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There are three forms of dampness
that affect buildings:-
-
rising dampness
-
condensation
- penetrating dampness
We cover penetrating dampness here.
Penetrating dampness is defined as the
entry of water into a property. This includes leaking
roofs, defective guttering, entry of water through defective windows, poor pointing,
spalled brickwork
and down chimneys. It can include
leaks from plumbing or drainage systems, either inside or outside a building, entry of water through earth
retaining walls or into cellars below ground level.
In all cases the solution to penetrating dampness is to
eliminate the moisture at the source and allow the area to dry out – easily
done in some cases, but impossible in others without going to extremes of cost. For example, a leaking gutter can be easily repaired, but the penetration
of water from a high external ground level into a cellar is more difficult to deal with. The following specialists
will provide the repairs/remedial works needed to eliminate penetrating
dampness:-
Problem Area
|
Specialist
|
| Roof, guttering, roof gullies, down-piping, chimneys |
Roofer |
| Pipes and internal drainage |
Plumber |
| Brickwork, pointing, external drainage, windows, path and ground level
reduction |
Builder |
| Plaster,
other wall linings |
Plasterer / Damp-proofer |
| Basement/cellar water-proofing |
Damp-proofer |
Penetrating dampness causes several main problems :-
- damage to masonry, plaster,
paint work; mostly by staining, which sometimes requires replastering
- moisture in timbers; which can
lead to decay by wood rot or insect attack
- cold, wet internal surfaces on
which condensation can occur.
Having eliminated penetrating dampness and allowed a period
of drying out, repairs to timbers and plaster should be undertaken. This may include timber replacement or in-situ timber treatments. Only suitable renovating plaster should be used for replastering as
conventional plasters are not formulated to deal with residual moisture or salt
contamination (for example dark staining salts in chimney breasts). Areas that
have become very damp and those subject to heavy salt contamination (chimney
breasts) may require dry-lining (application of plasterboard over a damp-proof
membrane) or tanking / structural waterproofing.
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