Anybody know about damp proofing???

www.damp2dry.co.uk

 

So, I set about digging a trench at the back of the garage on Saturday. Dug it about 2m in length, about 300mm wide and maybe 600mm deep. Put it this way, I dug it to just below what appears to be the footings. Absolutely hammered i5 down on Sunday and low and behold, standing water again at the back of the garage FFS !!! No point in carrying on with the french drain, as if it was coming from there, then surely the trench would’ve been flooded or contain water, which it didn’t.

After speaking with my Dad, we were thinking there may be a damaged pipe somewhere underground within the boundaries of my property. I have absolutely no idea where that might even be, let alone be able to access it. I phoned Southern water this evening for some advice and whether it could be an issue for them to resolve, but unfortunately it’s basically not their problem. They suggested contacting the council who would hold a record of what pipes run through our property in the event that we wished to build an extension. I’m also going to check my house insurance policy to see if it’s something that I might be able to get to the bottom of that way. Not holding my breath though.

One thing my Dad suggested I could try, was to use an SDS drill to drill holes from the inside at a 45deg angle going out under the DPC to allow the water to at least drain away a bit. This is really getting me down now and I’m already on medication for anxiety and depression. I dread when it looks like it going to rain and what I’m going to be faced with.
Any other suggestions on what to try/do?

 

How old is your property / the garage?
Does the water stink? Is it grey water?
Cut a foot square hole in the garage floor and dig down a bit and see if it fills when it rains (or indeed when it's not raining.

 

Not 100% certain about the age of the garage. The house was built in the 30’s I think though. The water isn’t or doesn’t appear to be dirty(grey) or have any smell to it. Might it have anything to do with the water table??? I do live in Pompey after all.

 

If the garage isn't as old as the house, it could have been built over drains.
If it's the water table, dig your trench a bit deeper and see what happens.

 

Yes, thinking if there’s a drain underneath, it could possibly be damaged, hence the ingress of water. If that is the case, I can’t see how it would be possible to repair short of completely knocking the garage down and excavating the garden… The garage isn’t as old as the house though, I know that much.