What Is Rising Damp & How To Treat It - Fixrot.co.uk
What are the signs of rising damp?
Signs of Rising Damp
Do you suspect your property has a rising damp problem? There are several signs that you may have noticed in your property which may point towards you having a rising damp issue. This page will help you to get a better understanding of what the key rising damp signs are. Furthermore, this page will help you to gain an understanding of the causes of these signs in your property. If you read our list of the key rising damp signs and think that rising damp is what your property is suffering from, it is still a good idea to have a professional survey of the area to be 100% certain. The correct diagnosis of your rising damp problem is extremely important to ensure that the problem is dealt with as efficiently as possible. Professional surveyors from Richardson & Starling are able to perform an extensive rising damp survey of your home and provide an accurate diagnosis of the root cause of your problem. To the untrained eye, it can be very difficult to differentiate rising damp from other types of damp such as condensation or penetrating damp.
Rising Damp Signs
However, there are some key signs which point towards your property suffering from a rising damp problem which can be identified by property owners. Knowing how to spot rising damp can help you deal with your rising damp problem swiftly.
DAMP STAINS AND TIDEMARKS ON WALLS
One of the most common rising damp signs is tide marks being visible on walls. Tide marks are caused by damp evaporation and salt migration from the wall which has risen up the wall from the ground. These can be visible from the bottom of the wall up to around one metre above the floor. If you cannot see tidemarks, another key sign to look for is damp stains or patches on your walls. These patches tend to be brown or a dark yellow and just like tidemarks they will be prevalent from the bottom of the wall to one metre above the floor. If the damp is prominent higher than one metre up the wall this could still be the effects of rising damp however it is likely that your property is actually suffering from a penetrating damp problem. The penetrating damp could be in addition to the presence of rising damp so care must be taken in the correct diagnosis.
DAMP OR WET PATCHES APPEARING ON WALLS
If your property has damp or wet patches on its walls there is a strong possibility this could be caused by rising damp. If the damp patches are only in the lower wall area and it is the ground floor of the property this could be rising damp. This is caused by the moisture from the ground at the base of your property walls rising upwards through the brick or stonework by capillary action. Rising damp will affect your property walls if there is not an effective Damp Proof Course at the base of the wall.
SALTS WITHIN THE PLASTER | ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENT SIGNS OF RISING DAMP
Capillary action is what allows the moisture to travel upwards through the masonry. As the moisture rises from the ground and up the wall structure, the moisture contains salts from the ground and these salts migrate into the property and affect the plaster and decoration. These salts are called Hygroscopic salts which means that they attract moisture from the atmosphere and will cause further damp problems to your wall. This can result in walls feeling damp when touched. As the moisture in the wall evaporates this brings the salts to the surface and the salts can sometimes be seen as a white deposit on the surface. If your damp wall is caused by rising damp you wall will also be affected by damp caused by Hygroscopic salts and these must also be dealt with during the remedial works to fix your rising damp problem.
Comments
Post a Comment