I want to stop mould and damp in my home
If you need an expert to help you stop mould and damp in your property, call Damp Checks.
Should you need this help, you’ll likely be most frustrated by persistent mould growth. You might simply be worried about the effects of mould on your family’s health. It doesn’t matter whether you own your home, are a tenant, letting agent, landlord or housing association, we can help you, book a survey today.
Mould and Damp Survey
The causes are often a straight forward fault that is therefore easily fixed. Identifying what these problems are though can be far more tricky. That is why we get calls to say “I need an expert to stop damp and mould in my property”. Whenever I complete a survey for you, I fully explain so you understand the reasons for recommendations. I explain what i have seen, the relevance of what I’ve discovered, why issues occur, and how best to fix them. If, for any reason, you don’t fully understand any part of the report, I welcome questions.
The elevated humidity is causing condensation to form on this floor.
Timber shelving with mould growth on its surface
There are most likely two outcomes following a survey;
1 – There is a single reason for the damage in the property
2 – There are multiple reasons, that when combined, create conditions for this damage to occur.
The timber with its heavy mould growth you can see above is not actually condensation. What is happening here is the timber is absorbing water vapour directly from the air. Timber / wood is a natural organic material so is therefore able to both absorb moisture and to dry out, depending on conditions. This situation can apply to many natural materials and is often first seen on leather items such as shoes. Examples such as this show how the humidity levels in the home are far too high.
Why the high humidity levels?
Close-up of dust mites living on fabric
Why are there high humidity levels? This can be as a result of many different reasons and we will investigate this for you. Our detective work into damp problems will highlight what is causing the build up of household moisture. Knowing why the moisture is building up in your home means we can then tell you how to stop this permanently.
The consequence of high humidity levels, typically 70%rh or more, is that we see allergens increase. It is generally accepted both house mites and black moulds thrive at higher humidity levels. When house dust mites proliferate, it is their waste that causes reactions in people that are sensitive to it. It is also the case that elevated moisture increases the chance of fungal and insect issues in the house structure. Regular elevated moisture allows fungal growth to firstly germinate and then proliferate. This timber decay will itself cause damage, but these conditions also attract wood boring insects. These issues left unchecked will lead to loss of structural strength of the timber and ultimately its failure.
But why is this problem happening in my property?
So, your property suffers with damp, condensation, mould, fungal growth or insect activity. Why is it happening? This can be as a result of many causes, but ultimately leads to moisture being trapped in the property. The reasons aren’t always easily identified, but a systematic survey of the property highlights problem areas.
Damp Checks surveys use very many meter readings, gathering these to provide the bigger picture for you. Independent surveys give you the assurance that the recommendations are honest and unbiased. We make suggestions to fix the root cause or causes of the problem and stop this happening permanently. Get in touch with details of your household damp problems, ask questions and discuss how we can help you.
