Rising Damp

What causes rising damp

Numerous reasons affect the longevity of buildings and infrastructures, dampness being one of the worst. Rising damp, also known as salt damp, is the result of groundwater ascending through the porous wall's fissures through capillary action.

After that, the remaining moisture level escapes through the porous surface, leaving the soluble salts drawn from the building materials and source behind. The left-behind salts are emitted out through the plasterwork and settle as salt deposits on the walls.

If evaporation is not allowed in cases of defective impermeable paint finish, then salt concentration increases resulting in thick crystalline deposits in the form of flowers. If evaporation occurs within the building material, salt deposits within the pores of the surface.

The most frequent causes of the movement of moisture upwards are flood disasters, the usage of slopes without adequate drainage or plumbing, and the decay of the damp course and mortar in the brickwork.

Sometimes, hygroscopic salts present in materials absorb moisture and result in bloom patterns at fluctuating relative humidity levels in unoccupied structures. When structures lack installation of a damp proof course or have a damp proof course that is inadequate due to its age or improper installation, then rising damp occurs.

When this damp proof course is breached by another structure or by leftover building materials, then rising damp becomes prevalent through the creation of a bridge for moisture to travel from the ground over the damp proof course, up the wall.

Additionally, when the neighbourhood lacks a damp proof course, or the damp proof course is higher, moisture can travel around the damp proof course from the neighbour into the resident’s area causing rising damp.

Rising damp is often misdiagnosed and unwanted treatments are introduced that can eventually cause more symptoms of rising damp.

Best Rising Damp Treatment

Rising damp treatments always entail determining the root of the problem with the damp proof course, and rectifying this before any repairs are carried out on the damage that may have been caused to the property as a result. While it can be tempting to use a damp-proofing undercoat and then paint over the damp to hide it, this is only likely to be a temporary fix. You should do this as a last step in the process after figuring out what is causing the rising damp and fixing the root in the issue. This way, once you use a damp-proof undercoat and paint the wall that has been affected by damp, it should stay looking fresh as the damp won’t simply penetrate through it.

Unfortunately, using a damp-proof undercoat will not prevent any further rising damp issues as it is simply not strong enough. You need to first fix the issue and then undercoat and paint. If you don’t get to the root of the issue, then chances are that you are going to be painting your wall every few weeks or even more regularly, and the issue will only get worse over time. Rising damp isn’t a problem that goes away on its own. Getting a professional inspection is the best course of action if you suspect growing wetness in your house. They can check your damp proof course to determine what has gone wrong and what kind of rising damp treatment is going to be best. In some cases, this might involve replacing the entire damp proof course, while other problems might be fixable by simply removing a structure or object that has blocked the damp proof course and caused it to become bridged.

Rising Damp Treatments for Older Homes

Older properties tend to be more susceptible to rising damp. This might be due to a complete lack of any damp proof course, or a damp proof course that is no longer working effectively due to wear and tear over the years. If you have an older home and are dealing with rising damp, the first thing that you should do is check for a damp proof course. If there is not one present, then this should be installed as soon as possible in order to prevent further issues with rising damp from occurring in the future. Although installing a new damp proof course in an existing property is harder compared to installing one for a new build at the time of building, a skilled professional will be able to make sure that your older property has a fully-functional and effective damp-proof course installed. This is usually done by injecting a water-repellent chemical into the brickwork of the existing property.

Best Rising Damp Treatment for Bridged Damp Proof Course

If you are dealing with a rising damp issue in your home because your damp proof course is bridged, the good news is that this is often one of the simplest issues to fix providing that your damp proof course is as functional as it should be otherwise, it might not require you to have a new damp proof course installed. Before treating this issue, a specialist will examine the building and the damp proof course to identify and remove anything that might have blocked or bridged the damp proof course. This is frequently brought on by constructions that have been erected outside of the home or areas of higher ground that have been caused by gardening activities, for example. Once these have been removed or lowered, the moisture will no longer be able to get over the damp proof course, which should solve your problem and allow you to get on with treating any rising damp that may have appeared inside your property without the risk of it returning.

Rising Damp Treatment – New Damp Proof Course

In some cases, you may need to consider getting an entirely new damp proof course installed in your property to stop the rising damp and prevent it from returning in the future. If your property needs a new damp proof course, then this is a job that you should have carried out by a trained professional. This is because any errors in the installation of a damp proof course can lead to serious issues in the future and may even make your damp problem worse which can be frustrating along with being a serious waste of money.

There are several instances where getting a new damp proof course installed in your property to replace the old one might be the most effective option. You will definitely need a damp proof course installed if your property does not already have one. However, over time, damp proof courses can wear and deteriorate, which may render them less effective compared to what they once were. You should consider having your damp proof course replaced if it has been in place for many years or even decades. Any rising damp you have noticed is likely to be a result of the damp proof course simply not functioning as well as it should due to age.

Another reason why you may need a new damp proof course installed at your property is that you need it to be placed higher. If there are structures around the property that are causing the damp proof course to become bridged, but these cannot be removed, then the next best option is to install a new damp proof course further up the walls, so that moisture cannot get over the structure and penetrate the walls. Your neighbours’ damp proof course might also affect whether or not you need a new one. If your property has an adjoining wall or wall with neighbours and their damp proof course is installed further up than yours, you may need to have a new damp proof course installed further up your own walls to match and prevent rising damp from occurring.

Rising Damp Treatment Inside Your Home

Rising damp can cause a lot of damage to a property. So, once you have identified and dealt with the main underlying issue that has been causing the rising damp to appear, you may find that there is more work to do inside your home to get it back into a decent condition. Rising damp can travel to around a metre or so up the walls before the moisture is pulled down by gravity. You may have noticed some signs of this including discolouration, or paint or wallpaper that is peeling off the walls. In some cases, rising damp might lead to mould in the walls if it is severe, in which case you will need to have the walls treated.

Depending on the severity of the rising damp, it might be necessary to have the affected walls replastered before you consider doing any further work on them. It is not advisable to simply paint over the rising damp in your property, even if you have caught the issue quickly and there is not a huge amount of damage indoors to deal with. At the very least, you should consider using a damp-proofing undercoat on the walls before you paint. Allow this to dry completely before painting since it acts as a barrier to not only help dry out any existing moisture in the walls but also to help prevent any more from getting through. If you’ve noticed mould, you should wash your walls first with an anti-mould solution and leave to dry thoroughly before applying undercoat and painting. A standard emulsion paint will usually work fine once you have applied the undercoat. However, if you want additional protection, you may want to consider using a paint with anti-mould properties included.

How to Prevent Rising Damp

Preventing rising damp will always involve making sure that your damp proof course is in good repair. Whether you want to prevent it from ever occurring in your property or have noticed some early signs and want to make sure that it doesn’t get any worse than this, you should have your damp proof course regularly checked for any signs that it might be faulty or bridged. Along with this, you should always check that there is a damp proof course present before moving into a new property; this will usually be done as part of a homebuyer’s survey. The sooner you have one installed in a property where one is not present, the less likely rising damp will occur. It’s also worth staying up to date on any changes that your neighbours are making to their damp proof courses since having one installed higher than yours could increase your risk of rising damp in the home.

Rising damp treatment should always be carried out by a trained professional since this issue originates from problems with the damp proof course. Sometimes, dealing with rising damp involves simply removing something that has bridged the course, while in other cases it may require an entire new damp proof course installation.