Q. I have recently noticed that there seems to be a few damp patches in my home. I have no idea what could be causing this, can you advise?
A. Damp in the home is a serious matter and treating damp will depend on the type of damp that’s affecting your property. You may also find that you have more than one kind of damp, making the solution more complicated. In most cases where there is damp in your home, you’ll need to consult a builder, surveyor or specialist damp company. The first type is Condensation; you can improve a condensation problem with better ventilation. If you do not have a bathroom or kitchen extractor fan you should consider installing them as these two rooms are responsible for most moisture in a house. You may also find that having your heating on constantly at a lower heat is better than having it switching from high to off. As cold spots on walls increase condensation, better insulation may also help to improve the situation. So you could try having cavity wall insulation or specialist insulation materials fixed to the outside of your house which can help. The second potential cause could be Rising Damp. To deal with rising damp you have to make sure that your damp-proof course is working. If you have a perfectly good damp-proof course (you will need an expert to confirm this), you can solve the problem simply by digging away the soil on the exterior side to the damp wall to below the level of the damp-proof course. If your damp-proof course isn’t working effectively you may need a new one. The most common remedy is for a builder or damp specialist to drill holes in your wall and inject damp-proof cream. The third possible cause is Penetrating Damp; you’ll need to work out the cause of penetrating damp before you can treat it. Start by examining your gutters and downpipes for leaks or cracks. Check the roof – including the pointing (gaps between tiles) and flashing (where a roof meets the wall of a chimney). Check window frames and doors to see if there are any gaps. Once you’ve found where water may be leaking through to your walls, you’ll probably need to ask a builder to repair the fault. The solution depends on how water is entering walls, so could include installing new guttering or re-pointing your roof. Needless to say something like damp will not go away if left so finding the cause and seeking the correct remedy is something that she be done without delay to prevent further damage to your property.