What Causes Rising Damp?
Though perhaps the most well-known type of damp, rising damp is luckily the least common. When it does occur, however, it can be an extremely serious problem, resulting in damage that can be expensive to remedy.
Rising damp occurs when moisture, usually from groundwater, seeps into the microscopic pores of masonry. Via capillary action, the moisture rises up through the wall, giving 'rising damp' its name.
Water naturally contains dissolved hygroscopic salts. a mixture of chlorides and nitrates. Moisture from a wet wall affected by rising damp evaporates, leaving the hygroscopic salts behind on the surface of the wall. As these salt deposits build up, they attract more and more moisture from the air, exacerbating the damp problem.
In the majority of rising damp cases, moisture rises up through the masonry to a height of about a metre. At this level, a visible band of hygroscopic salts may be noticed along the moisture tidemark, creating the most easily recognisable visible symptom of rising damp.
Almost all cases of rising damp can be traced back to a building's DPC (damp proof course). In some instances, there is no DPC present at all and such properties are almost certain to suffer rising damp issues. If a DPC is in place but rising damp still occurs, this indicates that the DPC has failed in some way.
DPC failure can happen in a number of ways. The DPC may not have been properly installed or of poor quality. It can also be affected by alterations to the property or by bridging caused by raised ground levels or debris within cavity walls.
Twistfix offer a comprehensive, professional array of solutions to help prevent and/or treat rising damp. One of the bestselling items from this collection is our Rising Damp Kit, which contains everything required to create a new, highly-effective and reliable DPC.
The kit begins with 8 cartridges of our expert silicone-based damp proofing cream; each cartridge contains 380ml of formula. After being injected into damp walls, the 100% active cream penetrates deeply into masonry pores to create a durable DPC. In addition to the cream itself, our Rising Damp Kit contains a waterproofing plaster additive that inhibits the movement of salts. Also included are required ancillaries for installation, such as a high-quality caulking gun, extension tube, SDS drill bits and protective gloves.
The Twistfix Rising Damp Kit is just one of the many products we supply designed to prevent and remedy the many issues caused by rising damp. Discover the complete collection on our website.