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1 Your damp problem and how to cure it once and for all A step-by-step guide to discovering what type of damp your property may be suffering from, and how to find the right company to solve it for good DAMP CURED Brought to you by dampcured.co.uk

2 Essentials of curing damp The first step in curing any damp problem is diagnosing what kind of damp your property is suffering from. Only then can you can decide on the right cure There are many types of damp that can affect a property, and before you can cure the problem, you need to discover what type of damp is causing the problem. Ideally, you should have a professional survey carried out. But by knowing the signs you can often get a good idea as to what is at the root of the problem. This booklet will explain what signs to look out for and how that type of damp should be cured. This information will help you when you are speaking to tradesmen and will make sure you hire someone who knows how to cure the damp properly and uses the most upto-date effective damp proofing techniques. PAGE 2 Common Problem One of the most common damp problems is rising damp, especially in older properties, though modern buildings can suffer from it too if they have not had a damp course installed. It often causes decay to skirting boards, and damage to plaster, decoration, and furnishings. It can also be damaging to health if it leads to the growth of mould. Rising damp is caused by moisture rising from the ground upwards through brick or masonry walls. Signs of rising damp include dark patches on the walls at ground level, peeling wallpaper, and sometimes decay to skirting boards. An even more common problem is condensation. You will often notice condensation first on the windows, which will have a film of water which can sometimes run off onto the sills. But it can occur in other places such as the surface of external walls. Condensation will appear here because the external wall is colder than the internal one. But the biggest sign of condensation is mould growth, often on decorative surfaces, especially wallpaper, where it can cause severe and permanent spoiling, and causes the musty odour associated with a damp house. Penetrating Damp Penetrating damp occurs when moisture seeps in from the external walls to the internal walls. It is usually caused by construction that has failed, and occurs at a high level of the property. Dampness which appears at the junction of the walls and celing in upper floors, or around the windows is a common sign of this type of damp. Wet and Dry Rot Both wet and dry rot are caused by an excess of moisture in the wood, but show up in different ways. Signs of dry rot include white sheets and an orange-coloured fruiting body. Badly-affected timber will be dark brown and crumble easily. Timber with wet rot will often have a black fungus, and the wood will feel soft and spongy to the touch.

3 Rising damp There are various cures for rising damp, but only a treatment which stops the moisture from rising up the wall will cure the problem completely and permanently It is essential to have a full survey to discover exactly what is causing the rising damp and the correct treatment needed to cure it. There may be other forms of damp present such as wet or dry rot, condensation, or damp from leaking gutters or downpipes. The survey will highlight these to make sure the cure is complete and permanent. The damp contractor should create a rising damp treatment plan which states exactly what remedial measures need to be taken. It should say precisely how the rising damp will be cured and the scope of the work undertaken. Avoid Inferior Methods Common methods to treat rising damp include tanking, and sand and cement renders. Both methods should be avoided, since they simply create a waterproof barrier which prevents moisture from entering your property but do not remove the water from the walls. Eventually the moisture will rise above the tanking, creating a large stain across the wall. This means the whole area will need to be treated again to a higher level. As for a render, eventually the moisture will penetrate it, sometimes in as little as 12 months. The only way to completely cure rising damp is to stop the moisture from rising up the wall in the first place. To do this, we recommend the Dryzone system, the result of extensive research and development which PAGE 3 tested hundreds of potential formulations. This proved that Dryzone offers a higher degree of protection against rising damp than older systems, which used chemical injection techniques. Government Approval The British Board of Agrément (BBA) a Government testing organization which provides independent information on building products has awarded Dryzone BBA approval. Only the best products achieve this, and by using Dryzone you are assured of getting one of the best damp proofing systems available. As part of the cure, all plaster should be removed, since it will be contaminated with hygroscopic salts. Then the wall should be injected with the Dryzone cream, which forms a water-repellent resin to completely stop the moisture from rising up the wall. A Full Finish Once the Dryzone cream has been applied, the wall should be coated with a dryshield salt-resistant cream, followed by a moisture-resistant adhesive. Then the walls should be boarded with moisture-resistant plasterboards, and plastered to full height. Plastering the walls to full height prevents unsightly lumps on the walls and leaves you with a quality modern finish which can be redecorated usually within five days of the remedial work being completed.

4 Condensation Condensation is one of the most common damp problems in houses both old and new. And the remedy is the same better ventilation to rid the air of moisture If you ve been suffering from the effects of condensation in your home, you don t need reminding how much trouble it can cause. These include windows streaming with water, decoration spoiled by damp, and a constant musty smell in the rooms most affected by it. Condensation is caused by activities such as taking baths, cooking, and even breathing, which put moisture into the air. When this air touches a cold surface, the moisture condensates (turns into water), and you get the problems you re familiar with wet windows and damp patches on walls. PAGE 4 Health Problems If condensation has been a problem for a while, mould will start to grow on the window sills and other cold surfaces such as external walls. The damp discolours decoration, and your property may even suffer from mould inside cupboards. In some cases, mould growth can make rooms uninhabitable. Mould can also cause health problems, including sore eyes, and breathing problems, especially for people suffering from asthma. In fact, mould is classified as a Category 1 risk under the Health and Safety Hazards Rating System. Yet another thing to think about is that some condensation may not even be visible. It can occur under suspended floors or within the walls, and could be causing damage to the structure of your property due to wet rot without you even being aware of it. Condensation Cure The only cure for condensation, is to reduce the moisture in the air by ventilation. You can do this by leaving windows open, especially when having a bath or cooking meals. You can also use a dehumidifier. However, to solve the problem properly, you need a ventilation system. Among the best are those from Envirovent. These range from full whole-of-house systems to small fans to deal with condensation in one room, such as a kitchen or bathroom. These award-winning Filterless Extract Fans are whisper-quiet, and smoothly expel the contaminated air, keeping the humidity at the right level. Condensation and mould quickly become a thing of the past. Inexpensive and Efficient Even better, the fans are cheap to run, since they constantly monitor the humidity level and vary the speed of the fan depending on the amount of moisture. You simply set and forget and allow the fan to do all the work in the most energy-efficient manner. With their five-year guarantee, Envirovent fans are the first choice by over 500 registered providers and responsible for curing condensation in tens of thousands of homes across the UK.

5 Penetrating damp Over time, failures in construction or a lack of maintenance will lead to moisture penetrating the building. Here are some things to look out for and the cure Penetrating damp occurs in a property when moisture seeps in from the external walls to the internal walls. As the name implies, it is damp that has penetrated the structure of a building. It is almost always caused by construction that has failed and can occur anywhere in a property. Penetrating damp is often seen on the upper parts of a building due to a problem with roof tiles or some failure of the waterproof material around the eaves, such a breakdown of the flashing. Roof tiles sometimes become damaged or slip out of place, allowing rainwater to enter the building. In this case, the penetrating damp will cause patches of discolouration on the ceilings of the upper floors, or will show as a damp patch on the walls, usually close to the junction of the walls and the ceiling. Saturated Walls Another construction failure that can cause penetrating damp on the upper levels of a property is when the gutters have become blocked and the water overflows and runs down the external surface of the walls. During long periods of wet weather, the walls will become saturated and the moisture will seep through to the inside of the property. In some cases, a broken drainpipe can cause water to saturate the external walls. Again, this will show as damp patches, either on the upper floors or on the PAGE 5 lower floors, depending on where the drainpipe is leaking. If damp patches are present on upper ceilings, make sure you check the roof to see if you can spot any slipped or missing roof tiles. Also check gutters for obstructions such as leaves and moss. A common cause of penetrating damp (especially in new buildings) is when the gap between the cavity walls has been bridged by rubbish left within the cavity or mortar left on wall ties during building work. Water can now cross the cavity wall to the internal wall and saturate the inner masonry and the inner plaster. Hairline Cracks Penetration of rain into brickwork can also be due to the brick being porous or the failure of the pointing. Hairline cracks in rendering can also allow rain water to get behind the render, where it becomes trapped and then moves through the porous brick and into the property. The areas around windows can also be an area where moisture penetrates. This will often appear as dampness where the frames are fixed into the walls, and are a sign of bad fitting. Whatever the cause, it is essential to solve the problem quickly, since the damp can eventually cause structural problems which can be very expensive to repair. Make sure that a full survey is carried out so that the proper remedial work can be completed.

6 Dry and wet rot Dry or wet rot often goes unnoticed until it has damaged the timbers in a property. This type of damp needs to be cured quickly to avoid serious problems Both wet rot and dry rot are a huge threat to structural timber, and despite their different names, need damp conditions to take hold and thrive. Dry rot is one of the most damaging conditions to be found in a property. Dry rot often grows unseen, eventually inflicting serious damage on all the timbers throughout the property. If not caught early enough, the cost of damage due to dry rot can run into tens of thousands of pounds and can make a property uninhabitable while the problem is solved. Signs of Dry Rot The technical term for this destructive fungus is serpula lacrymans, and it needs wood with a moisture content of at least 20%. It loves damp, unventilated conditions, and so is often found in hidden areas such as the space between wooden floors, behind the skirting boards, and in the roof, where it can often attack the roof trusses. Some signs of dry rot include decayed wood and a smell similar to mushrooms, the kind of thing you sometimes smell if you walk through a wood and the earth is damp. A good test for any timber you suspect has dry rot is to poke it with a sharp object. If the point sinks easily into the wood, and especially if the wood crumbles, that s a good sign that dry rot has taken hold. Dry rot can spread quickly (sometimes in a matter of months), and affect all the timbers in a building, which PAGE 6 can lead to the building becoming unstable. For this reason, if you suspect at all that your property is affected, it is essential to call in a damp specialist as quickly as possible. Wet Rot Wet rot is sometimes called the cellar fungus, and unlike dry rot needs very damp conditions to flourish and does not spread beyond the wet area. For this reason, it is seen as being less of a problem than dry rot, though it can cause serious damage if left untreated. The wood is often darker than healthy wood and usually has a spongy feel. If poked with a sharp object, the point will often enter the wood. On walls, wet rot leads to brown patterns. Curing Dry or Wet Rot To cure either dry or wet rot, you need to find the source of the damp, which is often a leaking internal water pipe or an external gutter. However, it can also be due to rising damp (see page three), condensation (see page five), or a damaged structure allowing rainwater to enter the property, which is known as penetrating damp (see page four). Once the source of the moisture is removed to ensure no more damp enters the property, the infected timber needs to be removed and replaced with fresh timber, which should be treated with preservatives.

7 How we cure your damp problem Each type of damp needs a specialist cure, and we use the highest quality materials and most up-to-date products and techniques to cure your damp permanently The first steps in treating any damp problem is to carry out a professional survey to detect exactly what type of damp is present. Often there is more than one type of damp present, and the whole picture needs to be considered before any treatment is carried out. Our specialists will survey your property fully and create a damp cure plan to ensure the problem is fixed permanently. Rising Damp To cure rising damp, we use the Dryzone system, one of the best damp proofing products on the market today. The system has received awards from The British Board of Agrément a Government testing organisation providing independent information on building products for over 30 years. As part of the cure, all plaster will be removed, the Dryzone water-repellent resin applied, the walls boarded with moisture-resistant plasterboards, and the walls plastered to full height. The walls can usually be redecorated usually within five days. PAGE 7 Condensation Cure To cure your condensation problem we use ventilation systems from Envirovent. These range from full whole-of-house systems to small fans to deal with condensation in one room, such as a kitchen or bathroom. Within just a day or so, condensation will disappear and mould will quickly become a thing of the past. These systems are quiet and cheap to run, since they turn on only when needed. You simply relax and allow the fan to do all the work in the most energy-efficient manner. They also have a five-year guarantee. Penetrating Damp To cure penetrating damp, our survey will find what is causing the problem, and where the construction has failed. Then our expert teams of builders will correct the problem before dealing with the damage the moisture has caused. This could include replacing damaged plaster, or replacing brickwork or pointing. Wet and Dry Rot Firstly we will find the source of the damp, which is often a leaking internal water pipe or an external gutter, though can be caused by rising damp or penetrating damp caused by a faulty construction. Removing the source of moisture ensures no more damp enters the property. Then we will remove the infected timber and replace it with fresh timber. We will pay particular attention to timbers which support the structure of the property. All the timbers will then be treated with preservatives to ensure the problem does not return.

8 About Damp Cured With almost 20 years experience in the building industry and solving all kinds of damp problems, we promise you an excellent result guaranteed We have been solving damp problems for the best part of 20 years, and there isn t a type of damp problem we haven t seen or cured over that time. No matter the type of damp your property is suffering from rising damp, condensation, or wet and dry rot we solve the problem and give you a written guarantee. All our damp proofing staff are fully-qualified specialists, trained in using the latest techniques to make sure your damp problems are cured once and for all. We are qualified BPEC ventilation engineers, and PCA-qualified technicians, having passed the strict examinations of the Property Care Association. We are enquiries@dampcured.co.uk also Trustmark-certified, which means we work to high standards endorsed by the UK government, giving you complete peace of mind. Along with specialist staff to cure your rising damp problem, we also have a team of expert electricians, builders, plasterers and other professionals to deal with any other building work such as the removal of salt-contaminated plaster a which might be needed when curing your damp problem To cure your rising damp permanently, speak to one of our customer care representatives on the number below. Alternatively, contact us by . Damp Cured Head Office: Central Chambers Business Centre, 16 West Terrace, Redcar TS10 1DP Tel: PAGE 8