Identifying The Signs Of Rising Damp

Rising Damp may sound like some kind of B-movie monster thriller, but it actually refers to a fairly common problem in which moisture slowly and silently invades your home, wreaking havoc on both its structural integrity and its occupant’s health! If you start to find peeling or bubbling paint and wallpaper, discolouration on walls, and a musty odour permeating your home, rising damp is the likely source. You can take action to stop the damp from rising, start by asking a PCA independent damp surveyor to check your home.

Let’s take a closer look a rising damp so you can be prepared!

What Is Rising Damp? – Moisture from the ground rises upwards through a building’s porous materials. You may be surprised to find that seemingly solid objects like wood, brick, mortar, and stone are actually full of microscopic cracks and crevices. The natural phenomenon that causes sponges to suck up water, which is called ‘capillary action’ draws the moisture from the wet ground up into the walls, leading to a host of problems like structural damage, unsightly stains, and the growth of harmful mould and mildew.

The rising damp commonly affects older buildings that never had damp-proofing measures put in place during their construction, or if they did, they have deteriorated over time and lost their effectiveness. More recently constructed buildings can also suffer from this issue if the precautions weren’t added properly during their construction. Whatever age your home may be, you should schedule an independent damp survey annually, even if you see no signs, and right away if you do!

Identifying The Signs Of Rising Damp – If you can identify the encroachment of rising damp early, you can save yourself a lot of time, money, and headaches! The following are common signs you should be on the lookout for!

Crumbling Plaster – Plaster walls that have grown damp grow soft to the touch and start to crumble, eventually falling off in chunks. If left untreated, the entire plaster wall could collapse.

Peeling Wallpaper And Paint – The moisture the rising damp brings weakens the adhesives that keep the wallpaper hanging. The moisture expands, causing it to bubble, peel, and crack. An independent damp and timber survey should be arranged if this happens.

Tide Marks On The Walls – Horizontal lines of brownish staining and discolouration begin to form on the walls up to one meter above ground level, they are clear evidence of rising damp.

Salt Deposits – The moisture that travels up the walls with the rising damp is often full of salts and minerals from the ground. That water will evaporate, leaving behind powdery, white deposits known as efflorescence.

Musty Smell – The wet environment caused by rising damp brings a persistent musty smell caused by the decay of materials that promote the presence of mould and bacteria.

If you see these signs, call London Damp Specialists on 020 7523 5882 so we can send an independent damp surveyor to help!