|
|
|
Types of damp
Dry Rot in buildings can be a serious problem
as the fungus has the ability to spread secretly within the
fabric of a building in its search for timber resulting in
structural damage. Dampness in some form is necessary to
initiate an attack so all sources of dampness within buildings
should be identified and cured as quickly as possible.
Wet Rots on the other hand although causing decay in
timbers that become regularly or permanently damp do not
travel through masonry remaining within the original area of
dampness.
Dampness in buildings is probably the most misdiagnosed
problem. Condensation when water condenses out of a warm moist
air on contact with cold surfaces can affect readings taken
with a moisture meter. It occurs when relative humidity is
high and is not always confined to the winter months. An
example of an instrument which can show whether or not Rising
Dampness is occurring in a wall is a Speedy moisture meter
which measures the free moisture content in masonry. Other
moisture meters when used on the plaster surface are only an
indication of some form of contamination in the plaster, not
necessarily as a result of moisture rising in the wall.
|
