THE PROBLEM
The horizontal top surfaces of parapet and masonry walls are the most vulnerable point for water to enter a building, Water will naturally find the lowest point and therefore pushes down through the walls until it has reached the foundations and has nowhere else to go. Due to the rendering and plastering on either side of the wall, the water will become trapped. Over time the water begins to rise up the wall causing the plaster to ‘break down’ and that is when you notice that your property has damp.
Walls are often repaired, re-rendered and re-plastered thus only masking the problem but not actually resolving it. The damp tends to relocate to another part of the wall, whilst possibly already having spread into another room, either upstairs or downstairs, and even into your neighbours’ property.
Coping stones also protect the tops of external walls but when they are continuously leaking, problems occur. The result is further damage such as hollow, loose or missing render Changes in weather conditions are a major factor in the cause. Water that is trapped within the the wall and behind the render expands and contracts and within a few years pushes the render of the wall leaving it exposed and vulnerable to further weathering and costly damage.
Coping Covers are a proven and cost effective way to eradicate a very common and expensive problem within the structure and maintenance of your property.
HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE THIS PROBLEM?
Look up at the coping stones on top of the parapet walls. If you can see water stains running down the sides of the walls between the coping stone joints, or loose, cracked and/or missing stones then you have one or more water leaks. Also take a good look in your loft: If your walls are wet, damp ,stained or, indeed all of these, then this too, will indicate the same problem We can guarantee that these aspects are the root of all your damp issues and NOT the myth that is Rising Damp.
In extreme cases the render is only masking the problem. As you can see in the images below the mortar is completly washed out rendering the wall unstable. We have seen in rare cases this occuring all the way down to the foundations compromising your property.
And in time, a disaster waiting to happen!
if your property looks like any of the images above, then you're probably living with the images below.
Can Damp and Mould affect my health?
It is a clinically proven fact that damp can seriously affect the health of you and your family. There are many different conditions that can be associated with damp including allergies, asthma and other respiratory illnesses. For further advice, please take a look at the NHS website: Can damp and mould affect my health? via the link below
Information
Evidence through research has proved that Rising Damp does not exist.
The damp getting into your walls has come from above and not from ground level as we have all been led to believe. We guarantee that the cause of your damp will originate from one of the following and not from ‘so-called’ Rising Damp:
Causes
1 Coping stones that are loose broken or missing
2 Broken render
3 Loose or missing lead
4 Damaged chimney stacks
5 Blocked guttering
6 Neighbouring property with any of the above
The Answer
The most likely cause is the coping stones that cover the top of the parapet walls of your property.
Over time the joints and mortar that hold the coping stones in place wear, loosen and break down due to years of weathering, causing cracks and gaps which allows water to leak through.