Damp Causes
One of the most common issues that we come across in a house is damp. In Cyprus, sometimes damp problems are less serious than they look despite their causes, although damp is extremely bad for the health. Damp can also generate other problems such as the appearance of mites and mould; therefore damp problems can end up to be serious and make a property to be cold, unhealthy and unappealing. Therefore, if you are planning to buy a resale property is good idea to do a detail investigation on the property for damp and other related issues.
Many times resale property sellers are renovate and maintain the property to increase the properties value. However, many times house damp can unwittingly occur due to poor maintenance. There can be many causes of dumb in a property, but for all of them there is a solution. Damp can found in or around on any property at: walls, roof, doors, windows, and pipe-work. Therefore have your eyes open to these particular spots when you viewing a resale property. More than often inside damp patches are caused of an exterior issue, for example leaking drainage pipe can result to a wet damp patch of a wall inside the property.
Damp Types in More Detail
Rising Damp: Is on of the most, if not the most common type of house damp. Rising damp often carries salts as it occurs when moisture from the ground rises up to the walls, and those salts are visible on the wall when the moisture disperse evaporate. This can result to in ruing your internal decoration like wall papers or even newly painted walls. Rising damp can be only going up to 1.20 meter above ground level and this is because the capillary forces can not raise the moisture higher than the estimate so far measurement. However, new properties in Cyprus are usually constructed with a damp proof course built into walls to protect the house from rising damp. On the other hand some older resale properties may also have damp proof courses; but be very careful because damp proof courses may become ineffective.
Penetrating Damp: This type of damp can mainly cause by moisture which can go through the walls and roof, but it cal also be a result of leaking plumbing and piping.
Plastic pipes are commonly used in properties as they are at a lower cost. Normally plastic pipes used are glued together and in many cases that linking comes from there. In fact this results to damp problems and to be more specific this is mostly about the roof drainage pipes. Furthermore, rainwater drains many times are blocked with leaves and dirt and this result a water backup. An other issue with damp in Cyprus is that the island is located on an earthquake zone and this sometimes can cause wall cracks and break some internal wall piping which will cause problems with damp if it is not noticed and fixed on time.
Condensation: Is a result of humid air and water steam stay on a cold surface forming water droplets. In order to avoid condensation, heating the rooms and good ventilation, like daily open the windows will help a lot. Other reason of condensation in a house might be clothes drying on radiators. However, condensation in a house is much dependent on the occupant’s lifestyle.
Patios, verandas and roof gardens are usually a contribution to house damp. The excess water can leak through the tiles; end up into the base concrete and from there pass through and up walls and ceilings.
House damp as we mention earlier can occur for many reasons and has many types. Before you buy a resale property in Cyprus, be aware that damp might cause some serious structural damages. Therefore, before you buy a resale property ask the owners about any damp history. It is always a good idea to go on your viewing with a home inspector as he can spot many other issues that you must know before you make your final decision about a property.
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