Waterproofing and Damp Insights & News

Article concerning issues with podium deck buried roof waterproofing systems and why they suffer issue, including example of failures

This year, like many of us, we've held back on turning on the heating with a view to preventing unwanted surprises (high energy bills) and over the weekend we cleaned off the onset of black mould from each bedroom at home, so what can we do about it and what are the best methods for preventing condensation and mould?

Slurry tanking systems, what are they, how do they work, is it effective? We answer these questions and more.

The basics of why your cellar/basement may be flooding, and thoughts on what questions to ask, and what steps to take, in what order.

This article digs in to the main differences between cavity drainage and external tanking systems for use in new construction waterproofing.

Waterproofing systems are not 'one size fits all'. Is cavity drainage right for you? We look at some of the problems, and the solutions, associated with cavity drainage waterproofing systems.

What does basement waterproofing cost? Probably the question we're most often asked. Let's try and shed some light on the matter.

Structural waterproofing is a field in which it is particularly important to effectively manage risk. What no client, nor their consultants want, is to contend with issues. While there has been a great deal of progress made in waterproofing materials, design and installation over the last twenty years, it is still the case that the advice you receive can be influenced by whom you speak to, so which way to turn? The purpose of this article is to try and dissect the various market offerings, explaining the implications of each. Having stated this, we write this as a provider within the market (specifically as Contractors who design and install waterproofing systems), and so clearly it could be argued that we write from a position of commercial bias. It may also be the case that our understanding of the market and the offerings within, although based on longstanding experience, are just not entirely correct. To inform an analysis of the wider market, we conducted an industry survey covering a variety of matters, including role within the industry, to insurance offerings and design preferences. It is upon the results of this survey which we base this analysis.

Complex projects which require innovative design to solve problems in new ways, win awards. The project in question involved dealing with an MMC (modern methods of construction) timber structure suffering issues of decay.

Basement structures can be formed using varied methods and materials, each with implication upon resistance (or otherwise) to groundwater penetration, which in turn has an implication on the waterproofing design, with this also being influenced by proposed usage and site conditions.

This article chronicles our experiences in remedying failed habitable/converted basements, where cementitious slurry tanking has been installed by non-specialist Contractors, who have been provided with minimal training by materials suppliers. Those suppliers will offer to write specifications for the job, and the contractor can then install. It's a difficult system to get right and these examples are testament to that.

As I understand it NHBC have approximately 70/80% of the structural warranty insurance market, and so they have felt the effects of basement waterproofing failures more than any other. More specifically, between 2005/6 - 2010/11 they published the detail of a spend within the region of £21m on failed basement waterproofing claims. As a result chapter 5.4 calls for design by qualified persons. Trace can assist with this.

Traditional Plaster Finish for Barn Conversion Limelite Renovating Plaster was recently chosen as the interior finish for two Cotswold barn conversions at North End Farm in Sopworth, Wiltshire.

BS8102 (2022) defines four grades of environment, which in simple terms is a way of classifying how dry or otherwise a space is, or should be. We were on the update panel for the 2022 revision and we party to the discussions around revision of this guidance from the previous standard.

This is the story of an unfortunate homeowner let down by a poor waterproofing design, and an installing contractor that ceased trading, leaving substantial problems and costs in their wake.

While basements and cellars suffer water penetration more visibly than sub-floor voids, this does not mean to say that below ground (sub-floor voids) are any less prone to water penetration and flooding.

We find that ‘water table’ is often mentioned where issues of water penetration affect basements & cellars, however the theory in many cases may not be well understood. The intention of this article therefore, is to comment upon the basic theory and background to water table and some of the implications that this has on basement and waterproofing design.

We often take calls from property owners suffering damp issues on chimney breasts, where they've employed a roofer to repair flashings etc. on chimneys expecting the damp issues internally to go away / dry down.

Heard this one before?

You might have heard that damp meters should not be used on surveys for issues of dampness, why is this? Here's the thing, electronic moisture meters do not detect moisture, they measure conductivity and interpret that as moisture, this because water conducts electricity. An implication of this is that other conductive materials can trigger these meters and the general conductivity of a base material can also influence a reading, i.e. concrete, plaster, metal (angle beads for example), and salts can all trigger a meter. Surely this makes them useless??? No.

What if there were a relatively easy way to demonstrate that part of a property was at risk of, or is suffering from condensation?

A damp proof course of any type, should be minimum 150mm (two brick courses) above external ground level. The reason for this is RAINFALL SPLASHBACK. What does this mean?

Why do basements and cellars suffer issues of water ingress? Simplistically, this is as a result of HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE coming to bear, but what is hydrostatic pressure? When the ground becomes SATURATED (all voids full of water), the weight of that water in a standing column exerts hydrostatic pressure.

Firstly - happy new year to all you damp geeks and property people. Secondly - 'It smells damp'...What does this actually mean? If I take a house brick and put it in a bucket of water for a week, and then remove it and then smell it, what will it smell of? Earthy bouquet - hint of vanilla? No, in reality it is not going to smell of anything.

Sometimes we design for the out of the ordinary. One such case involved dealing with a converted mill building on a flood plain, this including flooding within an external courtyard area, a ground floor apartment and internal communal areas.

Why do older properties often have suspended timber floors with sub-floor voids beneath? To understand this it is perhaps worth asking why all properties don’t just have solid concrete floors?

In the majority of cases, an injected DPC will involve drilling the mortar beds in a wall, and inserting a cream, which carries materials which are considered to be a PORE LINER. These pore lining materials are typically silane/siloxane, derived from silicone. How do they work?

'Combined Protection' is a section within BS8102 Code of practice for protection of below ground structures against water ingress; it advises that designers consider the use of two forms of waterproofing, either where there are aggressive site conditions (it's a wet one), or the consequences of failure are high (few pennies required if it goes wrong).

Woodworm is a generic term for different species of wood boring insect. Different species have vastly different implications in respect of risk of structural damage to timber within buildings, and it is therefore essential in the first instance both to identify species, and also whether it is active or not.

So last time we talked about condensation and relative humidity, how this is expressed as a proportion of how much moisture air can hold at a given temperature, and how 'dew point' temperature, is the exact temperature where vapour condenses back into a liquid (100% RH).

It’s that time of year… and it’s probably worth having a basic understanding of condensation and this and how it can be dealt with. Water can be solid (ice), a liquid, or a gas (vapour). Condensation is the process whereby it changes from a gas to a liquid.

So you may have heard that there is no such thing as 'rising damp'. The reasons why could be a lengthy post in itself, commenting on everything from the role of unscrupulous contractors who specify works not necessary, through to those that vocally denigrate and seek to position themselves as savior against such contractors, seeking large survey fees on the back of this.

Mmmm tasty - or not as the case may be.