How does damp occur

These issues are arguably one of the most common causes of damp on walls. Condensation forms when warm moist air within a room touches a cold internal wall or surface. This condensation then sits on the internal wall's surface and creates damp patches on the wall. There are ways you can help to reduce condensation in your home such as; wiping down cold surfaces and keeping kitchen and bathroom doors closed.

You can find more tips on reducing condensation here. Interstitial condensation creates structural damping that occurs when moist air penetrates inside the hidden space within an enclosed wall, roof or floor cavity structure.

When that moisture laden air reaches a layer inside the interstitial structure that is at dew point temperature, it will condense into liquid water. The moisture laden air can penetrate into hidden interstitial wall cavity from the exterior in warm outdoor temperatures and inside the building during cold outdoor temperatures.

The resulting structural damage, along with mould and bacteria growth may occur without any visible surface indications until significant damage or extensive mould and bacteria growth has occurred. Protect yourself from mould spores by wearing goggles, long rubber gloves and a mask that covers your nose and mouth. Open the windows but keep doors closed to prevent spores spreading to other areas of the house. Once you have located the source of the damp and ensured the root issue is resolved you'll then be left with the aftermath caused by the issue.

We've previously discussed how to remove mould a common consequence of a damp issue but there can be other afflictions that need addressing. Once the mould covered area has been cleaned and throughly dried it can be treated with a damp seal and then re-painted. If the mould affected an area in the bathroom it maybe best to remove any grouting in order to ensure all mould has been removed. Once you are sure you have cleaned and again dried the area you can use a sealant gun and simply re-grout.

Remember to let the grouting fully dry before using the bathroom again otherwise it will not be protected. Whatever type of damp your home is suffering with you don't want a damp house at all. Once you've resolved any existing damp issues you want to ensure that the damp doesn't reoccur. The best way to keep your home damp free is to keep the moisture levels in the air to a minimum through good ventilation. Preventing damp starts with the small stuff like opening windows to allow air to circulate, avoiding drying clothes inside as much as possible and using pan lids when cooking.

However prevention also means ensuring your windows are properly sealed and fixing any leaks asap. You can also paint your walls using a damp sealant but first you need to ensure the cavity in the walls is properly insulated. Additionally an effective extractor fan is paramount for ensuring good ventilation in your home.

The Cyclone 7 is a major advancement in extractor fan technology, designed to deliver high performance in controlling humidity levels in kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms using the lowest energy consumption. Covered by an unrivalled 7 year warranty as standard, the Cyclone 7 offers the highest quality and the lowest maintenance requirements for utmost peace of mind, saving time, money and hassle. One of our local experts will contact you to learn more about your problems, offer free expert advice and make recommendations for a permanent solution.

Accept Learn More. Arrange a Survey. Request a Brochure. Call Today: 27 27 Search Results. Why Ventilate? Find A Ventilation Product. What type of customer are you? What Causes Damp? This is why, as Tim Carroll, from the U. Environment Protection Agency EPA told Live Science: "It is important to ventilate moisture out of the home while cooking or showering and to control other more naturally occurring sources of moisture through ventilation, heating, air conditioning, or supplemental dehumidification".

When you see water droplets outside your windows, this is called dew. As stated by National Geographic , dew is the moisture that forms as the result of condensation, therefore it is the end result of water vapor changing to liquid form.

Dew only occurs when temperatures drop and objects cool down. Unlike hot air, colder air is less able to hold water vapor, which forces the gaseous water around cool objects to condense. Temperatures reach the dew point most usually at night — and especially during summer when warm days are followed by cool nights.

This is why you might see water droplets outside your windows, on your lawn, or on your car in the morning. This type of condensation happens when humidity levels are high and when the exterior surface temperature falls below the dew point. As Carroll told Live Science: "Condensation can form on windows, and other surfaces, at any time of the year. In the winter, condensation often builds up on the windows because the outside air temperature is much lower than indoors.

Windows can have very little resistance to heat flow, so even the interior side of most windows will be closer to the outdoor temperature than the indoor temperature.

During the summer, the outside of a window can be cool from the air conditioning inside, so water vapor can condense on the exterior side of windows on a hot, humid day. But don't worry — dew on the exterior of your windows doesn't mean they are faulty or malfunctioning. People with allergies may be more sensitive to molds. People with immune suppression or underlying lung disease are more susceptible to fungal infections.

Individuals with chronic respiratory disease e. Individuals with immune suppression are at increased risk for infection from molds. If you or your family members have these conditions, a qualified medical clinician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment.

Inspect buildings for evidence of water damage and visible mold as part of routine building maintenance, Correct conditions causing mold growth e. Mold growing in homes and buildings indicates that there is a problem with water or moisture. This is the first problem to address. Remove moldy items from living areas. Once mold starts to grow in carpet, insulation, ceiling tiles, drywall, or wallboard, the only way to deal with the problem is by removal and replacement.

It is important to properly clean and dry the area as you can still have an allergic reaction to parts of the dead mold and mold contamination may recur if there is still a source of moisture.

Clean up and dry out your home thoroughly and quickly within hours after any flooding. Dig out mud and dirt. Use a wet vacuum to remove remaining dirt. Scrub cleanable surfaces such as wood, tile, stone with soapy water and a bristle brush. Thoroughly clean all hard surfaces such as flooring, molding, wood and metal furniture, countertops, and sinks with water and dish detergent. Dry surfaces quickly and thoroughly after cleaning.

Mold growth can be removed from hard surfaces with commercial products, soap and water, or a bleach solution of no more than 1 cup 8 ounces of bleach in 1 gallon of water to kill mold on surfaces. Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners. If you have an extensive amount of mold and you do not think you can manage the cleanup on your own, you may want to contact a professional who has experience in cleaning mold in buildings and homes.

These decisions have to be made individually. If you believe you are ill because of exposure to mold in a building, you should consult your physician to determine the appropriate action to take.

If you can see or smell mold, a health risk may be present. You do not need to know the type of mold growing in your home, and CDC does not recommend or perform routine sampling for molds. No matter what type of mold is present, you should remove it. Since the effect of mold on people can vary greatly, either because of the amount or type of mold, you cannot rely on sampling and culturing to know your health risk. Standards for judging what is an acceptable, tolerable or normal quantity of mold have not been established.

Sampling for mold can be expensive, and standards for judging what is and what is not an acceptable quantity of mold have not been set. The best practice is to remove the mold and work to prevent future growth. If you do decide to pay for environmental sampling for molds, before the work starts, you should ask the consultants who will do the work to establish criteria for interpreting the test results.

They should tell you in advance what they will do or what recommendations they will make based on the sampling results. Hazards presented by molds that may produce mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common molds which can grow in your house. Not all fungi produce mycotoxins and even those that do will not do so under all surface or environmental conditions. Mold growth, which often looks like spots, can be many different colors, and can smell musty.