It is said that 50% of the heat in a typical home is lost through the walls and roof making insulating your home  hugely important. With this in mind, the government has asked the big energy suppliers to help people save money and energy. Being one of the biggest suppliers in the UK, npower has introduced a scheme throughout the UK called ‘Health Through Warmth’ which is free if the resident is over 70, is in receipt of certain benefits or is on a certain income. The scheme has helped more than 50,000 vulnerable people and homes to get better insulation helping to prevent the likelihood of developing damp and cold related illness.

The most affected people by far are the elderly and illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, eczema and heart disease can sometimes be fatal coupled with the mental stress caused by worry about the cost of heating. This highlights that something had to be done on a large scale to protect the vulnerable and help improve the lives of thousands of people. Each case is looked at on an individual basis and funding is sought from a variety of sources  including government grants, charitable funds and the npower crisis fund which helps to finance necessary insulation and heating measures.

The recommended amount of loft insulation is 270mm and normally costs around £150 depending on the size of the house and with an annual saving of up to £170 per year it could easily pay for itself and with the added benefit of being more environmentally friendly, it really is a small price to pay for better health both for you, your family and your home.

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1. Fixing Rising Damp – Damp Course and Damp Proof Membranes
2. Home Insulation Pushes Light Subsidies to be Scrapped
3. How To Tackle Rising Damp In Your Home

Moisture in your home can also lead to damp problems and the first sign that your chimney and chimney flashing need attention can be signs of damp around the chimney breasts in your home, such as small bubbles in the paintwork at the very tops of the walls or on your ceiling which look a little like sandpaper. If you see signs such as this, you should contact an experienced roofing company who can assess your roof and the flashing itself to ensure everything is in order.

There are three main sections to the flashing which are fitted in four different sections:

1. Stepped flashing
2. Apron flashing
3. Gutter flashing

If the entire chimney flashing needs to be replaced, the professional roofer would begin by replacing the apron flashing which is fitted as a single piece attached with tacks at the bottom of the chimney stack.

The next stage would be to replace the stepped flashing which is fitted to each side of the stack. Soakers, which sit between the roof itself and the chimney and are made from zinc or lead, are covered by the stepped flashing which is inserted into the mortar at the base of the chimney stack. The stepped flashing should be sealed to ensure a waterproof finish for your flashing.

Finally gutter flashing would be installed at the top of the chimney stack which should overlap the stepped flashing creating a fully waterproofed seal.

If you need to find a reputable roofer in your local area to check whether your flashing is in need or repair or replacement, localtraders.com can help you find an experienced professional roofing company.

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The first option for fixing rising damp is to fit a damp proof course(DPC), or damp proof membrane(DPM). This creates a barrier in the wall or between the floor of your property and the ground. A number of older properties may not have a damp course or DPM as this would not have been required at the time of building.

Building regulations now dictate that sufficient protection has to be in place to prevent damp becoming a problem and the associated problems such as mould, fungus and structural damage that can occur.

Sometimes you can purchase a property and find that despite initial indications showing that a damp proof membrane has been fitted, it may not have been installed correctly and you may need to take remedial action to prevent moisture build-up in your property. The work can be quite extensive, and can be quite expensive as a result.

The ground floor of your property would need to be dug down approx 10 inches to remove any moist ground. A thick layer of hardcore would then be laid throughout the length of the affected area, which would then be topped off with builders sand to prevent any sharp edges from the hardcore from penetrating the membrane when it is installed on top.

A waterproof PVC or bitumen membrane is then laid in the floor of your property which creates a barrier that the groundwater cannot soak through. In order to ensure that, especially in older properties, there is no space around the edges for moisture to be absorbed into the bricks and mortar, the membrane should be extended into the wall itself. This helps to prevent the capillary action that causes rising damp, but in order to ensure that in older properties where the brick foundations were built directly onto the ground, that your damp problem is completely cured, installing a damp proof course is also a good idea, and I will discuss that in a further post.

The last thing you want to discover is that you go to the trouble of having floors taken up to find that your damp problems are not completely solved. For that reason it is always worthwhile consulting an experienced building professional who can advise you on the best action to be taken.

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This can and is prevented in new build homes with the installation of a damp course.  This is a membrane that is added to prevent water moving up through the masonry of your home and preventing rising damp.   This should be added to all extensions and new builds and when installed at this stage is very easy and simple to add.

Properties and extensions are well ventilated giving time for damp to dry out, the layer of protection is planned in to the design and structure and rising damp is avoided. This is proven to be the most effective method of avoiding rising damp in your home, however if you live in an older property or a property that does not have this protective damp course membrane and rising damp occurs in your home then other methods may need to be considered. Once prevention has failed, or wasn’t planned for, then cure has to be considered.

There are a number of cures for damp and rising damp and in the next article I will talk you through both damp proof course, DPC and water repellents. Both have their merits and can be used as effective rising damp treatments in your home.  These methods for treating damp require expert knowledge and experience and should not be attempted by anyone who does not know the industry.  The next article is aimed at preparing you and giving you the information you need to discuss your options with a damp proofing expert.  Localtraders.com enables you to get in touch with local reputable professional trades people for what ever work you need carrying out, let a local builder contact you to discuss what solutions he may have to treat your rising damp problems.

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1. Fixing Rising Damp – Damp Course and Damp Proof Membranes
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3. Home Improvements

A number of precautions can be taken to prevent this, such as using heat guns, salt, or a manual method, but it is far better to try and choose a warmer time of year for your new roof unless you have emergency repairs that need to be undertaken.

People often ask if they can carry out roofing work in winter if there is a spell of cold dry weather. The answer to this is simple; you can, but the finished product can be severely affected. Whether your project is a garage roof, self build or a new conservatory roof, the various materials used in constructing and finishing each type of roof have specific guidance and temperature requirements adivsing how they ideally should be fitted.  The last thing you want is for adhesives to freeze,  and roofing felt to crack and break. In addition, with steep sloping roofs, you have to be careful that the underlayment does not become brittle.

Condensation can also be a problem in winter, which occurs when warm moist air hits something cold, like the warm air in your house hitting a cold roof deck. There is an easy solution to this which is to install a vapour retarder at ceiling level. This works by trapping warm air rising from below, and preventing it hitting the bottom of the roof deck. Alternatively ensuring there is adequate ventilation in your home can prevent condensation build-up which can in turn lead to damp problems, mold and mildew.

Related posts:

1. Choosing A Professional Roofing Contractor To Repair A Leaking Roof
2. How to Avoid Burst Water Pipes in Winter
3. Cold and Damp Related Illness and How to Prevent it