Well, The subject I’ve been tasked to tackle is Rising Damp & showing my age a little now, the first thing I thought of was this!
Rising Damp Opening credits and lets be honest, it did make a fair few of us giggle back then – the series about the bumbling landlord & the eclectic mix of tenants.
The regular miss-haps that befell them, the double-entendre’s that are sadly lost in nowadays society & the fantastically funny “romance” between Miss Jones & Mr Rigsby.
All set against a ramshackle building which, to be frank was a perfect setting for “Rising Damp“.
The real Rising Damp is not so funny… He’s a naughty upstart, who’s a natural “social climber”… He will do his best to attain the headiest heights.. Starting from ground level & creeping up walls, internal & external brickwork, in fact anywhere to get up as high as he can.. Seeking prominence & attaining heights. He needs help though, otherwise he would be anywhere & everywhere…
Technically, he isn’t a “he” at all – forgive me, too many years of watching “the apprentice”. He is a naturally occurring phenomenon called “Capillary Action“. This the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without the assistance of, and in opposition to external forces like gravity – think Paintbrush pulling up paint between their bristles.. or washing up sponge pulling up water.
For many homes affected its simply ground water, which is attracted to the dry bricks & mortar & starts to be pulled into the buildings structure.
Of course, during planning stages this is usually addressed, BUT sometimes nature takes over & the natural thing for the water to do, is rise up via the capillary action if there is a porous material above it. Also, if the damp proof course which was effected during construction is somehow breached (age, works etc) – the “apprentice” I described before will see an opportunity & take it – all guns blazing…
The moisture will move from the outside wall through to inside walls fairly smoothly & this is when the Rising Damp becomes apparent.. plaster becomes soft & wall covering discolour.
The moment you suspect you may have a Rising Damp issue, its best to get a specialist in, such as London Property Preservation, to ensure your problems are identified & dealt with effectively. the walls affected hold onto salts which travel upward with the moisture as will the internal plaster – so a thorough remedy must be applied.
What to look for:-
Damp patches on external walls
Damp on internal Walls
Wet patches on Wallpaper
The good news is – LPPltd Can & will help.
So – Rigsby, if you had’ve called us, back the, maybe Miss Jones would’ve succumbed a bit quicker,. as your home would’ve been a bit brighter & a LOT dryer!!!
Contact LPP ltd now on 020 8689 0073
Please visit us via email or the Website for more info
Reblogged this on Rocoja's Blog.