₦airaland Forum

Surveying Types of Dampness

Before treating a wall for rising damp, it is essential to determine whether the dampness
in the wall can be solely attributed to rising damp – or whether other causes such as
condensation or rain penetration may be contributing to the dampness.

The Survey

It is essential when investigating the potential for rising dampness to eliminate other
sources of water ingress. Care must be taken to eliminate other potential sources of
moisture, especially condensation in the colder months, and it is therefore essential to
ensure that a full investigation is always undertaken. If any other sources are identified
then these must be first eliminated before a proper assessment of any rising dampness
can be made as it can be very difficult to distinguish between two or more interfering
sources of water ingress.

Should it be noted that previous damp‐proofing works have been undertaken then it is
essential to take great care ensuring that the evidence of dampness is correctly evaluated.
The following gives a guide to on‐site routine procedures for the survey:
1. External Examination:

External examination.
Position of any remedial DPC installation
including spacing and depth of holes where
chemical systems have been used.
Air vents; their position
and condition.
External timbers
including windows
and doors.
Wall construction, cracks in
masonry, copings, etc.
Condition of brickwork,
stone, mortar, plinths,
render, weatherproof

What Causes Rising Damp?

Rising damp occurs when moisture from the ground is “sucked” into the porous building materials from which walls are constructed through a process known as “capillarity.” This effect can be demonstrated by placing a sample of brick, mortar, or porous stone in a shallow tray of water

The rate of flow of water through the structure is dependent on pore size, shape, and
connectivity. Smaller pores have greater potential for capillary rise, but larger pores have
more rapid flow.

So the maximum rise is determined by the distribution of pore sizes.

In practice, this potential height of rise is moderated by the fact that moisture introduced
into the wall through rising damp will evaporate before it has had a chance to rise to the
full potential height.
For this reason, rising damp to heights exceeding 1.5m is relatively rare except where the wall has been covered by vapour impermeable coverings such as
polymer membranes, vinyl wallpapers, and certain types of wall insulation.
The height of rise also tends to be higher in other situations in which evaporation is
inhibited – e.g.

• Local Climate – rising damp will often rise higher in colder locations

• Winter vs Summer – In a European climate damp tends to rise higher during the
wetter, colder winter months.

• Northerly Aspect – height of rise tends to be higher on walls with a northerly aspect
(in Northern Hemisphere) as these walls are cooler than those with a southerly aspect

• Unheated house – evaporation is lower in unheated (or unoccupied) homes than in
heated homes

• Thick walls – have lower evaporation rates than thin walls as their surface area is
proportionally lower

What is Rising Damp?

Rising damp in buildings may be defined as the upwards flow of moisture through a
permeable wall structure, the moisture being derived from groundwater.

The moisture rises through the pores (capillaries) in the masonry by a process loosely termed
‘capillarity’, which causes the masonry to act like a wick.

Rising damp varies in severity depending
on several factors including the level of groundwater, the pore structure of the masonry materials (brick, stone, mortar etc…) and the rate of evaporation away from the wall surface. It often requires treatment because it has a number of undesirable effects on the performance of buildings, including:

1. Decorative Spoiling – Moisture and ground salts introduced by rising damp can cause
wallpaper to peel, plaster to deteriorate, and paint to blister.

2. Erosion of the Building Fabric – Ground salts introduced into the wall by rising damp
can attack and dissolve the binders in brick, stone, and mortar causing them to lose
their strength and structural integrity. Crystallising salts can exert such forces that the
mortar, brick, or stone microstructure is destroyed.

3. Increased Heat Loss – Dampness in porous building materials causes a reduction
of insulation properties as air in the pores is replaced by more conductive water. For
example, the thermal conductivity of a wet brick has been found to be approximately
twice that of a dry brick .

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