Safeguard Europe – the UK’s leading specialist in damp-proofing and
waterproofing technology – has revised its CPD seminar programme on the two
major, and commonly confused, causes of damp to simultaneously provide either
broad or in-depth briefings on this troublesome property defect.
When tackling any kind of damp, the single most
important factor is correct identification of, first, type and then, second,
cause.
Though many damp cases
are often instantly attributed to rising damp, there are several potential
types including condensation, rain penetration, and construction moisture and
contaminating salts which attract moisture.
The first in the new RIBA-accredited CPD series from Safeguard – Dealing with
Dampness – is an overarching introduction to the
problems of rising and penetrating damp that will give architects,
builders and other specifiers enough information to help them tell the
difference between the two and determine sources, while giving options on how
to remedy the situation.
The 40-minute seminar
is delivered in the clients’ workplace, and covers existing and new
technologies for dealing with the different forms of damp, and highlights why
some diagnostic equipment – such as certain damp meters – can lead to confusion
if used blindly.
For those seeking
in-depth understanding of the various types of damp, the overview CPD is
underpinned with focussed seminars on specific kinds.
There are many reasons
why rainwater can penetrate masonry walls: from porous Victorian bricks to
unfilled perpends. And there are an equal number of issues that can make the
problem worse, including poor maintenance of gutters, bad detailing and building
alterations.
The Dealing with
Penetrating Damp seminar sets out four steps to deal with both the causes of
penetrating damp and the factors which can exacerbate the problem. The four
steps are: assessing rainwater routes and exacerbating factors; blocking the
primary paths for water penetration; controlling the exacerbating factors; and
installing back-up in the form of a damp-resistant internal system.
The CPD walks
attendees through all the issues and considers how each can be treated. It also
addresses exacerbating factors including defective guttering and downpipes,
missing cills, poorly-designed details, the aspect of the building and the use
of non-breathable coatings. The one-hour long seminar also provides an update
on some of the latest solutions – such as masonry protection creams.
Rising Damp: Causes
and Treatment looks at everything from the physics of rising damp to the
chemistry of damp proof courses (DPCs), providing a thorough briefing on what
causes rising damp, and the range of potential treatments available, including
recent developments.
Rising damp occurs
because capillary action results in water travelling through pores in masonry
materials, with the height it reaches governed by a combination of pore size
and the rate of evaporation from the surface of the wall.
There are several
treatments for rising damp – some more effective than others – which the
seminar explains. The most popular treatment worldwide for rising damp is
chemical DPCs which have developed from the early silicone or stearate liquids
to silane/siloxane cream injections from 2000 and in 2014, to silane rods. The
latter have been shown to be the most effective, as they ensure the even
dispersion of the waterproofing molecules which is vital to forming a complete
DPC.
Though specifiers must
be knowledgeable about many forms of damp, it is important to note that they
often co-exist with each other and holistic approach to treatment tends to give
the best results. Safeguard’s qualified and experienced staff can offer technical
advice and support to contractors, specifiers and owners on damp-proofing
solutions.
