What are the signs?
Damp in the walls can look like a wavy line up to approximately one metre from the floor level. This can ruin the wall decoration. The wall decoration will usually look darker and feel damp. It can make the plaster bulge and produce salts and the skirting board will usually be rotten. The damp could also show as a single patch on the walls.
What should you do?
If you think you have rising damp in the property, contact us by visiting our A to Z page. Our staff will arrange an appointment for a technician to visit and inspect for damp, which may find one or more of the following:
If we think it is rising damp, we may carry out an additional test called a calcium carbide test, to confirm the diagnosis. The technician will drill into the brickwork on the inside and take a core sample. This is then tested at the home in a device like a vacuum flask, which pressurises the sample and gives a reading. The result of this will be given to you at the time of the test.
The technician will advise you of which rooms will be treated for rising damp and ask if anyone who lives in the property has breathing difficulties such as asthma. If this is the case then sometimes it may be necessary to move the family out of the property whilst the work is carried out. It must be stressed that this is not always the case and normally we work around the family.
What happens if rising damp is confirmed?
It will need treating by injecting a water based chemical into the brickwork. If the property has been treated before (this can be seen by a row of holes on the external brickwork) it will only be necessary to re-treat the area affected. If the property has not been treated before it will be necessary to treat all of the ground floor walls.
In either case an instruction is sent to the contractor who will contact you to arrange a start date for the works to commence. If the adjoining property has been sold then it is essential that we get consent from the owners to treat the party wall between the two properties before work commences. Once the work can proceed the contractor will contact you to arrange a start date and will explain to you exactly what is going to happen.
If you require any further information, contact us by visiting our A to Z page.
