Excessive moisture in buildings can lead to a whole host of issues such as the deterioration of the structural integrity of your home, decorative spoiling, plaster staining and mould — the latter of which can cause some serious health problems if left unchecked.
Rising damp is caused by water from the ground, ascending through the walls and floor, which is not being stopped by any damp proof course.
This is typically found in older buildings without a damp proof course, or where it has been bridged over time.
Rising Damp has damp stains rising to about 1m to 1. Penetrating damp enters the wall above the damp proof course. Penetrating damp is caused when rain water penetrates the external brickwork of your property and transfers through to the internal wall.
Common causes of penetrating damp include:. Rising damp is caused by the presence of a faulty or ineffective damp proof course in your property. Brickwork is naturally porous, which means that it absorbs ground water through capillary action - just like a sponge. This water then tracks upwards through the brickwork as it tries to evaporate. As such, rising damp will only ever occur on the ground floor of your property, usually appearing as a distinctive tide mark up to 1. If you spot damp patches on the second floor or higher, it is not the result of rising damp and is instead likely to be the result of penetrating damp or condensation.
Despite their differences, both rising damp and penetrating damp are serious damp problems which are not only ugly to look at but can negatively affect your health.
However older houses, particularly ones that were built before are unlikely to have this level of damp prevention already built in. This is why we tend to see older properties suffering from rising damp. It is also worth noting that if you are doing any work to your property such as laying a patio or decking, make sure care is taken to not damage or bridge the damp-proof course as this could cause damp to get in. Rising damp only occurs at ground level and the most common symptoms are damage to the skirting boards or crumbling plaster on the walls and peeling paint or wallpaper.
Another symptom you might spot is a white powder, or even what looks like a tide mark along the wall which is evident up to a height of around one metre from the ground. This is caused by the water that is rising up through the walls dissolving some of the salts from the ground and building materials, which then crystallise to form a powder, mix this with more water and you get that tell-tell tide mark.
If the problem is coming from the floor you are likely to spot your floor coverings lifting or damp patches appearing. Penetrating damp is caused by water leaking through the wall, this type of damp is caused by a horizontal water movement, rather than travelling up the walls like rising-damp and may extend across your walls and ceiling.
Usually, penetrating damp is caused by a property maintenance problem such as failing guttering or roofing or cracks in the walls which cause them to be regularly soaked in water until they become saturated. Another cause of penetrating damp is an internal leak somewhere; this could extend to pipes under the sink or bath.
Even a very small leak, over time can cause extensive damage to your property. Like rising damp, the first signs are often on the walls, you may spot a damp patch that gets darker when it rains and possibly plaster that begins to bubble. The most common differentiator between rising and penetrative damp is the height at which it occurs.
Rising damp will only occur up to a metre from the ground, whereas penetrating damp can occur anywhere.
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