MERITEX - Built to transform
REMEDIAL - WATER INGRESS TERMINATION & EXPERT TECHNICIANS
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The damage resulting from Rising damp is not caused by the actual water its self, water is just the carrier for diluted salts. Water travels through masonry via capillary action which causes the masonry to become damp. Water is the vehicle that carries the salt.
As Remedial Experts we see dampness and wetness as two distinctly different problems. There is a difference between damage from water and damage from dampness.
The damage you can see from rising damp is most often from salt. As salt dries, salt crystals grow. These salt crystals grow between the tiny bonds of the sand and cement particles that make up the masonry and causes the bond between the sand and cement to “unstick”.
When the bond is broken, the once solid masonry will return to its base components of individual grains of sand and cement, showing at the base of the wall. Salt is transported up the wall by water 'the vehicle'.
The catalyst for the damage caused by rising damp is evaporation. If masonry is holding water that contains diluted salts, the water evaporates, leaving solids behind. The accumulation of salt crystals is what causes your masonry to turn to dust and bubble your paint.
Therefore, more evaporation actually speeds up the damage being caused by the rising damp. Evaporation is the 'ENGINE' that drives rising damp.
Rising Damp is called 'Rising Damp' because the moisture starts at the base of the wall and moves slowly upwards. The reason rising damp rises up the wall is due to capillary action, evaporation and salt. Water rises up the wall by capillary action homogenizing through the masonry to the point where evaporation occurs. As the dampness evaporates from the wall into the atmosphere, the solids that had diluted the water will accumulate in the surface layer of the masonry.
Salts accumulate in the masonry at the first point where the dampness evaporates, usually the first 10mm at the base of the wall just above your skirting boards. As the salts accumulate on the surface of the masonry, the pores of the masonry gradually become blocked which slows down the evaporation in that lowest 10mm of the wall. The water then rises above the masonry pores which had been partially blocked by salts to the next point of least resistance, to evaporate more easily.
Damage will keep rising up the wall until the weight of the water has enough downwards force, from gravity, that it cannot rise any higher. Even if the pores of the masonry beneath the highest point of vertical capillary action are already semi restricted by prior salt accumulation.
Dampness will continue to evaporate from the already effected areas, accumulating to the surface point of the masonry wall and eventually crumble to dust. It can take some years for rising damp to become a structural issue.
Rising Damp with Exposed Brick will normally show with deterioration of the mortar between the bricks and after some time the bricks will start to collapse.
Rising Damp with Render will usually show in 'bubbling paint' starts out looking more like pimples in the paint, salt deposits, stains and render breaking down to its base components appearing as sand and cement dust.
Remedy by Chemical Injection
Rising Damp injection creates a barrier in the masonry which stops water from rising any further through the masonry by capillary action. When the water stops rising, no more additional damaging water saturation can be found in your walls at the evaporation point above the injected layer.
Damp proof injections are a highly effective and cost efficient method of rising damp treatment. Injections are a method of damp proofing and can be used in walls that have suffered from a severe water saturation. Damp proof injections are designed to seep deep into the brickwork to prevent moisture rising through the walls. This treatment is long lasting and tends to remain effective for the rest of the building’s lifespan.
Damp proof injections are the superior form of rising damp treatment. This involves the injection of a silicone type chemical in the form of solution to be drilled and pressure pumped into each individual brick. The liquid penetrates the brickwork and forms a water repellant barrier. This allows you to rest easy knowing there is a damp proofing course protecting your home from rising damp.
Salt that was deposited at the evaporation point due to the prior rising damp will remain in the substrate unless the salts are removed. The salts are removed by removing the render and re-rendering the wall. Rising damp and the solutions for rising damp are basic physics and are very logical.
When damp proof injections are done safely and correctly, as above, the fluid forms a barrier to prevent any damp from rising up through the home. However, a major problem associated with damp proofing injections is that of incorrect application. Often the damp proofing liquid is injected too high up the wall to efficiently protect floor timbers, walls and skirting. This will lead to damp problems within the property and may cause the timber and skirtings to rot.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for some applicators to drill the brickwork and apply the liquid incorrectly. Incorrect drilling and saturation may provide the moisture with a route to get past the brickwork while also leaving the property exposed to rain and other weather element damage.
Due to the potential for the liquid to be injected incorrectly, we recommend always using professionally trained damp proofing specialist to avoid further property damage. At Meritex, our rising damp specialists have decades of experience in correctly using damp proofing injections to protect your property from rising damp.
All properties are different and damp issues require specialist treatment. Please contact us to discuss any damp problems are experiencing in need of remedy.
Illustration of Rising Damp Solution
