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Rising Damp Treatment

Rising Damp Treatment

 

Rising Damp is a phenomenon where moisture from the ground is wicked up through the masonry and building materials by capillary action, resulting in moisture appearing to rise from the ground.

 

Rising Damp is one of the many types of water ingress issues our clients face. It often goes undetected inside walls for a long time, slowly damaging the structure of buildings. Early signs of rising damp may be subtle enough not to raise the property owner’s alarm until the problem’s extent is clearly evidenced by deteriorating stumps, footings, masonry, and building bricks.

Rising damp in walls often occurs because a Damp-Proof Course (DPC) has not been installed or is faulty due to age or incorrect installation. A similar issue exists with concrete slabs on the ground where the vapour barrier (often called builder’s plastic) from when the concrete was placed is compromised or lacking.

What are the Common Signs of Rising Damp that you can look out for?

A musty smell may be one of the first signs of rising damp that you notice. The wet areas affected by rising damp are typically found behind skirting boards. The detection often happens when someone opens the wall and finds that the structure behind it is rotten.
Rising damp can also be identified by a characteristic whitish powdery tide mark (Efflorescence) on the lower section of affected walls. This tide mark is caused by salt being brought through to the surface by the effects of evaporation. These salts accumulate at the “peak” of the rising damp.

Hidden rising damp issue. Injectable Damp-proof Course DPC. Waterstop Solutions

 

Typical signs of rising damp:

  • Tide marks of salts / raised white deposits
  • Dark patches on walls that can be damp to touch – Determine that the brickwork/masonry is actually wet and not just the plaster or wallpaper.
  • Stained or crumbled plaster, peeling wallpaper and blistering paint around the floor level
  • Damp and musty smell.
  • Discolouration and black spots of mould
  • Decaying timber such as skirting boards, floorboards, floor joists.
  • Deterioration of mortar joints

 

Mould or damp patches are not always visible, and you may have hidden mould or damp:

  • There is a mouldy/earthy odour
  • There is regular condensation indoors
  • The home feels regularly humid.

 

Moisture problems can also stem from the concrete slab beneath the flooring.

We often find that the moisture barrier (plastic underneath the concrete slab) has been compromised or not installed correctly during construction, allowing moisture to wick up through the section of the concrete slab and damage the flooring.

rising damp in concrete slab under carpet

Rising Damp illustration by Waterstop Solutions

Image: Waterstop Solutions – Illustration of how Rising Damp occurs in a wall.

Treatment of rising damp in walls – Waterstop Solutions injectable DPC

Waterstop Solutions - Illustration of how we install a new Damp-Proof Course by injecting our own PWR chemical.

Image: Waterstop Solutions – Illustration of how we install a new Damp-Proof Course by injecting our own PWR chemical.

Our treatment of Rising Damp involves injecting a damp-proof course (DPC) into a location where no physical DPC is present.

 

  • We drill holes at regular intervals.  The distance between the holes will vary depending on certain variables such as the type of brick, the extent of the cavity and how far the product travels when injected.

 

  • We inject our own Penetrating Water Repellent (PWR) chemical into the wall creating a Damp Proof Course (DPC). This barrier prevents moisture from seeping up through capillary action, and thereby protects the brickworks from further damage caused by rising damp.

 

  • The product cures clear/invisible.  In some cases, however, it may slightly darken the area where applied.  White spirit is used as a carrier so it does have an odour, but this quickly dissipates.

 

  • The product works by lining the pores of the substrate to reduce their size – water can no longer pass through, but air still can. The method can be combined with our other systems to treat moving cracks, wide gaps or voids.

 

 

There are 3 main Categories of Dampness in buildings, of which Rising Damp is one

Excess moisture in a building’s structure can be caused by many things, such as leaking pipes and damage to gutters and roofs. However, a high proportion of damp problems in buildings are caused by rain penetration, condensation, or rising damp.

Many of the visual signs of the three main categories of dampness in buildings may look quite similar to the untrained eye. This is why penetrating damp and condensation can be mistaken for rising damp or vice versa.

 

Follow this link for more information about what causes water or damp to seep through walls and how to stop it: DAMP PATCHES ON WALLS AFTER RAIN—WHAT COULD IT BE?

 

Contact Waterstop Solutions today for all your Rising Damp Waterproofing Treatment needs in Brisbane QLD, Sydney NSW and outlying areas!

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