Rising damp specialists in Battersea and Wandsworth

Rising damp specialists in Battersea and Wandsworth

Damp issues in a property are something that every homeowner wants to avoid. Damp is caused by moisture that penetrates the walls and can lead to wet patches that over time can develop into more serious problems like mould, structural issues, and wet rot in the timber. Rising damp is one of the most serious types of damp to deal with in a property. It is usually a sign that there is some kind of problem with the damp proof course, a waterproof membrane that runs along the length and width of the internal walls to prevent moisture from getting into the walls and causing damp issues in the home.

What is Rising Damp?

Rising damp refers to a type of damp that occurs when water rises upwards in the walls from the ground beneath. This is usually a result of a failure or a breaching of the damp proof course since the main aim of the damp proof course is to prevent moisture from getting through. It is often more common in older properties that may have been built before adding a damp proof course was mandatory, especially if there is no damp proof course present. Older properties that have had the same damp proof course since when they were built may also be at a higher risk of rising damp since over time, the membrane can become less effective at repelling moisture and may deteriorate or become damaged with age. Capillary action, where water is sucked upwards through tiny holes in the wall materials, causes the rising damp to occur.

What Rising Damp Looks Like

Often, one of the first visual signs of rising damp in a property is yellow or brown patches that appear on the ground floor walls. Due to where the moisture is getting in, you will usually notice these appearing just above the skirting boards. The woodwork of the skirting boards and potentially around the edges of your floorboards might also be affected by the rising damp, and you might notice that it feels damp to the touch or that the woodwork is rotting in places. Rising damp is usually characterised by the height that it rises to. If you’ve noticed damp on your walls that is higher than around 1.2m, it’s probably another type of damp. This is because due to the nature of the rising damp, it inevitably reaches a point where gravity will not allow it to rise any further. If you have vinyl wallpaper or washable paint on your walls, you may notice higher-up salt deposits in the walls, which are caused by the moisture washing the salts out of the brick.

Why You Need Rising Damp Specialists Battersea

If you suspect that you might have rising damp in your Battersea home, and have noticed signs of damp on the ground floor on the lower walls, then it’s a good idea to get a damp specialist to come and look at your property. This is because rising damp is often one of the most commonly misdiagnosed types of damp and it’s not unusual for other types of damp such as penetrating damp to appear in the same areas. This could lead you to believe that you have rising damp and end up wasting money paying for it to be repaired when it’s an entirely different problem if you do not have it confirmed by a specialist. Other types of damp such as damp caused by condensation or penetrating damp which involves moisture getting into the walls from the outside are not affected in any way by the damp proof course. Since work on the damp proof course is not cheap, it’s important to make sure that you actually have rising damp in your home before you pay for any repairs or replacements to be carried out.

What Do Rising Damp Specialists Wandsworth Look For?

If you have noticed signs of damp on your lower ground floor walls, then a damp specialist can help you determine if there is a problem with your damp proof course or if you are dealing with another type of damp that is going to need a different type of treatment.

Firstly, the specialist will check to ensure that there is a damp proof course present. If there is no damp proof course, then it is highly likely that the damp in your home is in fact rising damp since without the water resistant membrane, there is nothing to stop the moisture from the ground getting into your internal walls and travelling upwards. If your property has a damp proof course, the issue might be down to damage or deterioration because of age.

You can easily check your property for a damp proof course yourself; there will usually be a visible line at around six inches higher than ground level on the bricks on the exterior of your property. A damp specialist will look out for any signs that the damp proof course has been damaged or has become ineffective over time, which will prevent it from keeping the moisture out as it should. Finally, they will also check for any signs that the damp proof course has been bridged or breached in any way.

This is a common cause of rising damp and involves something allowing the moisture to get in over the damp proof course, providing a ‘bridge’. Some common issues include higher ground on the exterior of your property such as a patio area that comes up to higher than your damp proof course, debris build-up causing a blockage in the cavity wall area, or structures like sheds or storage units that are kept outside the property alongside the exterior wall and are higher than the damp proof course. In most cases, removing these obstructions will stop the rising damp and prevent further damp from occurring.

If you live in a semi-detached or terraced property, the damp specialist may also want to speak to your neighbours about their damp proof course. This is because if your neighbours have a damp proof course installed on an adjoining wall that is higher up than yours, this can also bridge your damp proof course and provide the moisture with a way in.

How is Rising Damp Treated?

Before you can determine the best way to treat any rising damp in your home, it is first important to figure out the exact cause. Your damp specialist will carry out the full inspection of the property and damp proof course mentioned above in order to determine whether it’s a failure or a bridge of the damp proof course that is to blame, and to check that there is a damp proof course present at all. Once the main cause of the damp has been determined, there are several treatment options that might work best. In the case of when the damp proof course has been bridged, removing the bridge is usually the most effective course of action. How much work this is likely to be will depend on the type of bridge and where it is located. An exception to this is if your damp proof course has been bridged by a neighbour’s damp proof course being installed higher up. In this case, you will usually need to have a new damp proof course put into your property at the same level.

If there is no damp proof course present at your property, or the current damp proof course has failed over time and is no longer effective at preventing rising damp, then you will usually need to have a new damp proof course installed by a professional. While this might sound like an impossible job if your house is already constructed, the good news is that professionals have several options available to them for installing a damp proof course in an existing property.

This is a job that you should always have done by an experienced professional; avoid attempting to DIY since even small mistakes during the installation can lead to serious problems with your damp proof course down the line and might even cause the rising damp to come back.

To install a new damp proof course, most professionals will use a water-repellent chemical that is injected into your property’s bricks at about six inches above ground level, or at the same level as your neighbour’s damp proof course if that is the main issue for the rising damp problems.

Treating the Interior Effects of Rising Damp

Once a specialist has removed a bridge or installed a new damp proof course in your property, you should be able to reasonably expect that any rising damp issues will not return or get worse. You may need to do some work on the interior of your property to deal with the effects of the problem including mould treatments, replastering, or using damp-proofing undercoating before repainting or re-wallpapering the effected walls.

If you have noticed signs of damp on the ground floor near the skirting boards, it could be an indication of rising damp. Get in touch with a specialist who can help you determine the next best course of action to deal with the problem.

Rising damp specialists in Chelsea and Fulham

Rising damp specialists in Chelsea and Fulham

The mere thought of having damp in the home can be enough to send shivers down your spine as a homeowner, especially if you suspect that you might be dealing with rising damp. Rising damp can be one of the most problematic types of damp in the home and is caused by moisture that rises up through the walls due to water collecting in the ground underneath or next to the walls. It can happen to almost any wall including walls that are constructed from bricks, blocks, or stone. It happens as a result of capillary action, where water is sucked up through tiny holes in the wall’s construction materials, which leads to water travelling upwards through the wall until it is pulled back down by gravity. Because of this, the moisture will usually only occur on the ground floor of a property and will usually stop at around 1.2m high. However, you may notice some effects of rising damp higher up on the walls, including salt deposits, especially if your wall is covered in a non-breathable covering like vinyl wallpaper or washable paint.

Signs You Need Rising Damp Specialists in Chelsea

There are some common signs to look out for in your Chelsea home that could indicate a problem with rising damp. One of the most typical signs to keep your eye out for is a ‘tide line’ of discoloured brown or yellow staining of the plaster occurring on the ground floor, on the lower area of the walls just above the skirting boards. Rising damp can also have an effect on your skirting board woodwork, and you may notice that it feels damp to the touch or even that there are visual signs of rotting. The damp and moisture in the wall can cause salt deposits to be washed out of the bricks and into the plaster, which you may notice higher up than the damp itself, depending on the type of wall coverings that you use. After some time, rising damp can also lead to mould developing on the walls, which appears as black spots.

Reasons to Hire Rising Damp Specialists Fulham

If you have noticed any of the signs of rising damp in your Chelsea or Fulham home, then it’s important that they do not go ignored. This is because rising damp in the property is often a sign of a bigger problem with your damp proof course. The damp proof course is a water-resistant layer that is installed at ground level and spans the width and length of your property’s walls. Its main purpose is to prevent moisture from the ground reaching the walls and causing rising damp. Because of this, any issues with rising damp in the home are almost always an indication that something has gone wrong with the damp proof course, and this is a problem that will need to be repaired by a professional.

Rising damp often means that rather than being drained away from your property, the moisture is being drained towards it – and this isn’t going to go away on its own until the damp proof course problems have been dealt with. Along with being an unsightly problem for your home, the potential health issues that rising damp can cause are another reason why you should never ignore it. Spores from the mould that rising damp can cause over time can lead to various health issues including respiratory problems, which can be very dangerous, especially for people in the home who already suffer from allergies or asthma.

What Causes Rising Damp?

Rising damp problems are almost always a result of issues with the property’s damp proof course. This could include no damp proof course being present, which might be an issue if you have an older property that was built before a damp proof course in new properties became a mandatory building regulation in the early 1900s. Thankfully, this is quite a rare issue since most properties in the UK have had a damp proof course installed regardless of their age. However, if your property’s damp proof course was installed a long time ago, then general wear, tear, and deterioration over time may be causing it to not work as effectively as it should.

When the damp proof course begins to lose its water-resistant properties, this can make it easier for the moisture to travel upwards and through the damp proof course into the walls, causing rising damp. However, ‘bridging’ of the damp proof course is the most common reason why rising damp occurs in properties. The good news is that this does not indicate that there is an issue with the damp proof course itself. In fact, the damp proof course may be working perfectly and doing its job effectively, however, something is creating a ‘bridge’ for the moisture to get over and above the damp proof course where it will penetrate the walls and cause rising damp.

This can be caused by several things including structures or objects close to the external walls, debris blockages inside the cavity walls, or even if your neighbour’s damp proof course on an adjoining wall is not installed at the same height as yours.

How to Be Sure You’re Dealing With Rising Damp

Since rising damp is a commonly misdiagnosed damp issue in homes, it’s important to be sure that this is the issue you are dealing with if you have noticed some of the common signs. While rising damp will only occur on the ground floor of a property and will not usually exceed more than 1.2m in height, it can be easy to mistake penetrating damp or damp from condensation as rising damp if it occurs in the same place. Because of this, it’s best to have your property inspected by a professional who can check the damp proof course to determine whether it is rising damp or another type of damp that you are dealing with.

How to Determine What’s Causing Rising Damp

Rising damp is almost always due to an issue with the damp proof course, but the exact cause might not always be obvious to an untrained eye. Because of this, the best course of action is to have a damp proof specialist inspect your property to get to the bottom of the cause, and make sure that it is actually rising damp that you have noticed.

The first thing that they will do is inspect the damp proof course to first check that there is one present at the property and secondly to inspect it for any kind of failure or ineffectiveness. The specialist will also look for any signs that the damp proof course has been breached or bridged, allowing moisture to get over it or around it. If you are not sure whether or not there is a damp proof course at your property, this is usually something that you can easily check yourself.

You should see a visible line on the exterior of your property that is usually located around six inches above the ground level. It is also worth asking your neighbours about their damp proof course since even if yours is working and functioning as it should, rising damp could be getting in from an adjoining property if your neighbours do not have a damp proof course, their damp proof course has failed, or if the damp proof course in the next property is installed higher up than yours is. This allows the moisture to travel around your home’s damp proof course and leads to rising damp.

Treatments Available for Rising Damp

How you decide to treat the rising damp in your home will depend on what has caused it. Simply dealing with the effects of rising damp such as wet patches on the wall or musty smells might hide the issue for a while but it is only likely to return if you don’t get to the root of the problem. It’s always best to hire a damp specialist to deal with the underlying cause of the rising damp before you carry out any cosmetic work to hide the effects of it indoors. Repointing, applying damp proofing undercoat to the walls, or repainting might mask the issue for a while, but it is only going to get worse and reappear over time if your damp proof course has failed or if it is bridged. Over the long term, this is only going to mean more work and more money spent.

When rising damp is caused by a bridge to the damp proof course such as a blockage in the cavity wall or high outdoor ground that is allowing moisture to get over the damp proof course, removing the source of the bridge is usually the best course of action. If your damp proof course has failed, or there is no damp proof course present, a new one will be installed. This is done by injecting moisture-repellent chemicals into the bricks.

Rising damp can be a serious issue in your home that can lead to various problems if left unchecked. If you suspect that your property might have rising damp, contact a specialist as soon as possible.

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Rising Damp Treatment

Rising Damp Treatment Advice

Every building is prone to damp, but it’s the older buildings, places that have stood for a long time, perhaps centuries, which are more prone to this problem. This problem is mitigated by modern building practices where properties are built with damp proof courses, in most cases impermeable plastic membranes to stop water passing through. But some buildings don’t have this precaution.

 

The main causes of rising damp is simply down to groundwater. It’s basically moisture when the groundwater rises underneath or next to the walls of your home, and it doesn’t matter if the walls are made of brick, stone or block.

The moisture rises through the small holes present in the mortar or brick. Eventually, gravity will stop the rise of the water, by counteracting the upwards force of the capillary action. On the whole rising damp will occur when the water has reached a height of 1.2, but its effects – salt deposits, for instance, may be present at a much higher level because of the non-breathing wall coverings such as vinyl wallpaper or non-breathing paints.

So, do you have rising damp? The signs are easy enough to work out.

  1. Do you have a musty odour or damp smells?
  2. Does your wall now have a low temperature very low in height?
  3. Are your floor timbers beginning to show signs of rot?
  4. Is the plaster in your walls beginning to crumble or blister? If so, it’s because of salt crystallisation.

Other signs of rising damp are “tide-lines” of yellow or brownish staining or blown plaster. These are usually found in the lower sections of your walls, and if your walls are blistering or showing a crumbling appearance you might actually see deposits of white fluff – this is the salt previously mentioned, and it is left behind when the damp begins to evaporate off the walls, but it is still a problem. Black spots of the mould may also appear on the damp areas. The salts left behind also make it impossible to just replaster.

Damp treatment
Rising damp treatment in it’s ugly form
Please be advised that even if you have a damp problem, it doesn’t necessarily mean its rising damp – there could simply be another source of water you have no idea about. One sign would be if the damp patches are higher than 1 meter on your walls. If that is the case it might just be penetrating dampness instead, this is when the damp is unevenly distributed. Dealing with rising damp.

It is not advisable for people – homeowners and business managers to deal with the problem themselves without at least tackling the cause itself otherwise it would simply begin again. A simple quick fix job for the rising damp, repointing and painting over the affected areas won’t solve the problem. It will just make it more expensive to tackle later and you will need to redo the job later anyway at a later date.

The best way to tackle the rising damp would be to identify the cause in the first place and deal with it before it could happen again, causing more damage to the property, and then carrying out the repairs properly.

Rising Damp Treatment

Originally rising damp was treated by using damp proof course liquids injected under high pressure to block the pores in the bricks, blocks and stone where the water had risen. Complex and expensive systems of pumps were required for this, but it is possible to repair the damage without resorting to this method.

One way for rising damp treatment to work is to simply remove the contaminated plaster and a new damp proof course will be injected into the masonry mortar. This cream-like substance will then disperse through the mortar line, and it will begin to fuse and create a new damp proof course to stop rising damp from passing through the walls again. The next step is simple – the walls will need to be replastered and repainted with a chemical salt retardant agent and with a damp proof render which will prevent any remaining salts from contaminating the new plaster.

We also drill holes down to an appropriate depth in the brick/mortar. A water-based silicone damp proof liquid which is low in odours is then injected down into these holes to reduce the movement of water in the capillaries in the masonry.

Damp proofing rods are designed to be a high strength, liquid free alternative to other methods of rising damp treatment, and are designed to be placed on the walls without an injecting pump so there is no need to use heavy and expensive tools and equipment. And the time it takes to fit them in is reduced because large amounts of liquids as used by the older methods are not used in these cases then the time it takes a wall to dry is reduced.

How to Know if You Need Treatment for Rising Damp

Damp issues in your property occur when water penetrates the walls, leading to wet patches on the interior or exterior walls that can eventually lead to several issues such as wet rot in the timber or mould in your home. Rising damp is a serious damp problem within a home since it’s often a sign that there is something wrong with your damp proof course. The damp proof course or DPC refers to a waterproof membrane that spans the width and length of your property’s internal walls, with the main purpose of keeping water outside of your home and preventing damp.

Rising damp is a type of damp that happens when the water rises up through the walls from the ground beneath, often because the DPC is not working as effectively as it should, which can happen for several reasons. Older properties may be more susceptible to rising damp problems as there may not be any DPC present or the DPC might have deteriorated and become less effective over time. Rising damp is a result of capillary action, where moisture is sucked upwards through tiny openings such as holes in the bricks or stones used to construct the walls.

Because rising damp is a specific type of damp problem, the good news is that it can often be easily noticed when it is affecting your home. One of the main signs of rising damp is yellow or brown patches on the walls. These will occur on the ground floor, and you will usually notice them appearing just above the skirting boards. The damp might also affect the woodwork and your skirting boards might become discoloured or in severe cases, have structural issue due to the damp causing it to rot. Because gravity will eventually pull the moisture back down, rising damp will only usually occur up to a certain height on the ground floor, which can make it one of the easiest types of damp to spot. You may notice salt deposits from the affected bricks appearing higher up on the walls if you have vinyl wallpaper or have used certain types of paint such as wipeable paint on your wall.

How to Treat Rising Damp in Walls

To treat rising damp, you should contact a professional who can inspect your property and your damp proof course to get to the root of the issue. In almost all cases of rising damp, this is caused by a problem with the damp proof course which will need to be rectified to ensure that the problem does not reoccur. While you may be able to hide the signs of rising damp in your home by painting over it or even applying a damp-proofing undercoat, this will only likely mean that the rising damp re-occurs in the future as there is still moisture getting in through the damp proof course and travelling up to the walls causing the damage.

What is the Best Rising Damp Treatment?

To determine the best treatment for rising damp in your home, it’s first essential to figure out what has gone wrong with the damp proof course. If you have noticed rising damp in an old property, it may simply be that there is no damp proof course present, and there is no barrier in place to prevent the moisture from reaching the internal walls of your home. In this case, you will need to have a professional install a new damp proof course. If your home is old but there is a damp proof course present, then it may be that over the years, the DPC has deteriorated and become worn, making it less effective at doing its job of keeping the moisture out, leading to moisture managing to get through it and penetrate your property’s internal walls.

However, bridging of the DPC is one of the most common reasons behind rising damp issues in properties. This occurs when there is an object or structure close to the property that has allowed moisture to get into the internal walls above the location of the DPC. The good news if your rising damp is caused by this problem is that you probably do not need to have your DPC replaced with a new one, as it’s probably functioning correctly on its own. However, you will need to deal with whatever has been installed at a higher level and is providing a ‘bridge’ for moisture to get over the damp proof course and into your internal walls. This can be caused by structures such as sheds and extensions next to the property, items placed close to the external walls, or debris causing a blockage in the cavity wall.

What is the Best Way to Treat Rising Damp Due to No Damp Proof Course?

If there is no DPC installed at a property, then rising damp is much more likely to occur. This is because there is no waterproof membrane keeping the moisture from penetrating the brick and rising upwards. Older homes that were built before the introduction of damp proof courses might be more susceptible to this problem unless there has been a damp proof course installed since. The good news is that it is possible to install a new damp proof course in an older existing home. While it might not be as easy as installing the DPC while in the process of building a new property, a trained professional can make sure that your property is fitted with a functional and effective DPC to prevent future rising damp issues. This is done by injecting waterproofing chemical substances into the bricks.

Rising Damp in Walls Treatment When Damp Proof Course is Bridged

If the DPC has been bridged and this is causing the rising damp to appear in your home, the good news for you is that this is often one of the easiest rising damp issues to treat. In many cases, there will not need to be any work carried out on your DPC as it may be working effectively, save for the ‘bridge’ that has been created, allowing moisture to get over it. In this case, the best thing to do is to identify and remove whatever is creating the bridge for the moisture to travel over the damp proof course.

There are several things that can cause this including blockages of debris in the cavity wall, or if your neighbour has had a new damp proof course installed at a higher level compared to yours. Structures and objects outside the home against the external walls that are at a higher height than the DPC can also cause bridging. In this case, all you may need to do is remove the culprit and the rising damp will not reappear. On the other hand, if your rising damp is due to neighbours having their DPC installed higher and creating a bridge for moisture to enter your internal walls, this might require more work. Most of the time, in this situation, you will need to reinstall a new DPC at your property to match the height of your neighbour’s.

Rising Dampness Treatment for Your Interior Walls

Rising damp can cause a lot of damage to the interior of your property. One of the first signs of rising damp is stains on the walls that can be unsightly to look at. Along with this, the additional moisture in the walls can cause more serious problems to develop over time including mould or wet rot of your woodwork. Depending on how long the rising damp in your home has gone unchecked, there might be a lot of work to do inside to deal with it.

Before carrying out any work on the rising damp on your interior walls, it’s important to make sure that the root of the problem has been successfully dealt with. Otherwise, the rising damp is only going to reappear over time which can be hugely frustrating if you’ve spent a lot of time and money redecorating, only to have to do it all over again. Once you are certain that the rising damp issue has been repaired and treated successfully, assess the damage indoors to consider what you will need to do to get it back to a decent state.

In some cases, all you might need to do is apply a damp-proofing treatment or undercoat before re-painting or re-wallpapering the affected wall or walls. On the other hand, rising damp that has caused a lot of damage might be a bigger job to fix. You may need to have new skirting boards installed, for example, if the rising damp has caused significant damage to the woodwork. For small patches of rot in the woodwork, you may want to consider using a wood hardening product instead. Depending on the damage that has been done to your walls, you may want to consider having them replastered before decorating.

Rising damp can be a serious issue where moisture is travelling up your internal walls from the ground. Knowing what causes this issue and how to get it treated is important for all homeowners.

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