Is Rising damp common in Victorian houses?

Is Rising damp common in Victorian houses?

The problem of damp in old houses is not a new one. Designed and built using different methods to those we use now, old properties have a tendency to experience issues with damp and condensation. With over 4 million properties in the UK from the Victorian and Edwardian period alone, it is also a fairly common problem.

How do I know if my house has a damp proof course?

You can find your DPC by taking a look at the external wall. Look down at ground level and look up about 6 inches or so up the wall. Somewhere around here you will see a thin black line of either slate or plastic running horizontally across the brick work. This is your DPC.

Do all houses have damp proof course?

Chemical Injection DPC (Damp Proof Course) The vast majority of properties have been built with a DPC. This is designed to stop moisture from penetrating up past that point. Initially materials such as slate were used, which as we all know has been in existence for thousands of years.

When were damp proof courses introduced UK?

1875
Damp Proof Courses were first introduced in 1875 and during this period were using engineering brick, slate or bitumen mixed with mortar. These earlier damp protection barriers though proved to be unreliable.

Do Victorian properties have a damp course?

Bridged Damp Proof Course in Victorian Houses Many Victorian houses, particularly those to first feature a DPC, can suffer from damp issues in the modern-day because the DPC has been bridged externally due to an increased ground level.

Is damp normal in old houses?

It’s inevitable that you will find dampness somewhere in an old house. Nothing lasts forever, but despite English weather, our old buildings stand the test of time better than any modern house. … Almost 100% of damp issues in buildings are caused by condensation, and lack of adequate ventilation.

Where is the damp proof course on a house?

A damp proof course (DPC) is a layer near the bottom of the walls of a house which prevents rising damp. In a property without a DPC, water can rise up from the ground through capillary action and through porous elements in your brickwork.

What does a DPC look like?

The most common type is the physical and visible DPC, often a type of thin waterproof material such as lead-lined bitumen, slate or plastic. These DPCs look like fine sheets of material situated between the brickwork of a building near ground level and can also be referred to as damp proof membranes.

Is a damp proof course necessary?

The reason why a damp proof course is important is because any excess moisture entering a building can lead to more serious property problems such as timber decay or structural damage. Properties that do not have an effective damp proof course are more prone to suffer from the following: Wet rot. Dry rot.

Can you sell a house without a damp proof course?

Unfortunately, the damp proof guarantee stipulates that it needs to be conveyed to the owner of the house every time the property is sold. … Your solicitors should have picked this up when they conveyed the property into your name, so you might like to take up the matter with them.

Why did the Edwardian houses have damp proof courses?

• Most Edwardian houses did have a form of damp proof course to deal with rising damp. Bitumen, slate and occasionally hessian damp proof courses were used along with a band of engineering bricks to act as a barrier. Damp problems usually occur if the DPC has failed, becoming cracked or damaged over time.

What to do about damp in Victorian houses?

• Having a damp proof course in Victorian houses is simply the wrong thing to do. Lime based mortars, plasters and other building materials are designed to allow moisture to pass through them. A non-porous chemical injection course will prevent this from happening. You may find that the problem is simply moved to another area.

What makes a damp proofing course ineffective in a house?

• Over the years, the level of any adjoining garden and/or driveway may have raised to the point that it is now higher than the building’s DPC, thus rendering the damp proof course ineffective. When the DPC is below ground level, this makes for easy entry for any moisture in the ground to rise through the walls without having to penetrate the DPC.

What kind of DPC should I use to damp proof my house?

• Nowadays plastic DPCs or chemical injection DPCs are used. Before we begin, it is useful to know how period properties are defined. Older properties are those built before the 1940s. Your property will fit in with a wider damp proofing context and may have its own well-documented vulnerabilities (as well as its charms, of course).