If moisture can’t escape your home it becomes damp, which can damage your property and even lead to health problems. It'll also make your property a lot colder, so resolving the issue before winter arrives will save you money on heating over the brisker winter months! Luckily, damp can often be tackled without calling in the professionals as long as you’re able to spot the signs early on. Signs of damp include visible mould, condensation of the inside of windows and an unpleasant musty smell. Here’s the FMB guide to identifying and combating damp in the home.
Condensation
This happens when moisture is trapped and is caused by insufficient ventilation; it’s the most common type of damp and is the easiest to resolve if caught early.
You may notice that walls and windows feel damp to the touch, and black specks of mould are appearing, often around window frames and tiling, and there may be an unpleasant musty smell.
Although the most common and easy to treat, this type of damp is the most harmful to your health. Ensure that rooms are well ventilated and windows are kept opening when showing or drying clothes. If you have an issue with condensation invest in a portable dehumidifier which can be run overnight and when drying clothes – as well as managing humidity it will make clothes dry faster!
Penetrating damp
Penetrating damp often occurs in the wetter months, and may just be the result of persistent rain. However, it can also be a sign of defects in the roof, brickwork, cavity wall insulation or windows. It depends on the issue as to what can be done but you can look at having brickwork repointed, adding sealant to walls and windows and even rendering the whole property to prevent water seeping in. Contact one of our damp proofing specialists to have them appraise your property and suggest the best course of action.
Rising damp
This type of damp tends to affect only ground floor rooms, as water is usually prevented by gravity from soaking up much further than a metre up the wall. The biggest signs of rising damp are tide lines of yellow and brown around the bottom of the wall, damp floor under carpet you’ve pulled up, and black mould and damp just above the skirting board. You may also notice salty deposits further up the wall. Rising damp is usually due to an issue with your damp proofing course: you don’t have it, it’s breached or it stops below ground level. If you have external steps, it may need to be extended to cover this area.
If your home is suffering from damp it’s important to deal with it before things get worse. If you’d like to have someone come in and investigate further use our Find a Builder service to find a specialist in your area.