Damp Proofing Elgin

Damp Proofing Elgin Scotland (IV30): If you've got problems with damp in your home in Elgin, it's not just their unattractive appearance that you need to be concerned about, but also the fact that they can cause health and structural problems. Peeling wallpaper and nasty damp patches can hide much more serious problems which, if not solved quickly, could result in very expensive repair bills. If you have an issue like this there is very little that you can do yourself, and the wisest thing to do is to contact an experienced Elgin damp proofing company to undertake a thorough inspection and suggest practical solutions.

In Elgin buildings, there are essentially 3 key problem areas where damp can have a negative impact on your house:

PENETRATING DAMP

External issues that may lead to penetrating damp include: loose or cracked roof tiles, defective gutters or downspouts, damaged or porous brickwork and cavity wall issues. Internal reasons for penetrating damp could be overflowing bathtubs or basins, damaged shower trays and dripping or burst water pipes. Noticeable signs like damp, dark patches on walls, flaking paintwork and broken or blistered plaster, all point to the reality that these issues have been left unchecked for some time.

If left untreated for some time, a leaking roof can cause wet rot to occur in the timbers of your roof. Whilst it's lucky that wet rot does not affect brickwork, in the worst case, you may need to have a new roof installed (extremely costly!) if your roof timbers become unsound structurally. If black fungus starts to appear on your woodwork and the roof timbers feel "spongy" to touch, you could have problems with wet rot.

Preventative maintenance can be basic, such as examining piping for leaks, cleaning your roof & guttering and checking for leaks and repointing dodgy brickwork. A professional Elgin damp proof specialist will check these areas in order to help prevent any further problems, as an element of fixing your issues with damp.

CONDENSATION

A common form of damp in many homes in Elgin, condensation is super easy to identify. When warm, humid air makes contact with a cold surface, water collects as droplets. In areas where high humidity is present, as in: bathrooms, kitchens and boiler rooms, it's often caused due to inadequate ventilation.

Wiping away any droplets of water that appear, and making sure that there is sufficient ventilation in the worst affected areas, are among the simplest answers to such issues. Redirecting humid and moist air outside of your property in Elgin, by fitting or updating air bricks, extractor fans and cooker hoods, will help you to remedy this problem.

By conducting a comprehensive damp proofing survey, an experienced Elgin company will find any spots where damp air is drawn in from the outside, simply making matters worse. The best way to adequately control condensation is to regulate circulation and airflow properly, and your local Elgin damp proofing technician will offer guidance and advice on how this can best be accomplished.

RISING DAMP

Ever since 1875, a damp proof course has been installed as standard in all homes built in Great Britain. You may not have a damp proof course installed on your house in Elgin if it was constructed earlier than this. It's a possibility that your damp proof course could have been damaged if you are suffering with rising damp issues in a property built after this date.

Rising damp can be difficult to identify, but some things to look for are; tide marks on walls, a white powdery deposit appearing on walls or being discovered on floor surfaces and crumbling or rotten skirtings. If you see or think you might have any of these issues, it's possible you have a rising damp problem.

The initial step towards managing your rising damp should be to simply check whether or not you have a damp course on the external walls of your home in Elgin. To be sure of an adequate measure of protection the damp course ought to be above ground level by no less than 150 millimetres. You can dig the surrounding ground away to generate this space if it's currently not sufficient, or you can put in a damp proof membrane (DPM) higher up if the former isn't plausible.

If your DPM is installed and in order and the gap is not the cause of the problem, dampness could be rising up through your flooring and into your walls, which might be a more serious issue.

Damp proofing technicians in Elgin will swiftly identify and resolve rising damp issues using a number of different methods. Older houses which either don't have a damp proof membrane, or have one that is damaged over a wide area, can have a damp proof cream injected into the exterior walls. This cream is injected with a special nozzle into evenly spaced holes drilled along the wall's mortar joint, and before the cream cures it diffuses into the surrounding brickwork creating a barrier that is repellent to water.

In cases where damp proofing cream injection is not an appropriate remedy, or where the DPM is extensively damaged, putting in a whole new damp proof course could be neccessary. While this sort of repair work is a fairly drastic way to solve damp issues, it might be your only real solution at the end of the day.

Another remedy for less severe areas of damage could include painting on a layer a bitumen based, waterproof latex emulsion. Tiles, laminate flooring or carpeting must be lifted before any work can be carried out, because it is applied beneath your existing floor coverings. In cellar areas this is a particularly effective treatment, and will form part of the tanking process that's used to make rooms watertight. Before the bitumen coating has has dried out completely, your Elgin damp proof technician might recommend a layer of building paper (a specialist foil backed membrane), for extra protection.

Tanking: Tanking a room, such as a cellar or basement, is a process of covering exposed surfaces with a watertight paint. All plaster and wall coverings must be taken off and the surfaces properly prepared before the commencement of any work, as this waterproof coating has to be applied on the base surface of floors and walls. As soon as this coating has been applied, it must be allowed to dry out completely before replastering and decorating over it. This is a really disruptive process as it needs to be applied to an entire ground floor or basement level of a building, and it is recommended that you obtain more than one expert opinion about whether this really is the only answer to your rising damp issues.

SOLVING DAMP WITH DEHUMIDIFIERS

To help with problems with condensation, you could always try dehumidifiers, which for reducing the moisture content of the air, are really efficient. Because dehumidifiers primarily cover up the cause of the damp and not cure it, there are issues with this option. To get the best advice if you are suffering from dampness in any area of your home, you can speak to a professional damp proofing company in Elgin.

FINDING A RELIABLE DAMP PROOF COMPANY IN ELGIN

As with pretty much any project, the best recommendations for a local professional come from family and friends. Always obtain at least 3 or 4 different estimates from various local companies, and if you are in any doubt you should ask to look at qualifications and professional memberships, before signing up to any damp proof services.

Keep an eye out for membership of and qualifications from trade bodies such as the Property Care Association (PCA) or the Damp Proofing Association, or contractors holding the Certificated Surveyor of Timber and Dampness (CSTDB) or the Certificated Surveyor in Remedial Treatments qualifications.

If your selected Elgin damp proofing specialists are in fact members of the PCA or DPA you can be sure they will be properly qualified and have acquired the required practical experience to offer you a top notch service for your damp proofing problems. Any remedial work accomplished by one of their members is also guaranteed.

Positive Input Ventilation

The ideal solution to damp issues within your house in Elgin could be PIV (Positive Input Ventilation). By reducing the humidity, PIV can alleviate damp and mould in your property or condensation on your windows. It maintains this by constantly supplying a flow of fresh air. The steady replacement and refresh of air inside your property can lead to improved air quality, reduced pollutants and odours, and decreased dust mite allergens. Installing PIV systems in a roof space and ensuring that your dwelling is fairly airtight are important considerations when opting for this solution. When gaps exist around windows or doors, fresh air can escape while polluted air enters, since air follows the path of least resistance, similar to water.

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Damp proofing surveys - article 202.

Elgin Damp Proofing Tasks

There are a wide array of tasks that can be undertaken by your local Elgin damp proofing specialist including chemical DPC injection, damp proofing walls, damp proofing inspections Elgin, dehumidifier installation, cavity wall construction Elgin, damp proof sealing Elgin, residential damp proofing Elgin, cementitious tanking, damp proofing services in Elgin, positive input ventilation (PIV), property preservation, commercial damp proofing Elgin, vapour barrier installations, defective damp proof course replacement, damp proof membrane installation, cheap damp proofing Elgin, cellar waterproofing Elgin, external damp proofing Elgin, condensation control, commercial tanking Elgin, damp proofing brickwork, damp proof paint application in Elgin, missing damp proof course installation in Elgin, damp proofing old stone walls, foundation damp proofing, retaining wall damp proofing Elgin, damp proofing floors Elgin, the treament of efflorescence, landlord damp proofing services, property surveys, damp proofing concrete floors in Elgin, cellar tanking, mould treatment, garage damp proofing, japanese knotweed control in Elgin, and more. Listed are just an example of the tasks that are conducted by those specialising in damp proofing. Elgin companies will be happy to tell you about their full range of damp proofing services.

Damp Proofing Near Elgin

Also find: Dufftown damp proofing, Bishopmill damp proofing, Kinloss damp proofing, Fochabers damp proofing, Craigellachie damp proofing, Hopeman damp proofing, Huntly damp proofing, Rothes damp proofing, Findhorn damp proofing, Lossiemouth damp proofing, Alves damp proofing, Burghead damp proofing, Moss of Barmuckity damp proofing, Buckie damp proofing, Keith damp proofing, Palmerscross damp proofing, Llanbryde damp proofing, New Elgin damp proofing services and more. All these villages and towns are catered for by companies who do damp proofing. Elgin homeowners can get damp proofing quotes by going here.

More Elgin Tradespeople: Undoubtedly, whenever you're doing home repairs and improvements in Elgin, Scotland, you will probably need all sorts of different tradespeople and along with a damp proofer in Elgin, Scotland, you may additionally need SKIP HIRE in Elgin, tilers in Elgin, stone & brick cleaning in Elgin, a handyman in Elgin, a flooring specialist in Elgin, a carpenter in Elgin, an electrician in Elgin, a heating engineer in Elgin, painters & decorators in Elgin, plasterers in Elgin, a scaffolder in Elgin, cellar conversion in Elgin, cavity wall insulation in Elgin, screeding in Elgin, a bricklayer in Elgin, waste clearance in Elgin, a builder in Elgin, and other different Elgin specialists.

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