Bathrooms are the most unhygienic and stinkiest places on the planet. Have you ever examined it? The moisture content strapped in the bathroom or residence is known as dampness.
Bathrooms are prone to high humidity levels, which can lead to damp concerns if the moisture-laden air cannot leave. In addition, when humid air comes into touch with cold surfaces, tiny droplets form on the surfaces, causing dampness.
The major drawback of a damp bathroom is that it can cause structural damage and create a hazardous interior environment by allowing molds or fungus to thrive. Furthermore, the bathroom tiles may become unstable and the caulk may fall off with time.
What causes moisture in bathrooms?
The bathroom is prone to wetness due to our frequent showers, making it always wet. But as we all know, warm air keeps a lot more moisture than cold air, and we also know that the bathroom has a variety of cold things, such as a mirror and titles, resulting in constant condensation.
As a result, it causes moisture and shortens the building’s lifespan, allowing germs, bacteria, and fungus to flourish and putting people’s health at risk. I understand shopping for plumbing and bathroom products sucks so, you can have a look at Reece plumbing for any kind of bathroom tools.
What are the main causes of Dampness?
- Rising damp:
It’s a gradual dampening process. The upward migration of moisture from the ground causes this wetness. The capillary response passes via the pores of the bricks.
This is due to the use of low-quality bricks and other construction materials. In general, people use low-quality materials to maintain their financial stability or to complete buildings quickly. The porous structure of the bricks, on the other hand, aids in the penetration and storage of water.
Causes:
- No DPC (damp proof course).
- Inadequate DPC.
How to identify rise damp:
• Internal walls with tide marks.
• Internal walls with dark patches
• Wallpaper strewed or peeling
• Paint splattering.
• Salt efflorescence
• Decolouration and flaking plaster
How to deal with rising damp
First, make sure your home is equipped with a damp proof course or membrane. If you want to have one, you’ll need to consult advanced damp experts.
Water can infiltrate through the dirt and into the walls if the ground level is too high. If the ground level is too high, you’ll have to dig the earth away from the damp wall’s facade to a level below the course.
- Lateral damping:
This sort of damp spreads laterally in the walls after penetrating through a wall from the higher exterior ground or adjoining concrete floor. The wetness causes a wet surface, which causes internal wall deterioration.
- Condensation:
Water vapor will usually find a way to cool down and leave water droplets on cooler surfaces. Tiles, ceilings, and bare walls are examples. To prevent condensation in the bathroom, open the windows and turn on the exhaust fan to substitute the humid air with dry and fresh air.
This is due to lack of ventilation, chilly surfaces, and a lack of central heating cause condensation.
Causes:
- Excess moisture
- Poorly heated homes
- Poor ventilation
How to identify condensation damp:
- Streaming windows
- Damp patches on internal walls
- Mold growth on window seals
- Pools of water in window sills
- Peeling wallpaper
- Black mold marks on walls
- Musty, damp smell
You can deal with condensation by:
- Improve ventilation by opening windows and installing air vents and fans
- Use a dehumidifier
- Install double glazing
- Increasing the heat in cold weather
- Wiping down windows and sensitive areas with a cloth.
- Penetration damp:
Penetration causes when there is a leakage in the pipe or no certain waterproofing system.
Causes:
- A problem with the plumbing
- Groundwater levels rose as a result of insufficient gutters.
- Your roof’s rain gutters are broken or obstructed.
- The weatherproofing of bricks is eroding.
- Bricks that have been damaged
- Issues with the structure of the building
- Cracks in the outside walls
How to identify penetration damp:
- Green growth on external walls.
- Wet patches are exaggerated after rainfalls.
- Cracks and holes on the surfaces.
How to deal with overall dampness:
- Controlling humidity by tiling the bathroom walls from floor to ceiling is a terrific way to go. Install plastic or elastomeric sheet membrane on the substrate before installing the tiles.
- Epoxy resins are commonly combined with filler powder for tile grouting to make a watertight grout. Thus, use epoxy grout.
- Maintain adequate drainage by sloping the flooring sufficiently so that all water drains to the drain pipe.
Conclusion:
So, these are some of the most important causes of dampness you can look into.