Damp Proofing

Damp proofing faults cause  damp problems and you will probably start to wonder what is causing it. And that it might just be getting worse and starting to spread. As it spreads its starts to lift the wall paper and leaves it with a dirty stain. You might even have black mould, old musty smells around the house in cupboards and on clothes and in the carpets.

Be Dri can offer damp proofing for all types of damp. We can help you, we want to take away your damp problem and what’s causing it. We have years of experience in dealing with older properties and many of the common problems . We have the knowledge and the expertise to offer you the best damp proofing services to remove the damp and cure the problem in your home.

When we hear “Damp problems found” these are words you do not want to see in your Home buyer’s survey report. They will give some people restless nights. The reason there is such nervousness about damp is that it causes many other problems. Such as timber decay and woodworm infestations and ruins plaster.

There are several causes of damp in buildings these are rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation and hygroscopic salts.

These types of damp all look very similar. But what causes them are completely different and the way they should be treated is also different. That is why we are experts at getting to the cause. Finding the problem and diagnosing what the fault is. Then using the correct damp proofing method to cure it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damp_proofing

Damp Solutions

When the team from Be Dri damp proofing Solutions arrive on a job. We aim to provide a fast, efficient and friendly service to our customers.

Our highly trained surveyors and technicians will investigate fully. And will go out of their way to provide complete customer satisfaction from the moment they step in your home. You can put your full trust in our damp proofing solutions as we transform your damp house into a dry, warm home.

https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/damp/article/dealing-with-damp/what-kind-of-damp-is-affecting-my-home

Damp Proofing Problems in Period Houses

Dampness in old buildings is often the result of several problems in combination (See fault page). Such as external ground levels to high, cavity wall full of old building debris, poor pointing and condensation. The presence of damp is not always obvious. structural floor timbers may already be rotting away before there are any obvious damp patches at skirting board level.

To make things worse for customers is that there are several types of damp. And the main ones such as rising damp, penetrating damp and salt contamination.

They all look very similar but they all have different damp treatments and damp cures.

Damp Causes

The predominant problems arising with damp in older houses is penetrating damp, property faults and condensation. These are caused by a lack of maintenance or problems at ground level.

Also where the property has been modernised and double glazing added and no modern extraction has been installed. In the cooking or the bathroom areas the property’s humidity levels rise this becomes trapped in the house. Rising damp is rarely found because most property's still have an original dpc. Made from flint or a sand, ash and bitumen mix and in some case engineering bricks.

Cavity Wall Clearance

Cavity wall damp problems can look like a rising damp issue on the internal walls this is because the cavity wall is full of rubble and building debris.

This penetrating damp fault can be removed by cavity wall cleaning. Once this work has been completed the brickwork at floor level will start to dry out. As the moisture is allowed to evaporate away. We specialise in period property cavity wall clearance and unblocking air vents and restoring sub floor ventilation.

Damp Proof Courses

Damp proof courses were not regularly installed in any building construction method until the introduction of the Public Health Act in 1875. Three years later the Building Act of 1878 provided more detail on the types of constructions and the regulation of their construction.

They were regularly installed after this so by the time of the great Victorian building boom of 1880 they had become commonly installed. Rising damp would normally only affect a property if a small part had been broken during some other building works at that level.

Other Damp Proofing Companies

Many damp proofing companies just treat it all as rising damp with cement based products. Trying to just block the damp out and insisting you need another DPC which will have to be chemically injected.

This method has proven to be the wrong long term approach and is showing up as failed crumbling pink gypsum plasterwork. It will have a high salt content due to humidity problems in old houses. This will appear within 2 – 25 years of this using this method of cement and gypsum plaster based renders in old houses.

This stain looks like rising and penetrating damp and appears to show Dpc failure but it’s not the humidity is causing it.

So as the work is guaranteed for Dpc failure only you will have to pay again to have it plastered to stop the hygroscopic salts constantly absorbing moisture from the atmosphere and making your wall look a mess.

https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/the-fraud-of-rising-damp.html

Damp Survey

To measure these effects damp companies use damp meters little yellow electronic devices with two little prongs for measuring damp.

The problem with these meters is that they measure all damp rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation and hygroscopic salts they don’t differentiate between them. So when it bleeps really loud or goes really red only an experienced surveyor can Interpret its readings and diagnose the property fault behind that reading.

These meters are useful in detecting the area the damp is coming from and at what level. And how its spreading in your property so a good surveyor will use the device as a guide because the device isn’t telling you what damp you have or why you have it.

That’s why you need some who works with Victorian and Edwardian houses because they are enthusiastic and passionate about the work they do. And the way that it should be carried out to preserve these period properties and their common faults.

 

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