Damp Proofing

Could the small hole in the side of my house be the sole cause of damp issue's?

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 4.02 PM

We are in the process of getting quotes for an aco drain down the side of our house to solve damp issues. I ripped up our decking to make way for the ground work guys and found a square cut out in the concrete under the decking next to the house filled with sand a foot away from a similar cut out that has a rain water drain inside. We have always had some rat issues in the old coal cellar under our flat and I think this might be one of the entry points as I could see a small excavated hole in the sand. I dug out more of the sand and saw a large pipe going into the cellar of our flat, to my surprise the huge gaps surrounding the pipe were just filled with sand which will no doubt let in water and moisture directly below the worst affected damp wall in the house. I'm sure this will be a cause of damp given everything is concrete and this pit is just full of sand with an hole leading into the cella. I therefore have two questions: 1. Would someone be able to confirm this and advise weather filling the hole surround the pipe with cement will be enough to stop water going in. I also wonder whether an aco drain is still needed. Perhaps we could apply tanking fluid to the external wall to add further protection. 2. We have a similar square cut out in the concrete a foot below path level further along the path. This cut out has an air brick at a similar depth to the the previously mentioned hole I found further up the path. The air brick fills with water when it rains! Would you advice we ask someone to fit a snorkel to bring it above ground level? Thanks for any advise, it's much appreciated.