Fight rising damp

Of all cases of moisture problems in the home, rising damp is by far the most common. Moisture often brings nasty spots and unpleasant odours and causes walls to lose their insulating properties. Basically, rising damp is nothing more than soil moisture penetrating your living space from the foundation of the house. It is annoying, but easy to solve. In this article, you will read all about the costs of fighting it, causes and consequences, solutions and tips.

Controlling rising damp: the costs

There are, of course, costs involved in having damp in your home combated, but it is important that you take action in good time. It is best to get help immediately when you notice dampness in your wall to ensure it does not spread further. Depending on the situation, you choose to inject, under-cover or carebricken a wall. There are therefore different prices for these. Of course, the price also depends on the surface of the walls and the persistence of the problem. The table below shows the damp proofing costs.

How to recognise rising damp?

Soaking damp occurs on internal walls, external walls and in the foundation of your home. It often occurs in walls that are in direct connection with the foundation, i.e. on the ground floor. It usually occurs unnoticed and over the years it starts to manifest itself. Moisture problems in the house manifest themselves in various ways, the easiest of which are moisture spots on the wall. This is almost always on the underside of the wall, they are often brownish patches that appear slowly, or they are dark spots. Furthermore, clear indications of rising damp are mould in the house and a musty smell. Mould often manifests itself in a white chalky substance.

How to fight rising damp

There are several ways to fight rising damp. You often hear that people camouflage their damp walls by installing interior insulation and a pre-wall, however, this is wrong advice and does not address the problem. There are only three ways that are truly effective. If you request a damp proofing quote, you will automatically get quotes from damp proofing specialists in your area. A specialist will help you decide which method is best for your situation.

• The first option in fighting rising damp is injecting your wall, where the specialist drills holes in the wall just above ground level, which he then fills with damp-proofing fluid or gel. Once this has dried, it prevents rising damp from penetrating the house and you may paint or wallpaper the walls again.
• The second method is undercutting your wall, in which the specialist mills slots in the brickwork to place a damp proof layer.
• The third option is carebrick damp proofing, in which the specialist inserts elements with a ceramic tube into the wall, creating an airflow that expels the damp air to the outside. Check the table below to get a better idea of the cost of rising damp control.

Causes of rising damp

There are many causes of rising damp in the home, some you have more influence on than others and you are often unaware of this. However, it is important to find out what is causing the rising damp in your home so that you can tackle the problem at its root. These are the factors that cause rising damp in your home:

• Aged foundations that absorb groundwater
• Aged foundations that do not have damp proofing
• A high water table
• Long-term lack of ventilation
• Sucking action of rising masonry
• A damaged latticework (waterproof masonry)
• Use of old materials contaminated with salt
• Fixed carpentry or plaster

Effects of rising damp

When it is damp in the house, it brings unpleasant consequences. For example, wall finishes are less attractive, your wall needs to repair joints, wallpaper comes loose and plaster is damaged. The foundation of your house may rot if you do not fight rising damp on time. Furthermore, there are annoying health problems that may occur when there is damp in a wall. For instance, some people develop allergies and it is possible that you get respiratory problems. This is mainly because mould spores and the house dust mite love damp rooms. What is also very annoying is that walls with moisture damage lose their heat retaining function, significantly increasing the heating costs to keep your home at the right temperature. It is therefore important to have your damp damage combated in good time.

Choose quality

It is important that rising damp control is done by someone with expertise. If you hire a specialist, you can be sure that he or she will handle the project expertly for you. To be sure that the damp-proofing specialist works according to protocol, check whether he or she has the KOMO quality mark. This quality mark focuses on quality assurance of products and services in the construction sector. KOMO ensures that a product or service meets certain quality requirements.

Does your insurance cover the cost?

Most people immediately wonder whether the cost of fighting rising damp is covered by insurance. Unfortunately, this is not the case with rising damp, but in the case of another type of moisture damage, it is. Indeed, should the moisture damage be due in any way to a leakage, the material damage is covered by your fire insurance. Fire insurance is compulsory, so it is certain that everyone has one. It is therefore worth checking out the exact cause of your damp damage, as leaks low to the ground are often a lot like damage from rising damp.

Tips to prevent damp damage

Have a lattice frame installed

When a waterproofing layer has been installed in brickwork from the foundation, it
is much less likely that rising damp will ever occur again. Therefore, it
is definitely worth inquiring about this. A common way to do this is by
bricking up with water-resistant cement plastering.

Apply damp-proof paint to the wall

To be better protected against moisture damage, it is a good idea to paint your walls with damp-proof paint. In many cases, this helps in prevention, but does not
completely rule out moisture damage.

Ventilise your home well

For the overall level of moisture in your home, it is important that you continue to ventilate well. Make sure you
open a window when you cook, air your bathroom after showering and let fresh air into all rooms
regularly. Ventilating your home in the winter is at least as important as in the
summer, although this often falls by the wayside. Always try to pay attention to this.