plasterers do you find it a duty to test for damp

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jimfish

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As a plasterer i find it my duty to test customers walls internaly for moisture content with a damp test meter this gives me a indication on whether it may be a case of rising damp or black mould damp then i can decide what action to take if at ground level the meter reading is high moisture tells me the damp course has failed new damp course external required and needs the plaster stripping a metre high from the damp course and s&c screed is required and skim over with multi if the wall is dry and no moisture reading and its down to plaster deteriation remove and float and set upper levels where black mould can form mostly due to lack of ventilation and high levels of moisture ie. bathrooms unvented bedrooms strip wall paper treat mould bond and skim required please let me know your comments Jimfish (trowhawk)
 
yeah normally has that black stuff on the wall...think bb used to call it distemper......everyone else calls it mould ;o0
 
my niece had a leak and needed quotes, one of the T***s come round and starts testing everything with his damp meter. she had a frigging leak 2 days before so the ceiling and wall below will be damp.
 
simplybesty said:
my niece had a leak and needed quotes, one of the T***s come round and starts testing everything with his damp meter. she had a frigging leak 2 days before so the ceiling and wall below will be damp.
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Obvious that would be damage from the leak customer needs to phone insurance company get the leak repaired and sort out the damage then check with the meter as it dries out.It helps define between rising damp and black mould or distemper
 
jimfish said:
simplybesty said:
my niece had a leak and needed quotes, one of the T***s come round and starts testing everything with his damp meter. she had a frigging leak 2 days before so the ceiling and wall below will be damp.
Click to expand...
Obvious that would be damage from the leak customer needs to phone insurance company get the leak repaired and sort out the damage then check with the meter as it dries out.It helps define between rising damp and black mould or distemper
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my arse them so called damp meters are as usefull as a trowelhawk they are the biggest con and do not diagnose any type of damp problems and i bet once youve done all your hacking off and magic potions and so on they will still give a similar reading.
 
flynnyman said:
jimfish said:
simplybesty said:
my niece had a leak and needed quotes, one of the T***s come round and starts testing everything with his damp meter. she had a frigging leak 2 days before so the ceiling and wall below will be damp.
Click to expand...
Obvious that would be damage from the leak customer needs to phone insurance company get the leak repaired and sort out the damage then check with the meter as it dries out.It helps define between rising damp and black mould or distemper
Click to expand...


my arse them so called damp meters are as usefull as a trowelhawk they are the biggest con and do not diagnose any type of damp problems and i bet once youve done all your hacking off and magic potions and so on they will still give a similar reading.
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youre entitled to your opinion flynnyman im only asking questions
 
jimfish said:
simplybesty said:
my niece had a leak and needed quotes, one of the T***s come round and starts testing everything with his damp meter. she had a frigging leak 2 days before so the ceiling and wall below will be damp.
Click to expand...
Obvious that would be damage from the leak customer needs to phone insurance company get the leak repaired and sort out the damage then check with the meter as it dries out.It helps define between rising damp and black mould or distemper
Click to expand...


these so called DAMP meters can " define between rising damp and black mould or distemper"

lol distemper meter ive heard it all lol
 
flynnyman said:
jimfish said:
madmonk said:
normally it can be condensation aswell that causes black on walls
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yeah the cause could be condensation what would you do to clear it.
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open a window!
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by the way flynny leave the trowhawk out of this talk to a few choosen people on this forum who have got one as for damp test meters have you tried one obviously not due to your comments
 
jimfish said:
flynnyman said:
jimfish said:
madmonk said:
normally it can be condensation aswell that causes black on walls
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yeah the cause could be condensation what would you do to clear it.
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open a window!
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by the way flynny leave the trowhawk out of this talk to a few choosen people on this forum who have got one as for damp test meters have you tried one obviously not due to your comments
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a few chosen people on here? like who ive not heard anyone mention theyve got one and if they have i guarantee they aint using it like a handboard, a bucket trowel maybe and i would have one myself for a bucket trowel ive not slagged them off. :) i dont need a damp test meter if thats what you call it coz they are not for measuring damp, ive got a set of eyes for spotting damp and a nose for smelling it i dont need a little machine to tell me to chop off 3 foot and inject a load of bull shiete into a wall to fix something that is not there. :)
 
Jim do you happen to have developed a metre that tells you when a wall is dry as well as when it's damp? Have you called it a Dryamp? ;)
 
you can do a days washing in an unvented house and half the bloody walls will register as 'damp' on a damp meter..
plaster is porous, it absorbs moisture, damp proofing is a different game altogether, diagnosis of the exact cause is difficult and ambiguous and unless you really know your sh't your in the wrong going in customers houses telling em theyve got 'damp' when the cause could be a multitude of things...
I have worked for a damp proof company in the past, I reckon I know what I'm about but if i aint sure I call in a damp proof company for an accurate (pass the f'ckin buck) diagnosis...
stick to plastering if you aint 100% sure what your on about...
whay say you flynny?

I only mention it if its blindingly obvious and even then the customers giving it 'well cant you just skim over it'?
if they want a damp diagnosis they call a damp company, not a plasterer...

9 times out of ten, even when they do mention it, its bloody mildew caused by condensation and the 'diagnosis' and 'recommended course of action' IS..... bleach it and move the furniture, maybe stick a vent in somewhere or keep the door shut whilst the washing machine is on..
 
IN FACT...
i did a job for a bloke last week, he'd hacked off all his TILES! :o in the downstairs loo because....
he was getting condensation on them ;D
i skimmed it and told him to lock the window on nightvent and keep the door to the kitchen shut..
 
Never crossed my mind to have a meter reader not knocking it though , done ajob in the summer and i thought the guys room had a damp problem until i clocked he had boarded up all his internal cavity vents, n case you wonder it was a s**t old pad 150 years old and that was the way the cavity got vented cause the wet cast went to deck with no vents
 
Chris W said:
you can do a days washing in an unvented house and half the bloody walls will register as 'damp' on a damp meter..
plaster is porous, it absorbs moisture, damp proofing is a different game altogether, diagnosis of the exact cause is difficult and ambiguous and unless you really know your sh't your in the wrong going in customers houses telling em theyve got 'damp' when the cause could be a multitude of things...
I have worked for a damp proof company in the past, I reckon I know what I'm about but if i aint sure I call in a damp proof company for an accurate (pass the f'ckin buck) diagnosis...
stick to plastering if you aint 100% sure what your on about...
whay say you flynny?

I only mention it if its blindingly obvious and even then the customers giving it 'well cant you just skim over it'?
if they want a damp diagnosis they call a damp company, not a plasterer...

9 times out of ten, even when they do mention it, its bloody mildew caused by condensation and the 'diagnosis' and 'recommended course of action' IS..... bleach it and move the furniture, maybe stick a vent in somewhere or keep the door shut whilst the washing machine is on..
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nice post chris
 
Chris W said:
you can do a days washing in an unvented house and half the bloody walls will register as 'damp' on a damp meter..
plaster is porous, it absorbs moisture, damp proofing is a different game altogether, diagnosis of the exact cause is difficult and ambiguous and unless you really know your sh't your in the wrong going in customers houses telling em theyve got 'damp' when the cause could be a multitude of things...
I have worked for a damp proof company in the past, I reckon I know what I'm about but if i aint sure I call in a damp proof company for an accurate (pass the f'ckin buck) diagnosis...
stick to plastering if you aint 100% sure what your on about...
whay say you flynny?

I only mention it if its blindingly obvious and even then the customers giving it 'well cant you just skim over it'?
if they want a damp diagnosis they call a damp company, not a plasterer...

9 times out of ten, even when they do mention it, its bloody mildew caused by condensation and the 'diagnosis' and 'recommended course of action' IS..... bleach it and move the furniture, maybe stick a vent in somewhere or keep the door shut whilst the washing machine is on..
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Good reply but i am only asking questions
 
jimfish said:
Chris W said:
you can do a days washing in an unvented house and half the bloody walls will register as 'damp' on a damp meter..
plaster is porous, it absorbs moisture, damp proofing is a different game altogether, diagnosis of the exact cause is difficult and ambiguous and unless you really know your sh't your in the wrong going in customers houses telling em theyve got 'damp' when the cause could be a multitude of things...
I have worked for a damp proof company in the past, I reckon I know what I'm about but if i aint sure I call in a damp proof company for an accurate (pass the f'ckin buck) diagnosis...
stick to plastering if you aint 100% sure what your on about...
whay say you flynny?

I only mention it if its blindingly obvious and even then the customers giving it 'well cant you just skim over it'?
if they want a damp diagnosis they call a damp company, not a plasterer...

9 times out of ten, even when they do mention it, its bloody mildew caused by condensation and the 'diagnosis' and 'recommended course of action' IS..... bleach it and move the furniture, maybe stick a vent in somewhere or keep the door shut whilst the washing machine is on..
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Good reply but i am only asking questions
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jim nobody is shooting you down for askin a question these damp meters are a con used by damp salespeople to con the general public but mainly people trying to buy a perfectly good house and getting them to rip it to pieces just to make money out of them and they go in par with f**k**g estate agents grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr so dont take anything anyone says on here personal :)
 
I see some fella on rogue traders he would take a reading with one and somehow make it go high and show his clients the reading and get a load of work from it.mugging off old peeps.didn't no they could define distemper.
 
jimfish said:
Good reply but i am only asking questions
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no offense intended...

i used to carry a little factsheet in the van explaining 'condensation, its causes and cures'... just to save me the agony of spending 3/4 of an hour explaining it to the punter on a quote...
if im actually doing the job waffle away for hours on the subject, keeps their mind occupied and usually stops em painting it with silk paint ;)

give your damp meter to the kids mate, they can play cops and robbers with it and pretend its a taser...
 
A protimeter used correctly will give a good indication as to weather any damp issues are caused by rising, penetrating or condensation, never heard of one reacting to distemper (unless it's damp of course)

terry said:
I see some fella on rogue traders he would take a reading with one and somehow make it go high and show his clients the reading and get a load of work from it.mugging off old peeps.didn't no they could define distemper.
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I have heard of people licking there fingers and then as they kneel down put there hands on the wall , wet the wall with there fingers and stick the pins straight into the wet point, creating an alarm .
Not that i advocate this type of behaviour with any type of know it all ,arrogant, condescending and patronising customer that proceeds to tell me my job and how much i should be charging them ;) ;)
 
theyre not the cheap damp meters though warrior, the cheap ones will take the sweat off you fingers as 'rising damp'...
didnt know they could tell the difference between penetrating and rising damp though... ill look into that.. you got a link?
 
Chris W said:
theyre not the cheap damp meters though warrior, the cheap ones will take the sweat off you fingers as 'rising damp'...
didnt know they could tell the difference between penetrating and rising damp though... ill look into that.. you got a link?
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They cannot tell the difference between any types off damp ,it's the way the meter is used and the skill of the operative that determines this. For example you stick the pins in at 100mm high and you get an high reading then move up to 500mm and you get lower reading and as you work your way up the reading gets lower an lower then this would indicate rising damp, 2 stick the pins in at 100mm , high reading, then at 500mm high reading then as you work up the reading remains high till you reach a cut off , this would indicate penetrating damp , so the next step would be to check outside and look for any points that water might ingress , it's a case of ruling out the obvious , before you start hacking away at some one's property quoting "you got rising damp".
Above is just a simple scenario guy's and as i have stated it would take too long to go into great detail, and i was determined i was not gonna get dragged into these "DAMP" threads, fed up off goin over old coals (no disrespect to any one posting, i appreciate your only asking questions)
 
warriorupnorth said:
Chris W said:
theyre not the cheap damp meters though warrior, the cheap ones will take the sweat off you fingers as 'rising damp'...
didnt know they could tell the difference between penetrating and rising damp though... ill look into that.. you got a link?
Click to expand...
They cannot tell the difference between any types off damp ,it's the way the meter is used and the skill of the operative that determines this. For example you stick the pins in at 100mm high and you get an high reading then move up to 500mm and you get lower reading and as you work your way up the reading gets lower an lower then this would indicate rising damp, 2 stick the pins in at 100mm , high reading, then at 500mm high reading then as you work up the reading remains high till you reach a cut off , this would indicate penetrating damp , so the next step would be to check outside and look for any points that water might ingress , it's a case of ruling out the obvious , before you start hacking away at some one's property quoting "you got rising damp".
Above is just a simple scenario guy's and as i have stated it would take too long to go into great detail, and i was determined i was not gonna get dragged into these "DAMP" threads, fed up off goin over old coals (no disrespect to any one posting, i appreciate your only asking questions)
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Best reply yet warrior well stated regards jim.
 
Most damp meters are notoriously innacurate they were made originaly to test the moisture content of timber.All walls have a moisture content so you will always get a reading some materials more than others unfortunatey they have been used by damp companies to scaremonger people for years.I have heard of a meter that is compatible with masonry and this is probably the one Warriour is on about but i have to go along with Flinny in that you dont need a meter to diagnose any kind of damp just a bit of experiance the meter is just to show the client that there is damp in the wall and if you need a meter to find damp i.e. you cant see it or feel it its not worth fixing.
Lucius
 
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