Rising damp evaluation and treatment : a quasi-experimental case study

The UK has a well-established industry involved in the treatment of rising damp. Yet, critics argue that rising damp is extremely rare and remedial damp proof course treatments unnecessary and ineffective. Additionally, evaporation from rising damp affected masonry is under-researched and opinions differ with respect to the effect that this moisture may have on the local environment.The aim of this research is to establish whether contemporary remedial damp proof course treatments are necessary and effective and if moisture affecting a damp wall is correlated with that in the environment. Due to the limitations of existing laboratory-based research in this area, a practice-based approach employing a novel methodology, blending case study and quasi-experimental methods, was chosen to assess, in a field setting, the component parts of the contemporary method of remedial damp proof course treatment, techniques of moisture measurement, evaporation, and environmental moisture.The study found that rising damp is a real phenomenon that warrants treatment and that the contemporary method of damp proofing, installed as it would be in a real world setting, provides effective control. In addition, it determined that sample analysis is the only reliable method of diagnosing rising damp, that evaporation from a rising damp affected wall cannot be measured, and only the hygroscopic moisture component of a damp wall displays correlation with the wider environment.A project of this type has not previously been undertaken. It makes an original contribution to existing theory, laboratory research, and practice by providing useful data with respect to common and novel techniques for the measurement of moisture and evaporation from masonry materials; valuable reassurance to property professionals, home owners, and other stakeholders regarding the phenomenon and treatment of rising damp; and through the development of its unique methodology a mechanism to facilitate future field studies in this area of practice