Brick Siding Dampness
2/2/2022 at 11:36:45 AM
My house was built in 1980 and it is a raised bungalow ranch style with a poured concrete foundation that is 4 feet above grade. The rest of the home has brick and vinyl siding. There is one corner of the house on the North East side where the brick is always visibly damp where it meets the foundation.
There is a new roof (2020), new gutters (2021) and no other plumbing in the area. I have been unable to determine what is causing this dampness.
On the interior side of the dampness is a bedroom and the drywall is not moist according to a meter reading. The basement in that corner falls below the brick siding but there are condensation issues in the basement room there from incomplete fibreglass insulation.
There are mortar cracks in the brick at this same corner which the previous owner partially repaired with some type of compound. There has been no wind-driven rain or snow that would have entered the brick cracks to cause this though.
I've so far spoken to a structural engineer, two home inspectors, and the company that installed the gutters and have no answer/solution.
2/2/2022 at 12:54:22 PM
I suspect I know what is happening. When I rebuilt my own basement (following a flood) I found some frost accumulation on the northwest corner on the inside of the basement wall. I've seen other similar occurrences when I worked for New Home Warranty
I suspect frost may be forming on the back side of the bricks, possibly nothing to worry about. It also may be that the source of moisture is air escaping at the floor system which is always a weakness unless an air barrier is wrapped completely around the floor system at the framing stage. If that is the case and you have access in the basement perhaps you could nicely detail the air/vapor barrier around the floor joists with poly and tuck tape.
2/4/2022 at 2:38:49 PM
Bad vapor barrier behind brick if no sign of leakage. Leakage can be difficult to trace. You will likely have to have it removed to see what is actually happening as (3) professionals are unable to suggest anything useful. I noticed small gaps in the mortar, another area of egress...get this all re-pointed if it is all over.
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