damp prevention

Delving deeper into the world of damp prevention & cure

Roger Bisby attends a one day damp-proofing course with Safeguard Europe where he learns about the different causes and types of damp in buildings and what can be done about them.

Applying the cement adhesive for the tanking membrane

I have been using DryRods from Safeguard Europe for a couple of years now. Before that I used the Dryzone cream. There is no doubt that the product works and it has recently been given the approval of a German organisation that preserves old buildings and monuments, in addition to its BBA certificate.

For those who don’t know the DryRod method is a cleaner more efficient chemical damp proof course. Instead of injecting silicone liquid under pressure the DryRod simply leaches silthane’siloxine into the mortar course

For those who don’t know the DryRod method is a cleaner more efficient chemical damp proof course. Instead of injecting silicone liquid under pressure the DryRod simply leaches silthane’siloxine into the mortar course. The compound is drawn out of the perforated tube by the same capillary action as rising damp and it follows exactly the same path lining the capillary pathways in the bricks and mortar to form an effective barrier against damp. It is a clever idea that has proved to be the kiss of death for the old hit and miss drill and pump method that wasted materials and made your house stink for weeks.

Injecting Dryzone cream

With a 12mm SDS drill bit and a box of tubes I have cured several rising damp problems but Safeguard has a lot more products than DryRods to shout about and I wanted to delve deeper into the wonderful world of damp prevention. I signed up for their one day damp-proofing course at their headquarters in Horsham, Sussex but they have other courses and hold them regionally. They are all popular courses and I was told the actual course I wanted was fully booked on that date but I persuaded them to squeeze me in and promised not to steal anyone’s lunch.

With a 12mm SDS drill bit and a box of tubes I have cured several rising damp problems but Safeguard has a lot more products than DryRods to shout about and I wanted to delve deeper into the wonderful world of damp prevention

So there we were all nicely slotted into their their tiny training room carved out of the corner of a warehouse. It made for a very intimate gathering and we were all soon chatting freely. This was both good and bad because our anecdotes and questions about damp problems made for a very interesting morning but they put the presentation way behind schedule and I felt a bit sorry for the course instructor Damien Wallace who tried to strike a balance between our enjoyment and the need to cover the material. Luckily he has a great sense of humour and the one thing you could hear coming from that training room all morning was laughter. I imagine the guys in the warehouse wondered how anyone could get so much fun out of damp.

On the course we dealt with the various causes of damp in buildings, how to identify the type of damp and what to do about it

On the course we dealt with the various causes of damp in buildings, how to identify the type of damp and what to do about it. So often there is misdiagnoses of damp and sometimes deliberately so because the surveryors are salesmen with targets. That said many people employ specialists rather than leaving their trusted builder to solve the problem simply because they want a piece of paper to keep the mortgage surveyor happy. The good news is that builders can now offer the same paper trail. Safeguard has an agreement with Specialist Building Guarantees, to provide cover for the work of contractors but it is not their insurance and they emphasise that this is an independent guarantee. This job by job insurance is available to anyone who has completed the course.

Call me strange but I have developed a liking for this branch of building renovation and there is no shortage of work. The next course I’m going to attend at Safeguard is Damp in Basements. I am fairly sure I know a lot of it but as I found with this first course there are things you know and things you think you know. Avoiding some basic errors and specifying the correct products can save you a lot of wasted effort and I feel a lot more confident to look at damp problems and come up with answers.

www.safeguardeurope.com

About Roger Bisby

Roger Bisby is an English television presenter and journalist, known for his expertise in the British building industry.

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