FAQs
WHAT IS RISING DAMP AND HOW DO WE TREAT IT?
Generally, it is observed that after two to three years of construction there some brownish-black spot appearing on the wall from the lower level where the wall is joined with flooring.
As the name shows rising damp it starts from the floor of the structure and moves vertically on the walls of the building. Visual indications of damp are the most common sign. Damp travels upward from a porous material like sandstone, brick, and mortar.
The rising damp appears on the wall in form of fungus and gave a musty odor. Rising damp is most common in the UK due to the high saturation of soil around the house due to regular rain.
Causes of rising damp
In effective building materials are the main cause of rising damp that provides passage to moisture. Rising damp spread through the ground to the walls of properties by absorbing water and moisture from the surface. Porous material does not lock the moisture and keep it spreading.
Low-quality materials and bad insulation substances provide opportune seepage to penetrate inside of the house. Bad maintenance of the house like unrepaired cracks, leaking plumbing, block, and the broken guttering system allowed porous brick and mortar to absorb more and more moisture and transmits it from outside to inside of the wall.
Keeping in mind the causes are not limited to building material but how material were used during construction which might lead to damp and cause damage to property.
Treatment for rising damp
The main treatment of rising damp is to address the root cause of it. Any type of damp is grown due presence of an excessive amount of moisture.
You should find the source of penetration of water inside the house. Secondly, the most important treatment is to always build homes with quality material and use reliable brand insulation.
Poor and low-quality material makes your home un-safe to live. Always make sure the credibility of substance and construction material for a healthy sound house. Always keep in mind that the quality material guarantees the long life of the structure.Rising damp is treated by applying the water repellent substrate in the basement or ground level floor.
Due to high level of saturation of soil a hydrostatic pressure generate which causes water penetrated into the floor and ultimately affects the foundation and wall of the house. A waterproofing material must apply on the exterior and inside of the wall to avoid rising damp.
WHAT IS WOODWORM AND HOW DO WE TREAT IT?
In the United Kingdom, the most common woodworm are furniture beetle, which is also known as the Anobium punctatum. Most species of beetle are called woodworm because they prefer to live on the surface under the surface of the wood. They feed on the wood substance and lay eggs in it.
These species of beetles cause great damage to furniture. It even destroys the structure of timber by making tiny holes in it. The eggs of these worms hatch into new and more beetles in this way they continue the breeding process in the wooden items.
How to know this is woodworm’s infusion impact? People generally ask how we identify the woodworms. The answer is very simple when you see powdery dust fall from furniture or tiny holes over the surface of the wood.
You should check it by knocking the part of timber if it’s a sound cavity; it is the proximal signs of woodworm. These holes on the surface show the invasion of insects in wood and dusty powder exhibit the adult beetle presence.
If the infestation prevails, the edges and joints of furniture wooden get crumbling. These beetles tunnel through the wood and eat the whole wooden substance inside. You also observe dead beetles near the infested area.
These beetles spread in furniture like germs and make them crumble.How to prevent the timber from woodworm? It is not very easy to protect our furniture and timber items from woodworms in UK weather conditions. But we can prevent our wooden items by following these precautions.
1.According to the UK weather conditions it is very important to keep the home well heated and ventilated.
2.Regularly check the woodworm treated items to prevent the other items from being simulated.
3.Make sure the quality of wood before buying any wooden item and furthermore seal the wood surface with a good quality varnish.
4.Electric insect killer also a great resource to prevent the wood from woodworm. Make sure to place it in a room or property to avoid any beetle attack.
How to treat woodworm? Generally, the treatment of woodworm depending upon the different species of infested beetles. Some of the beetle species died in wood during the process of formation of furniture or wooden structure.
The method of fumigation only conducts on active insects that affect wood. There are many insecticides and pesticides spray are available in the market to spray on the affected wooden and they killed the insects.
These sprays contain Permethrin, which is beneficial against all the life stages of wood-boring insects while other treatments can only target one life stage. This spray offers long-lasting protection against the re-infection of worms.
The electric beetle killer is comparatively less effective;it attracts the worm and kill before breeding on wood. It is very important to figure out the cause of dampness in the wood to avoid the worm to attract and breed.
WHAT IS PENETRATED DAMP AND HOW DO WE TREAT IT?
Penetrated damp mostly appears on the walls and ceiling of the property. You can recognize penetrative damp through its appearance, penetrative damp spread through the wall horizontally.
Penetrative damp is not only exhibited on walls but also gives a mossy smell. As the name shows, penetrate means moisture finds its way from outside to inside. Walls or ceiling absorb moisture from leaking pipe or structural damage cracks that moisture penetrates into the capillaries and transmitters on the whole wall surface.
Residents must keep observing if any black spot or any kind of misty smell is they feel in the property. They must hire some specialists to figure out the cause of it.
Causes of Penetrating Damp
Poor maintenance is the main factor of penetrating damp. Most residents ignore the minor cracks in the walls. Broken tiles of the roof and missing space in bricks that absorb water from rain or snow and store into the insulation of walls. Defective insulation or poor quality bricks and blocks also plays a major role in penetrating damp.
It absorbs the moisture that penetrates into walls from the damaged structure. The porous brick and stone are common causes of penetrating damp.
Penetrating damp can also be caused by poor-fitting exterior components associated with energy efficiency works. Poor-fitting of electrical items also provides space for water to penetrate.
Broken and blocked plumbing pipes play a significant role in penetrating damp. Leakage of water from broken pipe absorbs into insulation and causes damp inside walls.
Treatment of penetrating damp
Penetrating damp can be treated by water repellent paint. The paint will block all exterior and interior cracks.
Regular maintenance and fixing all the interior and exterior and missing tile of the roof can also treat the penetrative damp. To avoid penetrative damp homeowners must do yearly inspections of houses and properties.
In the UK when you start mapping a house or property you should keep in mind the climate conditionto keep property damp proof. Proper installation of insulation makes it safe from penetrating damp.Sealant cream is also a very effective treatment for porous brick, it penetrates into the porous and blocks them.
It acts as a water repellent shield and stops penetration of water to cause dampness. Penetrating damp cannot be treated unless the treatment of root cause, the broken plumbing pipe allows continuous seepage of water. You should have fixed the pipe first to treat the penetrating damp.
WHAT IS DRY & WET ROT AND HOW DO WE TREAT IT?
Timber is widely used as a construction material all over the UK. Due to cold weather, people prefer wooden floors and ceilings to make homes warm and insulated. But these same weather conditions also very harmful for a timber structure. Moist timber is a favorable nutrition environment for fungi that cause rot.
There are two types of rot that affect timber most you can differentiate both of them by their signs and symptoms. Both rots have a treatment once you are sure about the type, a professional will help you in treatment.
DRY ROT
Dry rot is commonly known as cuboidal, which causes great damage to dry wood byleaving deep cracks in your furniture. It is the most dangerous rot because it affects not only the furniture but also spreads on the carpet and curtain of the room with its airborne spores.
It only required only 10 to 20 % of moisture in the environment.It crumbles the wooden items easily with its yellow tint color fungi.
Treatment of dry rot
The treatment of dry rot is the removal of moisture from the environment by proper ventilation. Dry rot spread through its airborne spores so whenever you saw any yellow fungi on your furniture, treats it immediately by some professional before it spread.
Try to keep your home warm as much as you can to dry up all the moisture that is generated during condensation.
WET ROT
Wet rot required continuous and high levels of moisture to grow. It does not spread like dry rot, it just confined to a moist area. It is less destructive compared to dry rot. This type of rot affects the wet timber and makes it soft and soggy.
Long-term persistent moisture causes by defective roofs, cracks in walls, plumbing leakage, shower trays, and broken block gutters developed wet rot.
It also differentiates from dry rot by appearance and odor. Cellar fungus is most common among all fungal species that cause wet rot. It is mostly developed on the roof, wooden windows, and wooden floors.
Treatment of wet rot
The treatment of wet rot is dependent on the cause of it. You have to fix the broken or cracked roof first to treat wet rot. It is the most significant point to treat wet rot because if you did not repair the crack or plumbing leakage and you remove the affected timber, there is a huge chance that it will grow again.
There is no cure for wet rot effect timber other than replacing it because the timber already absorbs so much moisture that decomposes the structure of it.
EXTERNAL WATERPROOFING (MASONRY CREAM) HOW THEY WORK?
External waterproofing is a process to block the penetration of water from the outside to the inside of the house. UK rainy and cold weather developed great moisture in the atmosphere.
When you build a property you must apply some water repellent insulation on the exterior side of the roof and walls to prevent water movement.
By applying an exterior waterproofing substance you may reduce the problem of damp in the basement or cellular. Why do we need eternal waterproofing?People generally ask this question, why do we need additional waterproof coating outside of the house?
The answer is very simple whenever someone builds a house he must keep in mind the soil condition of the ground and the weather condition before choosing material for the house.
According to our weather conditions, heavy rain, long winter, and short summer, the level of moisture is very high in the air which causes great damage.
External waterproofing of houses and properties make it live longer.External waterproofing allows for greater protection in long run and it enhances the ability of building material and the structure to limit the spread of damp.
Eternal waterproofing method
External waterproofing is very essential to avoid the growth of algae and lichen over the roof and wall of the structure. All extreme conditions reduce the home’s structural life. Following method should adopt as precautions when building a property.
Water repellent paint is one of the common methods that havebeen used all over the UK. These water repellent paints contain silicon resin that blocks the small hole and crack in between the brick and provide efficient coding against moisture.
Water repellent cream absorbs in the material like brick or stone and acts as a great water repellent inside the brick porous.
The sealant is an insulation that is installed on the floor and in between brick walls to keep water seepage out of the house.
How does masonry cream work? Masonry cream is a great substance that acts as a water repellent shield over the walls. Masonry cream is applied by spray and spread allover the wall, and absorbed in it.
Masonry cream blocks the point of water penetration. The chemical substance of cream works as a barrier against moisture penetration.
Masonry cream increases the 10 to 20 years of the life of house structure by providing strength to protect against mixture and dampness.
WHAT IS BASEMENT WATERPROOFING?
Basement waterproofing is a combination of different methods and techniques to prevent water penetration in the basement of the house. Water seepage is one most common problem associated with basement which ultimately leads to destruction of the foundation of house.
Causes of seepage in the basement
Basement must have a good ventilation system.But the installations of windows well are the main point of seepage accumulation.If the well does not have sufficient drainage system,water starts accumulating into the windows.
Basement window should be closed properly to avoid any penetration of water. Poor insulation of the swimming pool is also another factor of seepage of water in wells due to hydronic motion.
So wells of windows must install sump pumps to regular removal of excessive water. The UK weather, heavy and often rainy and long spans of snow also increase saturation level of soil.
High levels of saturated soil that surround the house naturally cause seepage of water in the basement.
This causes cracks on walls and in the foundation of the house which allow water to penetrate into the basement.Block and broken guttering is another factor of water seepage into the basement.
Most houses have a sewage system installed under the house, if your block gutter does not repair for a long time its water automatically starts absorbing in the foundation of the house.
Basement waterproofing methods
High saturated soil around the house is a significant factor that generates hydrostatic pressure and automatic seepage of water. To avoid this pressure you must create a pit in the concrete floor of the basement for accumulation of excessive water and an electric pump has to be installed for automatic removal of water.
The sealant insulation material is also an effective method for waterproofing the basement.
Sealant material is installed into the floor of ground level to avoid any seepage in the basement from the upper part of the house.The most important method for waterproofing the basement is regularly repairing the pre-excited crack in the interior and exterior wall of the house to block the pathway of seepage.
Cementations coating on walls and flooring of the house is an effective basement waterproofing method. This coating provides extra strength to the structure and the wall becomes water repellent.Waterproof paint is also a great technique to make your basement waterproof.
This paint works as an insulated layer which blocks in and out movement of water.