TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Damp in Heritage Buildings……………………………………………………………...2

II. Signs of Damp in Heritage Buildings…………………………………………………....3

III. Damp Prevention in Heritage Buildings…………………………………………………3

IV. Damp Arrest and Treatment in Heritage Buildings……………………………………...4

A. General Treatments…………………………………………………………...….4
B. Conservation Treatments…………………………………………………………4
C. Problem – Specific Treatments…………………………………………………..5

V. Examples of Damp Arrest in Heritage Buildings………………………………………..5

VI. Case Study of Damp Arrest in Heritage Buildings………………………………………6

A. Treatment of Rising Damp and Salt Decay: Historic Masonry Buildings of
Adelaide, South Australia…………………………………………………………6
i. DPC Applied to Stop Rising Damp………………………………………6

VII. References………………………………………………………………………………..7

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Damp in Heritage Buildings

Decay in heritage buildings remains to be inevitable due to factors within the natural
environment that build up overtime. Damp is one of the most common decay problems caused
by humidity and the migration of moisture from the ground to walls and floors. The severity of
damp is contingent on various factors such as water quantity, material thickness, surface
evaporation and presence of salts. Particularly in heritage buildings, rising damp can be
difficult to treat due to the existing conditions of the structure.

Damp is caused by the absorption of moisture by building materials. This can root from
numerous deficient structural and environmental elements such as rain penetration, site level,
soil drain, climatic quality, moisture entrapment, insufficient insulation, defective building
orientation, poor ventilation, poor quality materials and faulty construction. If left untreated,
excess moisture can not only lead to damage within the building fabric but can also cause
potential health hazards. Building damages caused by damp include efflorescence and material
disintegration, metal corrosion, warping and rotting of timber, deterioration of electrical
fittings, growth of termites and unhealthy living conditions for occupants.

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Signs of Damp in Heritage Buildings

The following are signs of damp in heritage buildings:

1. Water content on walls, furniture and windows
2. Black mould
3. Tide marks on walls
4. Peeling wallpaper
5. Dark patches on walls or ceilings
6. Wet timbers
7. Fungal growth

It is important to assess damp problems in order to prevent further damage in the

building. There are four types of damp in buildings: rising damp, penetrating damp,
condensation damp and interstitial condensation. Rising damp occurs at ground floor levels
when moisture is drawn upwards from the soil in the ground; rising damp signs include
decaying skirting boards, crumbling mortar, tide marks on walls and white salt stains.
Penetrating damp is caused by water entering through walls, floors and ceilings i.e. leaking
walls, air gaps, burst pipes, causing external damage to the gutter and wall joints; sings of
penetrating damp include damage to plater, decaying timber and masonry watermarks.
Condensation damp is the most common form of dampness in buildings caused by excess air
moisture that reacts with cold surfaces; condensation damp can be spotted in streaming walls
and windows, deterioration of décor, discoloration of window panes and growth of black
mould. Interstitial condensation occurs when moist air penetrates inside an enclosed wall, floor
or roof cavity structure; this results in significant structural damage and the growth of mould
without visible surface indications.

Damp Prevention in Heritage Buildings

Damp can be prevented in buildings through simple methods such as providing DPC
(damp proof course) i.e. membrane damp proofing and integral damp proofing, applying
surface treatment, water proofing and adding special devices i.e. cavity walls. There are two
types of DPC: flexible and rigid. The former is DPC that does not crack when loaded e.g.
Polythene and Bitumen; the latter is DPC that cracks when loaded e.g. Rich Cement Concrete.

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Damp Arrest and Treatment in Heritage Buildings

A. General Treatments

 Repair gutters – clear all gutters and fix downpipes, sills and drains to prevent water from
running down external walls.
 Repair leaks – check and repair all pipes and sealants to make sure there are no leaks.
This should be done on a regular basis.
 Improve ventilation – improve ventilation and reduce emissions of water vapor to prevent
condensation issues. Improve insulation on wall surfaces.
 Remedy defective materials – remove harmful modern materials i.e. cement render or
mortar pointing and replace them with breathable materials to avoid damp.
 Stabilize temperature – allow for surfaces to dry out, especially after a leak. Keep
temperature stable to prevent condensation.
 Clear vegetation – clear vegetation in exterior to prevent damage on walls.

B. Conservation Treatments

 Replace hard cement render and plaster with lime render and plaster. Use lime wash on
external walls and distemper internally.
 Waterproof coatings and sealants.
 Replace concrete floors with breathable floors.
 Lower high external ground levels.
 Place a drain around the exterior walls to ensure its base remains drained and dry.
 Ventilate through opening windows and heating rooms. Install an extract fan or air vent
in severe cases.
 Check the condition of all building construction.
 Apply physical barriers using damp-proof membranes to form DPC on brickwork and
timber frames. This involves cutting out a line of pointing and inserting an impermeable
layer, such as slate, to restrict moisture moving up the wall.
 Provide suitable moisture sinks to dissipate moisture.
 Isolate vulnerable materials i.e. timber and interior finishes from damp fabric.

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 C. Problem – Specific Treatments

 Fungal Decay and Rot – cut off the rot’s water supply and source of damp, isolate timber
from damp surroundings and provide ventilation.
 Mould – clean and dry mould affected area thoroughly then treat it with a damp seal and
repaint. Re-grout area if needed.

Examples of Damp Arrest in Heritage Buildings

BEFORE ARREST: DURING ARREST: AFTER ARREST:

Wall with tide mark where Wall with base coats of Wall with lime topcoat;
plaster is replaced. This is lime plaster, left for three wall has dried out.
caused by condensation months to dry out.
build up/ salt damage
(white and fluffy base).

BEFORE ARREST: DURING ARREST: AFTER ARREST:

Stonework of building Lower course of dark Wet wall above injection
with extreme damp bricks are Engineering holes, dry below. A row of
damage. Building is bricks with damp. A blue engineering bricks act
covered with cement Victorian damp course and as damp course.
render, which has sealed injected course was added
the water into the structure. to the bricks. (Although
This resulted to high injected course proves to
moisture level build up be somewhat useless as it
with vapour penetrating admits water into the wall).
through the exterior and
interior walls.

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Case Study of Damp Arrest in Heritage Buildings

Treatment of Rising Damp and Salt Decay: Historic Masonry Buildings of Adelaide, South
Australia

Adelaide persists to suffer from damage to historic building materials due to damp. The
problem of damage to historic masonry is caused by salt crystallization by rising damp. A
capillarity test was carried out in specific masonry and DPC to identify the porosity of different
building materials.

DPC Applied to Stop Rising Damp

 Historic DPC’s were applied to prevent rising damp. These included glazed bricks, tar
and sand and tar mixed with calcite aggregate.
 Modern DPC’s were applied once historic DPC’s were no longer effective. Modern
DPC’s included chemical impregnation, electro-osmosis system and polyethylene
sheeting.
 Complementary desalination treatments were added to stop moisture ingress.
 Salt-laden building materials were substituted with new pointing mortars.

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  Building materials were desalinated; building materials in good condition were immersed
in repeated changes of fresh water to extract the salts and reduce conductivity levels.
References

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Historic Environment Scotland. Available at:
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Damp Proofing Old Houses. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.heritage-
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EnviroVent Ltd. (n.d.). What Causes Damp?: EnviroVent. Retrieved from
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Hay, S. (n.d.). Damp in listed buildings. [ebook] Available at: https://www.driver-
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https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/36019697.pdf
Managing damp problems in old buildings. (n.d.). Retrieved from
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