Dealing with Damp
Posted on December 10, 2009
Damp can be caused either by water seeping into a property from the outside or through condensation created as a result of normal, everyday activities.
Excess moisture can come from leaking pipes, wastes or overflows, rain leaking through the roof where a tile or slate is missing, or from water spilling from a blocked gutter.
These causes of damp often leave a ‘tidemark’ and if this is the case, you should contact Around Town Flats, who’ll carry out repairs to remove the source of damp.
If you do not think the damp comes from any of these causes, it is probably condensation.
Condensation occurs when there is an excessive build up of moisture in the air inside the home. There is always moisture in the air, but people create additional moisture in their homes by:
- Cooking or boiling water
- Taking baths or showers
- Using paraffin or bottled gas heaters
- Drying clothes inside
Warm moist air condenses and forms water when it cools, for example when it touches a cold surface. In your home these are outside walls, mirrors, windows, wall tiles and even on clothes.
If this condensation cannot dry out, it will cause mould to form on any of the surfaces on which it settles.
Preventing mould
There are a number of things you can do to limit condensation forming:
- Ventilate to let the moisture out, by opening a bathroom or kitchen window for a while to let the steam escape, or using an extractor fan
- Cover pans and turn down the heat when boiling water
- Switch off boiling kettles
- Dry clothes outside, or in a well ventilated room
- Do not use unvented tumble dryers
- Wipe down surfaces where moisture has settled
- Never cover up airbricks or ventilators
Did you know?
- Each person gives off around ½ litre a day in water vapour through breathing
- Washing up produces 1 litre of water vapour a day
- Washing clothes (if not in a washing machine) creates 2 litres a day
- Drying clothes indoors can produce up to 6 litres a day
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