Rising Damp

Damp is a serious problem which affects the decoration and structural properties of around 15 per cent of homes across Britain. It is important to recognise the visible symptoms of damp including damaged decoration and peeling wallpaper that are the consequences of damp. When there is damp in your home, the structural woodwork can be weakened by the wet rot and, more importantly, the mouldy atmosphere from the low temperature can seriously affect the health of your family.

Types of Damp

Traumatic damp

Traumatic damp occurs when the water from an inside source reaches the wall/ceiling of your property. A leaking pipe, tank, drain or radiator is the usual culprit when traumatic damp occurs. Traumatic damp is recognisable when the size of the damp patch steadily increases with no relation to rainfall, temperature or season.

Penetrating damp

When water from rain or snow reaches and permeates the wall ceiling this is known as penetrating damp. In contrast to traumatic damp, this damp is in direct correlation to the exposure of rain, temperature and any outside water that may infiltrate into the walls.

Damp patches around the windows are an indication of a faulty windowsill or a break in the sealing. Long vertical stains are a sign that there is a problem with the pipes of your gutter.  However, not all damp patches signify the point of entry and many patches will expand after heavy rainfall.

Penetrating damp is associated with houses that have exposure to the North and West facing walls and is a common occurrence in older houses where there are no cavity walls.

Condensation

Condensation is a result of water from the air condensing on surfaces such as walls/ceilings/furniture/clothing.

Condensation is identifiable by damp or mouldy patches on the wall or water droplets on windows and mirrors, etc. When condensation appears in your property, it is most likely a consequence of changing temperatures including steamy rooms, cold weather and poor ventilation in your property.

Rising damp

If the water from the ground rises up and reaches the floor/wall of your home, you will be at risk to rising damp. Rising damp in your walls is a consequence of saturated ground that acts as a water supply at the base of your property.

The water at the base of the wall is drawn from the soil as a result of evaporation and the upward capillary pull in the walls. Rising water contains a low concentration of soluble salts that will become more concentrated and crystallise. These crystallised salts as a result of evaporation will damage the brick or the mortar and consequently reduce the sound structure of your walls.

Recognition

Identify damp immediately with the visible symptoms in your home. Peeling wallpaper, floor tiles lifting from the ground and a discolouration of a patch on your wall are just first signs that there is damp affecting your home.

Damp is associated with older houses where damp-proof courses are absent from the structural integrity of a building and where the old lime/ sand mortar materials used in construction absorbs water.