Make sure someone has proved the cause, not just measured that the wall reads high. Then spend money once.
Before you pay for a damp proof course, an injection, tanking or a membrane, make sure someone has proved what the cause is, not just shown you that the wall reads high on a meter.
Rising damp is real, and where it is the cause, treatment can be the right answer. But most of the damp we are asked to look at turns out to be condensation, a leak or rain getting in from outside, and those are fixed at the source, usually for far less than a chemical treatment.
Ask what else was considered, such as condensation, a leak, rain getting in or a bridged damp proof course, and on what evidence each was ruled out.
A reading means little without a control taken on a known dry wall, with the same meter, on the same day. No control, no comparison.
Ground levels, paths and flower beds against the wall, gutters, downpipes, render, pointing and air bricks. Most causes of low level damp are visible outside.
Salts read high on a meter even when a wall is dry. The industry's own reference, BRE Digest 245, says meter readings alone are not conclusive and describes testing drilled samples instead.
That does not make the diagnosis wrong. It does mean a second opinion from someone with nothing to sell is worth having before a five figure decision.
A moisture meter measures how well the surface conducts electricity, on a scale made for timber. Salts, foil backed plaster and some paints read high on walls that are dry. A high reading tells you something is different about that patch of wall. It does not tell you why. Can a damp meter prove rising damp? explains it in full.
Every one of these is fixed by dealing with that cause, not by injecting the wall.
We are independent damp and mould surveyors. We carry out no remedial work, sell no products and take no commission from anyone who does the repairs. If it is rising damp, we say so. If it is something else, we say what and how to fix it. Either way, you get a written report within 24 hours of the visit.
See a real example: the readings were salts, not damp.
Vigilant Surveys is an independent damp and mould surveying practice covering East Anglia, North London and the West Midlands. We carry out no remedial work, sell no products and take no commission from anyone who does the repairs, so there is nothing to sell you afterwards.
Every survey includes thermal imaging, moisture readings against a dry control and hygrometer readings, and you get a clear written report within 24 hours of the visit. £350 for the problem areas, £450 for the whole property, fixed prices, no payment to book.
Only if rising damp has actually been proved. Many walls diagnosed with rising damp turn out to have another cause, such as raised ground levels outside, a leak, rain getting in or condensation, which a damp proof course will not fix.
Not where the cause genuinely is rising damp and the work is done properly. It is wasted where the damp has another cause, which is why it is worth having the cause proved before paying.
Usually not. A free survey is normally offered by a company that also sells damp treatments. It may be perfectly honest, but it is not independent, so for expensive work it is worth getting a second opinion from someone with nothing to sell.
If you have been quoted for treatment on the strength of meter readings alone, yes. Ask what the control reading was, what else was ruled out and how, and whether the outside was checked.
A sound diagnosis explains the cause, shows control readings, says what else was ruled out and why, and covers the outside of the building. A quote based only on high meter readings, with no other evidence, is worth checking independently.
No payment to book. Tell me what you are seeing and I will call you straight back, usually within a couple of hours, to arrange a visit and confirm the fixed price.
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