Rising Damp Treatment | Finding A Permanent Solution

What Is Rising Damp?The term 'rising damp' is used to describe the action of ground moisture rising up a wall by capillary action. Rising damp describes a problem in which dampness symptoms can appear significantly above the ground water line. When looking for a permanent rising damp treatment, damp proofing membranes prove to be effective in comparison to various other methods like chemical damp proof courses, external water repellents, bituminous paints and coatings etc. when dealing with damp walls. This is because they are => easy to install=> surface requires minimum preparation=> sympathetic to the building structure => reversible so can be used where building restrictions are tight What About A Damp Proof Course?Drilling and injecting the chemical DPC (damp proof course) is an exact science in that the holes have to be drilled to the right diameter, at the right spacing and to the correct depth if the installation it to be effective. When an injected damp proof course is used in damp walls where rising damp treatment is needed, part of the process almost always includes hacking off existing plaster which is an extremely disruptive and messy process. The exact gauge of DPC cream or fluid in relation to the thickness of the wall and what it is built from need to be calculated and used to achieve totally effective diffusion into the substrate which is especially tricky in buildings constructed of varied materials or poorly built structures where there are large fishers and voids.  No guess work is required and the membranes are offered up to the walls, drilled and fixed quickly and cleanly the same way to almost any substrate. As a rising damp treatment, damp proofing membranes can be applied over most existing wall finishes without the need to remove them. The damp-proofing membranes provide an impervious barrier to protect the internal finishes which require rising damp treatment, without changing the status quo of the wall.In case if a DPC fluid is used, then the active ingredient is mixed with water as the carrier. Hence, you are introducting more fluid into an already damp wall thus making it wetter! If there is any organic material like timber (skirting boards, door linings, architraves, fixing blocks etc) in contact with the damp wall then it is very risky as the wood rotting fungi like dry or wet rot could germinate and in many cases cause serious decay. Dry rot treatment in particular can be very disruptive and expensive. Damp timber will also promote and harbour wood boring insects more commonly known as woodworm. Infestation by wood boring insects can have a detrimental affect to the timber which may result in the need to completely remove and replace the item or wood worm treatment by a specialist wood worm treatment company may be necessary. Membrane systems completely isolate the decorative joinery and timber items from any dampness in the walls thus prolonging their longevity.Advantages Of Damp Proofing MembranesAnother advantage that damp proofing membranes have over injected chemical DPCs as a rising damp treatment is that chemical DPCs are more or less always installed with a recommendation to re-plaster the wall at least to a height of 1.2m with a dense plaster and with a salt retardant additive in the plaster mix. The plasterning can be considered by the contracted damp specialist to be as vital a part of this system as the chemical DPC and hence achieving the right combination of sand, cement and salt retardant additive is absolutely crucial if it is to achieve its design function. Damp Specialists will rarely give a guarantee for the work if the associated salt retardant plastering is not done and if it is done by someone else then the end user faces a split responsibility situation if something goes wrong in the future.Damp Proofing Membranes are a physical product manufactured identically at source and once applied to the wall are guaranteed to protect the internal finishes from dampness and salting. They do not rely on correct mixing and a level of chemical reaction and performance to be effective.Damp proofing membranes factor out human error when it comes to application of the injected damp proof course and the associated re-plastering when used as a rising damp treatment, or for dealing with other damp problems. Damp Proofing Membranes offer a solution to the many problems encountered when attempting to treat damp problems or as a treatment for rising damp. Cementitious and bitumous products are difficult to use due to the nature of these products.  The suface to which they are applied has to be 100% free of defects and preparing the surfaces for these treatments can be very labor intensive. Often defects cannot be be seen and this leads to product failure. Damp Proofing Membranes eliminate these problems and can be the perfect solution.What About Below Ground?Where external ground levels are higher than the internal floor levels such as in a damp cellar or wet basement then there is a risk of hydrostatic water pressure and damp proofing walls only will be a futile exercise if a running water situation occurs. Damp proofing membrane systems are designed to deal with capillary held moisture only and as such are only suitable for above ground application. The remedial method adopted should be a waterproofing membrane system design and application Therefore when ever there is a situation where earth is bearing against the structure and making the wall damp a damp proofing membrane chemical damp course alone should not be considered and would not conform to BS8102 (British Standard for The Protection of Structures From Water From The Ground)