sliemasteve
New Member
to irish-spread
I answer your post only because of the inaccuracies within it.
You say:
Stephen Boniface, former chairman of the RICS has stated that rising damp is a myth.
Stephen Boniface has never been chairman of the RICS as you assert. His experience is listed in the biography below. His biography reveals no particular interest in rising damp. He is much more of a generalist than a specialist in damp problems. There are no obvious grounds for giving this man the importance that you seem to.
STEPHEN BONIFACE
Stephen started his professional career in commercial property and property management. During the 1980s his work was broad and included mortgage valuations, planning, insurance claims and building surveys. It was during this period that his interest in historic buildings developed and in 1990 he was in the first intake to study the CEM Diploma in Building Conservation. Involvement in conservation quickly developed and in 1993 he was not only Accredited by RICS as someone experienced in building conservation, but set up his own practice. During the 1990s the practice developed and became known for building surveying work on historic buildings, including planning issues and in addition Stephen built up a reputation as an Expert Witness. In 2000 Stephen's practice merged with WCP where he became a partner. In recent years Stephen has been Chair of the RICS Building Conservation Forum and is presently the Chair of the RICS Building Surveying Faculty. Stephen is a regular speaker at conferences both in the UK and abroad and is a founder of the RICS Conservation Summer School. Stephen also leads the partnership's involvement as the 'Agony Uncle' on the Period Property website.
The debate within the RICS in 2011 is not so much that rising damp is a myth but what is the best way to diagnose it and the influence of salt type on diagnosis. The RICS as an institution to not support the views of Mr Boniface
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You say i can't remember where but I recently watched a video where an independent research team set up an experiment under controlled conditions where dozens of different types of bricks and brick/mortar combinations were payed in soaking damp areas over a period of years. No evidence of rising damp.
.
It may be that you refer to the tests undertaken by Jeff Howell. He claims that rising damp is a myth. He published a book about this ‘myth’. It has been debunked as any modest internet search reveals.
There are other tests using brick walls where the rising moisture is thoroughly documented.
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You say ...every case of "rising damp" diagnosed by surveyors that I have treated using s+c with salt neutralisers and eradicating the cause of the damp have been 100% succesful.
You have never on this description, ever eradicated the cause of rising damp you have simply hidden it. When all the factors having a bearing on the rising damp exist in the most extreme form your client will find in the fullness of time find that moisture will rise above the s+c treatment you have prescribed..
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You say...If people insist on a chem dpc after I tell them they'd be better off getting the bricks blessed by a faith healer I will gladly take their money and inject.
Where you have taken on the design of the solution, that is, by insisting that there is no need for a dpc you will probably be legally responsible for any subsequent remedial costs. As a designer of a remdial treatment you have to have the average professional competence of a practitioner in that area of work that is a building surveyor or architect.
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You say...The difference between me and a rising damp company is that I'll tell the customer the truth.
I once invited all the damp proof companies in the Huddersfiled/Wakefiled Yellow Pages to test a house which had no rising damp but where I wet the walls with water near to the floor. About 16 companies turned up to inspect. Three of them told me the problem was condensation and not rising dampness. I sent these three a sum to cover their expenses. The other companies for your information all recommended the insertion of a chemical damp proof course. Although this is a truly abysmal measure of their competence or honesty it is incorrect to claim that all damp proof course companies fail to tell the customer the truth. On some occasions a modest 20% do.
Steve
I answer your post only because of the inaccuracies within it.
You say:
Stephen Boniface, former chairman of the RICS has stated that rising damp is a myth.
Stephen Boniface has never been chairman of the RICS as you assert. His experience is listed in the biography below. His biography reveals no particular interest in rising damp. He is much more of a generalist than a specialist in damp problems. There are no obvious grounds for giving this man the importance that you seem to.
STEPHEN BONIFACE
Stephen started his professional career in commercial property and property management. During the 1980s his work was broad and included mortgage valuations, planning, insurance claims and building surveys. It was during this period that his interest in historic buildings developed and in 1990 he was in the first intake to study the CEM Diploma in Building Conservation. Involvement in conservation quickly developed and in 1993 he was not only Accredited by RICS as someone experienced in building conservation, but set up his own practice. During the 1990s the practice developed and became known for building surveying work on historic buildings, including planning issues and in addition Stephen built up a reputation as an Expert Witness. In 2000 Stephen's practice merged with WCP where he became a partner. In recent years Stephen has been Chair of the RICS Building Conservation Forum and is presently the Chair of the RICS Building Surveying Faculty. Stephen is a regular speaker at conferences both in the UK and abroad and is a founder of the RICS Conservation Summer School. Stephen also leads the partnership's involvement as the 'Agony Uncle' on the Period Property website.
The debate within the RICS in 2011 is not so much that rising damp is a myth but what is the best way to diagnose it and the influence of salt type on diagnosis. The RICS as an institution to not support the views of Mr Boniface
//////////////////////////////////////
You say i can't remember where but I recently watched a video where an independent research team set up an experiment under controlled conditions where dozens of different types of bricks and brick/mortar combinations were payed in soaking damp areas over a period of years. No evidence of rising damp.
.
It may be that you refer to the tests undertaken by Jeff Howell. He claims that rising damp is a myth. He published a book about this ‘myth’. It has been debunked as any modest internet search reveals.
There are other tests using brick walls where the rising moisture is thoroughly documented.
/////////////////////////////////////////
You say ...every case of "rising damp" diagnosed by surveyors that I have treated using s+c with salt neutralisers and eradicating the cause of the damp have been 100% succesful.
You have never on this description, ever eradicated the cause of rising damp you have simply hidden it. When all the factors having a bearing on the rising damp exist in the most extreme form your client will find in the fullness of time find that moisture will rise above the s+c treatment you have prescribed..
//////////////////////////////////
You say...If people insist on a chem dpc after I tell them they'd be better off getting the bricks blessed by a faith healer I will gladly take their money and inject.
Where you have taken on the design of the solution, that is, by insisting that there is no need for a dpc you will probably be legally responsible for any subsequent remedial costs. As a designer of a remdial treatment you have to have the average professional competence of a practitioner in that area of work that is a building surveyor or architect.
/////////////////////////////////////
You say...The difference between me and a rising damp company is that I'll tell the customer the truth.
I once invited all the damp proof companies in the Huddersfiled/Wakefiled Yellow Pages to test a house which had no rising damp but where I wet the walls with water near to the floor. About 16 companies turned up to inspect. Three of them told me the problem was condensation and not rising dampness. I sent these three a sum to cover their expenses. The other companies for your information all recommended the insertion of a chemical damp proof course. Although this is a truly abysmal measure of their competence or honesty it is incorrect to claim that all damp proof course companies fail to tell the customer the truth. On some occasions a modest 20% do.
Steve
