Penetrating Damp

Do you know why inside walls without warning develop damp spots on their inside surface? This is a typical question put forward by a resident of period property’s at certain periods of the year and most commonly in the Northern climates of the world. For an internal wet patch is indicates a difficulty with condensation.

What is Condensation?

Condensation happens when warm air inside the home touches upon a structure that is too far below a certain temperature to let this heated vapour to travel through it as moisture vapour. Rather than travel to the external environment as a gas the moisture transforms into water and causes wet marks on inside decorations. This is called the Dew Point and it varies in each individual house but is typically activated at under 6 degrees.

Failed Solutions for Condensation

The biggest response to the occurrence of condensation from penetrating damp on inside surfaces is to increase the temperature in the house in an attempt to heat up the external walls and prevent any damp walls from appearing. The reasoning behind this is a hotter interior surface will stop the Dew Point being reached.

Disappointingly this solution will not succeed as the density of the substrate would lead to the heating in the house needing to be switched on at a extremely high setting 24 hours per) week during through the wet winter and autumn seasons.

Given the escalating price of oil the thought of using the building’s heating all the time is only practical if you are a billionaire ! Furthermore if you did have the ability to afford such a strategy it still would not prevent the external face of the wall getting cold from driving snow.

Winning Damp Cures

The sole secure method of preventing penetrating damp in any home is to shield the exterior surface from water ingress through damaged brickwork. This can be achieved by applying a water resistant external paint covering straight onto the broken surface of the dwelling.

An alternative treatment can be to use a cement based pebble dash render but make sure any such material is able to let the building to breathe sufficiently.

Joe Bloggs has a great website and blog all about types of penetrating
damp. There are articles and tips on how to stop dampness in walls.