Water is a wonderful substance, we are largely made of it and we can’t live without it! But water can be destructive, too, especially when it enters our homes uninvited! While the first thing that probably came to mind at that thought was a leaky roof, very often the unwelcome presence of water doesn’t come from the sky down, but from the ground up! In this case, we are referring to a very common problem found in homes and businesses across London that is all too often ignored or neglected, the slow, insidious scourge of the rising damp!
Rising damp refers to a condition in which the walls of a building are insufficiently protected from the wet ground they rest on, allowing water to be drawn upwards into the walls! It may seem surprising, but a great many building materials are more porous than you might think, wood and even brick and mortar have tiny crevices running through them that can suck up water via capillary action, just like a sponge sitting in a puddle!
Fortunately, there is a way to stop rising damp in its tracks, the presence of something called a ‘damp proof course’. This simple solution forms a physical waterproof barrier between the ground and the walls, preventing rising damp from permeating upwards through porous materials. The damp proof course is a protective barrier installed between the wood or brickwork, and is now a common feature in modern construction that stops rising damp from ever happening.
The damp proof course is essential to preventing damage to internal walls, coverings, and finishes from the ravages caused by the rising damp. Unwelcome moisture in a building can bring a variety of problems, it deteriorates paint and plaster causing it to peel and bubble, causes rot in wood, and makes a home for hazardous black spot mould to thrive. Rising damp that goes untreated is not only unsightly, it can result in untold damage to a property, as well as cause health risks to those in residence.
Today most properties on the market are equipped with a damp proof course during their initial construction, but the materials they are made from have the possibility of failing over the years. Replacing a physical damp proof course can be difficult considering they are built into the walls! If this does happen, the next step is to have a chemical-based damp proof course installed, a waterproof cream or gel that can be injected directly into porous building materials to fill up those tiny crevices and stop the water from entering.
If your property is suffering from a case of rising damp please call us, it’s important to take action swiftly! Ring up London Damp Surveys at 0207 305 5997 and schedule our technicians to come out to make a thorough survey. Our highly experienced surveyors use cutting-edge equipment to perform our damp inspections, ensuring that they are done to the highest standards to help you stop the rising damp!
