What Are The Most Common Penetrating Damp Causes?
Faulty construction and substandard workmanship of roofing, leaking rainwater pipes, or insufficient ceilings around windows and doors can all lead to penetrating moisture. When the external material starts to break down, moisture is able to get in through the walls, resulting in penetrating damp.
A building’s brickwork or stone walls may decay over time, leading to porousness due to age or neglect. This can allow water to seep in via walls, roofs, windows or door surrounds, at any level of the property. Flawed roof tiles, broken pointing, blocked weep holes or faulty seals can also permit water to penetrate the external wall and enter the home. Frost, ageing and damage from natural phenomena like storms and harsh weather are the main sources of penetrating damp in certain buildings.
How To Spot Penetrating Damp?
Be watchful for indicators that can help you spot penetrating damp easily. These include:
- The musty smell of dampness lingered in the air.
- Internal wall damage (e.g. skirting boards) or external wall damage (e.g. roofing) should be inspected and addressed.
- Patches of damp and splotches of black mould spotted the walls.
- The stonework features watermarks, which are visible if you look closely.
- The damp had already inflicted damage upon the wood, creating the perfect environment for a wood-rot fungus to germinate.
What Areas Are Susceptible To Penetrating Damp?
Common spots to investigate for penetrating damp include around windows, under the eaves of roofs, and below ground level. Pay close attention to areas where there is a combination of poor ventilation, rising damp, and condensation.
Penetrating Damp Through The Roof
Missing tiles, pointing, roof ridge tiles and flashing must all be inspected to detect evidence of penetrating damp on a roof. If any of these are not intact, then maintenance is needed to stop or reduce moisture entering.
Penetrating Damp Through Frames On Windows
Examine the window frame for gaps or cracks and fill any with flexible frame sealant. If no sealant has been used, a hardwood strip measuring 35mm from the front edge is an effective solution. Additionally, check for a “drip groove” below the window sill to keep water away from the wall.
Penetrating Damp Through Frames Supporting Doors
Any splits in the door frames should be fixed. If your entrance door does not have a weather bar – a board at the base of the door protecting it from too much rain – it may be worth considering installing one.
Penetrating Damp Through External Walls
Cracks in external brickwork or missing bits of mortar can cause penetrating damp. Ensure the holes are filled with the right filler material. Porosity or cracks in the brickwork or external render can let in rainwater.
Penetrating Damp Through Rain Gutters, Downpipes And Other External Drains
Inspect rainwater goods located outdoors; leaking ones may cause wetness to penetrate the home. Additionally, make sure drains are not blocked, preventing water from backing up into the structure.
It is possible that older, cracked or porous chimney heads have let water into your property. To fix this, a water repellent or lime wash – which allows walls to breathe – should be applied. Doing so is a much better option than dealing with a more costly fix later on.
How To Treat Penetrating Damp?
Identifying and correcting the source of moisture/water ingress is the most crucial step in treating penetrating damp. Oftentimes, the source of the problem is a structural issue with the building. Even in new constructions, there are usually four potential areas of water penetration that can affect a home.
- Inadequately executed pointing is unacceptable. All pointing must meet a high standard.
- The brickwork has many small openings or pores in it.
- The brickwork displays numerous pores.
- The walls were full of cracks and crevices, and they had rendered the surface with a layer of plaster to cover them up.
- The walls were riddled with cracks and crevices, so a layer of plaster was applied to cover them.
Defective rainwater disposal systems need to be fixed. Grammar, spelling and active writing should be employed to ensure the system is efficient. To ensure the system is functioning properly, professional and amiable tones should be used. Moreover, redundancy and repetition should be eliminated.
- Ensure all these points are maintained in prime condition and rectify any issues.
- To prevent saturation of the masonry, prompt resolution of any issues is required.
Can Cavity Wall Insulation Be A Cause For Penetrating Damp?
Cavity wall insulation is now commonplace, as it significantly boosts a home’s heat retention. Most houses built in the UK since 1920 have cavity walls on the outside. This consists of an inner wall surrounding the interior, and an outer wall, which can be rendered, painted, or pebbledashed. A gap is left between the two walls to safeguard the inside from moisture.
In recent years, damp has been found in homes with hollow wall insulation. When penetrating damp enters the outer wall, it is brought in through the hollow wall insulation and impacts the walls inside the building.
Many homeowners have experienced failure of their cavity wall insulation, and if so, it might need to be taken out.
Can Penetrating Damp Cause Health Issues?
If the issue of penetrating damp is addressed promptly, there should not be any health concerns. As stated previously, the primary signs of penetrating damp are an unpleasant odour and stains on the walls, which, while visually displeasing, do not represent a health risk.
Living in damp conditions is not ideal and any issues should be dealt with as soon as possible. Severe damp can lead to condensation problems, which may be indicated by the presence of black mould.
What Kind Of Harm Might Penetrating Damp Cause To Your Property?
Even if it fails to seep through a wall, penetrating damp can still inflict damage to a home. Other forms of damp-related harm include wet and dry rot, damp plasterwork, escalated heat loss, musty smells, frost damage to brickwork, and unpleasant water damage inside and outside the building.
Requesting a Penetrating Damp Survey
Are you uncertain whether the mould you’re seeing is due to condensation, a leak, penetrating damp, or rising damp? Would you like to comprehend the extent of the water damage and what actions you should take to rectify it? We can aid you by performing a damp survey and providing a report. At London Damp Treatments, we evaluate the extent of the concern and suggest a treatment approach based on our expertise and moisture monitoring equipment, guaranteeing your property receives damp-proofed walls.
How Long Does A Penetrating Damp Survey Take?
The property size, construction type, dampness issue, and degree of damage all influence the duration of a dampness survey. For example, a wet survey typically takes 3-4 hours to complete. Please contact us for further details.
Expected Cost Of A Penetrating Damp Survey
Using moisture mapping, we can establish the scale of your damp issue. We’ll investigate potential causes and solutions and provide a report. The cost is dependent on a variety of factors and must be carefully assessed before we can provide an accurate estimate. This email report contains our survey data, conclusions and recommendations concerning our damp investigations. It has been written in a professional, amiable style in the manner of Hemmingway. Spelling and grammar have been corrected and redundancies and repetition have been eliminated, allowing for an active writing style.
If you have any queries or worries about a building, please contact London Damp Treatments’ customer service. We would be pleased to discuss the matter with you and provide the information you need to proceed.