Articles about Damp

This year, like many of us, we've held back on turning on the heating with a view to preventing unwanted surprises (high energy bills) and over the weekend we cleaned off the onset of black mould from each bedroom at home, so what can we do about it and what are the best methods for preventing condensation and mould?

Traditional Plaster Finish for Barn Conversion Limelite Renovating Plaster was recently chosen as the interior finish for two Cotswold barn conversions at North End Farm in Sopworth, Wiltshire.

We often take calls from property owners suffering damp issues on chimney breasts, where they've employed a roofer to repair flashings etc. on chimneys expecting the damp issues internally to go away / dry down.

You might have heard that damp meters should not be used on surveys for issues of dampness, why is this? Here's the thing, electronic moisture meters do not detect moisture, they measure conductivity and interpret that as moisture, this because water conducts electricity. An implication of this is that other conductive materials can trigger these meters and the general conductivity of a base material can also influence a reading, i.e. concrete, plaster, metal (angle beads for example), and salts can all trigger a meter. Surely this makes them useless??? No.

What if there were a relatively easy way to demonstrate that part of a property was at risk of, or is suffering from condensation?

A damp proof course of any type, should be minimum 150mm (two brick courses) above external ground level. The reason for this is RAINFALL SPLASHBACK. What does this mean?

Firstly - happy new year to all you damp geeks and property people. Secondly - 'It smells damp'...What does this actually mean? If I take a house brick and put it in a bucket of water for a week, and then remove it and then smell it, what will it smell of? Earthy bouquet - hint of vanilla? No, in reality it is not going to smell of anything.

In the majority of cases, an injected DPC will involve drilling the mortar beds in a wall, and inserting a cream, which carries materials which are considered to be a PORE LINER. These pore lining materials are typically silane/siloxane, derived from silicone. How do they work?

So last time we talked about condensation and relative humidity, how this is expressed as a proportion of how much moisture air can hold at a given temperature, and how 'dew point' temperature, is the exact temperature where vapour condenses back into a liquid (100% RH).

It’s that time of year… and it’s probably worth having a basic understanding of condensation and this and how it can be dealt with. Water can be solid (ice), a liquid, or a gas (vapour). Condensation is the process whereby it changes from a gas to a liquid.

So you may have heard that there is no such thing as 'rising damp'. The reasons why could be a lengthy post in itself, commenting on everything from the role of unscrupulous contractors who specify works not necessary, through to those that vocally denigrate and seek to position themselves as savior against such contractors, seeking large survey fees on the back of this.

If you're viewing dilapidated properties, you're likely to come across salts in some form. Understanding what they are and their implications is essential. For expert advice and solutions regarding salt-related damp issues, Trace Basement Systems is a leading authority in the field.