Rising Damp...Dry Rot...Cellar Conversions...Basement Refurbishment

Advice... Inspections... Treatments... Conversions...

We offer advice and estimates for rising damp, damp walls, damp rot and timber treatment for woodworm,Wet Rot or Dry Rot or any damp problems.

We would be happy to talk over the possibility of controling dampness with a damp membrane system or waterproofing and tanking to improve a damp basement level or cellar and you can arrange a damp survey on a property by calling Arid Preservation on 01892 536570 we cover the South-East of England in the Areas of Kent, East Sussex and Surrey. We carry damp injection for rising damp in masonry walls if it is needed.

Assessment of Damp and Decay in Buildings

It is essential when investigating the potential for dampness and subsequent decay in buildings that the follow are thought of.

In majority of cases damp in walls and decay are a mixture of some or all of the following types of dampness mentioned below and solutions should be created to control all damp rot problems,and not just one. It is very common for house owners to have a damp course treatment to a damp wall for rising damp and timber treatment and still have problems of damp mould or damp rising.

Condensation Damp

Particularly in the winter, condensation dampness can fool even the most experienced damp specialist into believing that damp walls or damp plaster is from "rising damp" and damp wall treatment and timber treatment is needed.

The following can aggravate condensation problems: Double glazing if installed without passive trickle ventilation. Restricted sub floor ventilation within sub-floor areas below ground floor, suspended timber floors and/or external sealing material such as dense cement render with modern resin masonry paints present.

A sealed building which does not let moisture out and/or does not let the fabric of the building breath can be the main cause of your dampness. See more information under the page for Condensation.

Penetrating Damp

Remember maintenance is the key to a healthy building. Most penetrating damp problems can be from incorrect design of the building but in the main, most penetrating damp wall problems are from lack of up keep to the fabric of building and poor land drainage around the building.

The old saying a stitch in time saves nine is so true in caring for a building. We all can have busy lives we know cleaning out gutters can be forgotten about or having a new drive put on top of the old one thereby raising ground levels are mistakes we all can make,but... imagine if we had say £150.... 600,000, thousand pounds cash in a big bag... I am sure you or I would then take good care of that because we can visualise the value!

Rising Damp Problems

Rising Damp is the natural ability of water moving vertically through porous building materials in contact with the ground. This is brought about by the drying action of air on upper surfaces, which cause the wall to act like a wick.

Damp rising can rise up the wall by capillary action and then evaporate from the surface into the atmosphere.

The height to which the dampness may rise varies accordingly to construction and atmospheric conditions but rarely exceeds 1 metre above ground level.

Damp rising may bring ground salts (nitrate, chloride and other salts) these ground salts stay in the brickwork and plaster.

As the water evaporates from the masonry or brickwork the salts can be left behind in the masonry and on the surface of plaster. These salts can attract moisture from the atmosphere (Hygroscopic Salts). This means that even if the rising damp is cured the plaster might stay damp. For this reason our damp proofing treatment installed where guaranteed treatments are required will require that damp plaster is reinstated to a certain height from the wall base as per our report on your building.

A damp wall treated by damp injection for rising damp treatment still has to dry out. The re-plastering specification is designed to allow this to take place without the ground salts in the brickwork reaching the surface. Please see our Rising Damp web page for more information or please ring Arid Preservation on 01892 536570 to see if we can help you.

Contact

Address: 89 St James Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TH1 2HH.
Telephone: 01892 536570 or 07977172205
Email: lester@aridpreservation.co.uk