Treating rising dampness goes beyond buying a toolset on an online store. It means dealing head-on, physically with the root cause of the potentially tedious and expensive issue. 

Rising dampness is a commonly misdiagnosed problem, with many individuals believing that wiping down walls or painting over mould will prevent it from returning. Rising dampness is more than just mould or mildew. An underlying condition will keep repeating until adequate measures are taken to resolve moisture rising from the ground and into your walls. It can cause significant foundation disintegration, which can be harmful to your health. If you are a homeowner and suffering a damp problem, you should contact a damp surveyor to carry out a survey for your home. Visit https://advanceddamp.co.uk/damp-survey/ for a professional damp survey.

What is Rising Damp?

Rising damp is dampness in your walls caused by water in the ground beneath or adjacent walls rising via the wall’s fabric, whether block, brick, or stone. Rising damp is the moisture movement inside a porous wall construction that originates from the earth beneath or around a property’s walls and fixtures. 

When water is drawn through a small opening such as a hole or tube, the process is called capillary action. It causes the water to rise through the wall through the tiny holes in the brick or stone. 

The water reaches a point where gravity prevents the capillary action’s upward push. This ‘rising damp’ normally reaches a height of 1.2m at maximum, but due to the existence of non-breathing coverings of the wall like vinyl wallpaper and other non-breathing materials like render, paints, and plasters, the damp’s effects, such as salt deposits, may be visible higher up.

How to Treat Rising Damp?

Rising damp difficulties are frequently caused by a lack of a Damp Proof Course (DPC) or a faulty DPC due to age or improper installation.

Damp Proofing Injection Cream

One of the most influential and common rising damp treatments is to install DPC by injecting water-repellent damp proof cream into the affected walls. If you treat rising dampness in this manner, your home’s walls will revert to their regular dry state. It’s a perfectly safe, tried-and-true method of damp proofing that’s usually the most cost-effective and quickest rising damp remedy to apply.

The damp-proof injection includes injecting silicone-based cream into drilled holes into the mortar at the foundation of the building. The solution penetrates the masonry creating a water-resistant barrier. These are ideal when DPC are damaged due to age by getting old. 

DPC injection is intended to penetrate deep into the brickwork, preventing moisture from the ground rise upwards through the bricks and generating rising damp by capillary action. The chemicals are consistent, permitting the active ingredient, silane, to be absorbed before being used to line capillaries before drying. This is how the water-repellent barrier is created. It is also a very long-lasting damp-problem treatment.

Tank Floor and Walls 

Damp-proofing materials are used on the tank’s walls and floors. Tanking a floor or a wall is a construction word that essentially implies sealing it to keep moisture out. This is commonly done to damp places, and it involves coating the surface with asphalt or a membrane. This would be behind the plaster on the walls and beneath the concrete on the flooring. It’s significant work because the regions must be prepared first, tanked, and then decorated. However, tanking is expensive and inconvenient, so consult a professional rising damp specialist. 

Replace or Repair a Damp-Proof Membrane

You can remedy a small damp patch on your floor by painting it to stop water from oozing through if you find a small damp patch on your floor. Damp proof membranes are used to supplement chemical damp proof course injection, although they are not always needed. These membranes can be used as a key for any new plaster and can be fitted quickly after repair or the injection of a damp proof course.

Any new plaster will be separated from present salts and other impurities on the walls by the membrane.

Rising Damp Treatment on Internal Walls

When most property owners notice a tide mark of moisture or damp patches on their internal walls, they know they have a rising damp problem. Before any treatment for rising dampness on internal walls can begin, professionals will need to remove any hygroscopic salt-contaminated plaster and lift skirting boards surrounding the afflicted region. If your walls need to be looked at after repair, then it will be time for redecorating. Ensure you are using the services of experts so that you get a quality return on your investment. 

Rising Damp Treatment on External Walls

Rising dampness can also be seen on the exterior and external walls. Problems created by increased ground levels, for example, can often be rectified by simply removing excess soil below the damp-proof course – as in the case of a raised flower bed being the source of the problem.

A damp proofing system that adapts to your house will likely be required alteration or a more permanent fixture that has spanned the damp-proof channel.

Conclusion

When it comes to modernising, renovating, or extending your home, it’s critical to consider how your damp proof course may be affected. Any modifications to the ground level or any alterations to the wall, exterior drainage, plumbing, or guttering can affect the efficiency of your damp proof course, so it’s always a good idea to consult a professional surveyor.