Something that can cause a lot of issues in a property is damp. As well as the bad smell and unpleasant appearance, having damp and mould in the home can actually cause breathing issues, especially for people who already suffer from conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma and COPD, and for more vulnerable people like the very old and very young.
Signs of Damp to Look Out For
Therefore, it is important to act quickly if you have dampness in your home and make sure that you get rid of it before it becomes a bigger problem. There are lots of signs that you may have damp; these include:
- Discoloured patches on the wallpaper
- A smell of damp
- Patches of mould on walls, floors and ceilings
- Rotten areas such as skirting boards
- Humid air
Condensation
There are various types of damp that can be found in the home too. The most common is condensation, and there are lots of reasons why this can be caused. It could be that your home is poorly ventilated, especially in rooms where there is a lot of moisture anyway, such as the bathroom. It can also be caused by old or broken windows which can then cause condensation to form on the walls around them. If you notice dampness around the windows, get someone like this Gloucester double glazing company www.firmfix.co.uk to come and replace them.
Rising Damp
There is also a form of damp that is known as rising damp. This is where water from the ground rises up through the building, and the most common sign of this is a damp patch at the bottom of the wall. This is something that is most commonly found in older properties, as more modern buildings have damp proofing built into them for this very reason.
Penetrating Damp
The other kind of damp is called penetrating damp, and this is where water has been able to enter the property somehow, most commonly through the roof. If it has been able to get in for some time this can then lead to damp building up. Faulty roofing is responsible for damp patches on upper walls and ceilings, and this can be very dangerous if the water gets into the electrics, which is why it is important to check the roof and the guttering on a regular basis.