The Effects Of Damp Within A Property

Feb. 14, 2013 - PRLog -- The presence of damp within a property can cause a lot of problems and issues with a building and its structure, damp may also be an health risk for the occupants of a building or property. An understanding of the effects of damp and some of its visible signs, will help a property owner/occupant to know when a building has some issues with damp.

The three main causes of damp in properties are condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp. Condensation occurs when warm moist air comes into contact with cold surfaces, condensation within a building is usually as a result of some normal day-to-day activities like breathing, cooking, washing of clothes etc. Penetrating damp may be caused by any water that gets into a building through some leaks, bursted pipes etc. While rising damp may occur as a result of the upward movement of water (by capillary action) from the ground, into the structure of a building.

Some of what to look for, in order to identify damp in properties include water running or dropping off from windows or walls and mold appearing on wallpaper, painted surfaces, furniture etc within a building. Other visible signs include tide marks on walls, water patches on ceilings, wallpaper and paint peeling off the walls, crumbling wall plasters, discoloration on walls etc.

Some of the possible effects of damp on properties include mold growth and damages/deterioration of building structures like window frames, floorboards and skirting boards. Damp may also ruin the interior decoration of a building and may be the caused of some health related problems and allergies too because of its tendency for cultivating fungi, mold growth, dust mites etc, which can be especially harmful for those with some pre-existing health conditions.

A property may be damp proofed while it is being constructed; existing properties can be damp proofed too, as part of some renovating efforts and/or when there is some evidence of damp within a property. Damp proofing involves using some solution or method to prevent water or moisture from getting into a building’s structure or interiors. Damp proofing may generally refer to the different types of solutions used for treating damp related problems in a building, or could also refer to the process of waterproofing the foundation walls of a building with some barrier.

A damp proof course is one of the possible solutions for damp proofing a property. The course is a physical barrier that can be used with the walls of a building to prevent moisture from getting into the building from the ground.

To eliminate or get rid of damp from a building, the cause and source of the damp will need to be determined to know the right type of damp treatment to use for it, this can be done with the help of our damp specialists. Damp should be treated as soon as it is identified in order to avoid the health implication of living with it, and to prevent it from damaging a building and its structure extensively.

Contact us for further information and services on Damp Treatment.

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