Most buildings will suffer from dampness of one form or another during their lifetimes. This seminar gives an overview of the methods available to correctly identify the causes and types of dampness in buildings. The most common types of dampness encountered in existing buildings (rising damp, penetrating damp, and condensation) are examined, as are methods of repair and treatment.

Rising damp occurs in a high proportion of old buildings, where water rises up from the ground through the capillaries of bricks and mortar. Carried salts can cause damage and further damp problems. The seminar offers a detailed insight into rising damp and the modern day treatments available. Details of the nature and causes of rising damp are given, including…

These previously treated walls were starting to show signs of damp above the replastered area, showing peeling paint and blistering plaster. Damp-proofing experts, Surrey Hills Preservation, were called in to survey and fix the problem.

Further investigation of the property revealed that the floor timbers were rotting due to exposure to moisture.

This domestic property is located in the Derby area. It is a typical semi-detached house that was built during the 1950s. The building is a brick-built cavity wall construction with a solid ground floor.

The hall area near the front door of the property was very exposed to the elements. The property owner was reporting multiple damp patches on the walls and large amounts of black mould growth around window and door frames. Damp expert Chris Debieux, the Director of Damp and Decay Direct Ltd, was called-in to survey the problem. He found that…

The Problem Due to a combination of extended wet weather and defective pointing, the weather facing walls of the property had been suffering from penetrating damp. This had led to damp patches, blown plaster and bubbled patches of delaminated paint appearing on the internal decorating surfaces.

This domestic semi-detached property is situated in the Sussex seaside town of Brighton. The house is a traditional brick build with solid walls double-skin walls and a render on the weather facing external wall.

The main living room area of the property was suffering from significant rising damp issues. Some parts of the wall were showing signs of salt contamination and the plaster was crumbling and blistering. After the initial survey was completed, it was evident that a ‘pressure injection’ type rising damp was carried out in the past, which had now failed.

This domestic terraced house in the seaside town of Bournemouth. The house is a traditional brick build with cavity walls and a render on the weather facing external wall.

This house was purchased in 2013. After receiving an initial survey during the buying process the property the owner followed instruction to have the house surveyed thoroughly for damp by an approved PCA contractor. RLH Developments Ltd were brought in to identify the problems and carry out the most appropriate solution.

The new owner wanted to restore the windmill as a domestic dwelling to a very high standard whilst conserving as many of the building’s original features as possible. To this end, Luke Bonwick, a heritage consultant specialising in windmills was employed. Because of the windmill’s Grade II* listing, it was also necessary to work closely with the local Conservation Officer…

The manual deals with the most common situations encountered with regard to rising damp and remedial action. It does not cover structural waterproofing (tanking). An outline of the identification of dampness problems in buildings is given. This book should be read thoroughly to become familiar with the systems prior to undertaking any works. It is also important that the user…

An explanation of rising damp and how to stop it.

Learn how to survey a building and diagnose dampness problems correctly

This section explains the correct way to replaster where necessary

This section explains the correct way to treat rising damp

Calculations show that the overall risk of condensation is reduced when using the Dryzone Express Replastering System compared with traditional sand:cement replastering systems. However, when using this type of product, due consideration must be given to the overall design to minimise risk of condensation and the recommendations contained in BS 5250:2011 should be followed. 

Sections of the wall will often have to be replastered as part of an effective rising damp treatment strategy.

This paper reviews the rising damp phenomenon with a discussion of factors such as capillary effect, water absorption & salt formation.

In January 2017, Dryrod Damp-Proofing Rods, produced by Safeguard Europe, passed testing by the WTA in Germany.

Drybase Flex is a new and innovative way to replaster walls after the installation of a new chemical DPC.

The plasters and full technical information will be widely available in first quarter of 2016. For more information or technical advice on any of the products in the Dryzone System range, please call us on 01403 210204.

Feedback from the conference has been extremely positive with a significant amount of the attendees attending the event for the second time:

The book is available as a free download. For a physical copy, please call us on 01403 210204.

The rods were developed after three years of intensive laboratory and field testing. They are effective in walls that are highly saturated, very porous and either highly alkaline – such as in new mortar – or with low alkalinity (old mortar). And they can also be installed in warm or cold walls – even when the wall is freezing. Because…

The Instytut Techniki Budowlanej (ITB) in Warsaw, Poland has carried out an efficacy test for Dryzone rising damp treatment. The test was carried out in accordance with ZURT-15/IV.21/2008, a Polish standard for assessing horizontal damp-proofing injection products. The test was carried out on a 10″ thick brick wall section constructed using lime mortar (1:1:6 Portland cement/lime/sand mix.) The section was…

Key products in the Vandex concrete repair and protection range have been tested according to BS EN 1504-2 and BS EN 1504-3 allowing them to qualify for CE Marking. The following products were tested to BS EN 1504-2:2004 “Products and systems for the protection and repair of concrete structures. Definitions, requirements, quality control and evaluation of conformity. Surface protection systems…

Some walls are more susceptible to high levels of saturation than others due to the pore structure of the brick, stone, and mortar that they are constructed from. For example, Victorian lime mortars are typically more absorbent than modern mortars and therefore more prone to severe rising damp. Thick walls generally exhibit higher moisture contents than thin walls as they…

One of the most recognisable features of Dryzone Damp-Proofing cream is its eco-friendly foil packaging. To date our decision to promote Dryzone in foil tubes rather than plastic cartridges has resulted in a saving of approximately 120,000 kg in packaging waste. From this month onwards, Dryzone will be supplied in printed foil cartridges (pictured) featuring the trademarked Dryzone logo. The…

Dampness in building materials can be harmful to the structural integrity of buildings. There are many damp proofing methods available.

Walls can become damp for a multitude of different reasons. Damp problems in walls are often only noticed once internal damp symptoms become apparent. Such symptoms include damp patches, black mould growth, hygroscopic salt contamination and crumbling plaster. It is important to note that the source of the damp problems could be caused externally or internally, even though the most…

Most houses in the UK suffer from damp problems. Often the source of dampness is not obvious for the homeowner.

Before any treatment of damp problems is considered, the source of dampness must first be identified.

The basic symptoms of damp, e.g. peeling paint / wallpaper, are largely the same regardless of the cause of dampness.

It is a common misconception that damp has a singular cause. The reality is that there are several different types of damp.

Rising damp occurs when groundwater rises through capillaries in masonry to saturate it.