Rising Damp Treatment and Solutions from Conspar
Do you suspect that you may have rising damp? If you do, here at Conspar we have some treatments and solutions to your rising damp issues.
There are three types of dampness which may affect masonry walls:
- Rising damp is caused by a breakdown in the dampcourse between the foundation and the brickwork.
- Falling damp results from roof leaks, poorly fitted windows and overflowing gutters.
- Longitudinal dampness occurs when wind blown rain forces water through the walls due to porosity of the brickwork and/or missing brick mortar.
Signs of rising damp :
- Fretting brickwork and crumbling mortar.
- Mouldy smell in cupboards and wardrobes.
- Blistering paint on internal walls near the level of skirting boards.
- Paint bubbling and wall plaster delaminating.
- Water marks and efflorescence on walls.
- Skirting boards showing signs of moisture damage.
Please do not hesitate to ring if any of these things are happening to you.
These problems are often connected to the following issues:
Health and Hygiene
There is a predominance of respiratory related problems attributed to high levels of dampness in the floors, walls and ceilings of many residential and commercial structures. This dampness is usually a result of substandard walls, insufficient roof insulation or room ventilation and a lack of waterproof and vapour membranes below the concrete floor slab. These building defects are often due to a lack of compliance to the building code during construction and/or the lack of monitoring or maintenance to an existing building.
Weakening of the Building Structure
The foundations of a building, such as the stability of the soil and footings, and the design of the building fabric are typically insulated against water ingress. If there is a failure of these existing water-barrier systems, or if there was a lack of installation of these systems, then a new system must be introduced through the application of a waterproof membrane coating.
A buildings water-barrier and drainage systems must prevent water from entering the structure and then carry this water away from the building. If this should fail or if it is not taken into consideration from the outset, then the expected life of the building may be reduced due to a weakening of the masonry floor/wall slab matrix which occurs due to the chemical constituents contained in the water from the surrounding soil environment.
Visual Impact and Loss of Asset Value
The visual impact of concrete and plaster degradation in the form of hairline cracks, fractures, exposed steel reinforcing, and the flaking and blistering of paintwork deter from the aesthetics of the building and are also danger signs implying unsafe areas and a lack of building maintenance. These items, which are simply the results of water ingress into your building, are often straight-forward to remediate but can detract from the marketing potential and resale value of the building.
Treatment of Rising Damp
The methodology is to test the area with a moisture meter to ascertain the degree of rising damp and create a scope of works to solve the problem. This method primarily consists of determining the extent of dampness, and then establishing it’s origin and the way in which it has penetrated into the building.
Conspar has a registered builder on its staff with over 40 years experience in analysing rising damp problems and recommending solutions.
