Damp on your walls?

Condensation

With high humidity, condensation problems arise. Condensation is the precipitation of damp against cold surfaces when there are high humidity levels within the home. Think of fogged windows, damp spots on the wall and the formation of mould in the form of black-grey dots. Because a lot of domestic damp is produced in the house (showering, cooking, washing, breathing, drying clothes, etc.) it is important to ventilate well, especially in wet areas such as the bathroom. In some cases, it is advisable to install ventilation grilles or you can opt for mechanical ventilation (keep in mind that this also results in extra energy costs).

Penetrating damp

If the outer wall is damaged, it can cause heavy damp issues (rainwater that enters through the outer wall). You often see this in older houses. The stones become porous and allow water to pass through. Furthermore, the pointing can also be damaged, something like this can get worse after sandblasting your facade. Because it often rains in the UK, the walls are more often subject to damp. Plants such as ivy can also cause damage to the walls. Penetrating damp can often be recognised by irregular stains that look and feel damp, water spots on the ceiling and the top of the walls, damp walls on the 1st floor and higher and peeling paint and wallpaper. Solutions to this can be the replacement of the jointing or using special paints to waterproof the wall.

Cold bridges

When insulation in the cavity is not properly installed, thermal bridges can occur. Residual construction debris, mortar or cavity anchors can also provide a bridge between the inner and outer walls. This creates colder zones in those places and because humidity always attracts to the coldest place, it can start to condense. An inspection of the cavity would be a solution for this, to determine the problem and to tackle it correctly.

Living comfort

Whatever the cause of your damp problem in the home, damp has a lot of adverse consequences. Health problems can occur because mould leaves tiny traces in the air. Breathing in mould can cause all sorts of problems such as Allergies, respiratory tract infections, headaches, stuffy feeling and irritated skin. Due to higher humidity, it uses more energy to heat up the house; this in combination with damp walls that lose their insulation values, there can be a lot of extra costs every month.

Side note about moisture problems

All the solutions given above only work for one specific cause of the damp problem. However, damp often arises for multiple reasons. When you apply one solution, it doesn’t necessarily resolve all your issues. Fortunately, SmartDry has developed it’s patented DryBricks that can permanently solve all these problems. Our system supports a stable humidity in the house and dries out the walls. We even dare to give a lifetime guarantee!