Penetrating damp is the most common cause of damp and is also widely misdiagnosed as rising damp. Put simply, it is the entry of water into a property.
Penetrating damp is very often the source of most damp problems. They can be caused by an endless list of causes.
There are many factors to take in when describing the cause of penetrating damp. For instance, when it rains heavily you notice damp occurring on your walls inside. This isn’t just because it is raining; contributing to this problem is also because the exterior finish of your property is in a poor state. The render could have cracks in it. The pointing on the brick work could be porous allowing excessive ingress of water. Below is a small amount of examples of what can cause penetrating damp.
- Precipitation (Rain,snow,sleet,hail and fog).
- Moisture from external plumbing leaks (Soil, waste, rainwater pipes etc).
- Have drains checked every now and again to be sure of no blockage or leaks.
- Leaking/blocked guttering and down pipes. (Build up of moss and debris can occur if not maintained).
- Poorly maintained Roofs. (Broken/slipped tiles, hips and ridges, lead flashing joints).
- Exterior wall finishes. (Cracked/loose render, soft/missing mortar joints, old porous brick/stone work).
A problem can only be stopped at source. Just covering that damp up will only make it look good for the time being. If the penetrating damp issue isn’t rectified as soon as possible it can start to effect interior finishes like plaster and decoration. The longer a problem is left the worse it gets, that goes for everything not just damp issues!
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