Damp is a big problem for many homeowners causing endless damage and triggering health problems such as asthma. It really is a bugbear, but thankfully there are many ways to solve the problem such as reducing condensation in the home and buying damp-proof paint from Rawlins. Many solutions are simple and efficient, so let’s take a closer look at how to identify, eradicate and prevent damp in your property.
Identifying the damp in your home
To make things a little awkward, not all kinds of damp are the same and so you must firstly identify what’s causing all the problems: Rising damp, penetrating damp or condensation.
Rising damp:
Rising damp is caused by water moving up through a wall. It can cause unsightly damage to skirting boards and floorboardsas well as to plaster and wallpaper so you must check that your damp proof course (a type of moisture control in construction) is working as if it’s not you may need a new one. Don’t know what you’re looking for? Then always call in a specialist.
Penetrating damp:
When water leaks through the walls this is known as penetrating damp. It is usually caused by structural problems in a building such as faulty guttering and often results in unsightly damp patches, which spread across walls, floors and ceilings. These darken with rain and are more common in properties with solid walls that are directly exposed to the elements with no cavity for protection.
In order to deal with penetrating damp, you firstly have to find where water could be leaking through to your walls. Start by checking gutters and downpipes for leaks and cracks before looking for gaps around doors and windows – or ask a damp surveyor to do the work for you. Once you know the problem you can then work on the solution, which might involve installing new guttering or repointing your roof. You’ll find many more tips and pointers on how to solve penetrating damp issues here.
Condensation:
Condensation is the most common type of damp and is caused by warm and moist air condensing on cooler walls. It tends to be more of a problem in winter (when heating systems are turned on and off) and can be made worse by a poorly ventilated home, so try to keep your property as ventilated as possible and wipe away the water drops which appear on doors and windows with a tea towel or cloth.
Systems such as the Drimaster Heat also promise to cure condensation and remove pollutants, so it’s perhaps worth investing in these products too if condensation is a real problem in your home.
Damp can be a real nuisance, but once you’ve identified what’s causing the issues in your property you should be able to solve them quickly.
This is a guest post