limelite" renovating plaster.It doesnt contain the salt leaching element.It is expensive but it works.
I would go as far as to repeat what my building inspector said to me(to the chagrin of the damp proofing industry) that removing the lower 1 metre of the existing plaster and refinishing with limelite would sort out rising damp without any DPC injection.
Ues the links masona has given to eliminate penetrating damp.