Rising damp: what is the most effective solution?
Rising damp is one of the worst types of damp your home can suffer from. It is easily distinguished from other damp problems by its location and the extension of the affected wall. Not only does it damage the structure, masonry, and finishing materials of the building, but it also inevitably interferes with comfort and well-being, and can pose health problems.
But what is the best solution? The market presents numerous proposals that promise to solve this problem, but difficulties and setbacks persist.
Continue reading the article and discover our complete solution for treating rising damp.
Diagnosing rising damp
Rising damp is a term used within civil construction to indicate infiltration by capillarity of the water present both in the ground and on floors and walls.
The first sign of this problem is the appearance of small bubbles under the paintwork which, when neglected, can cause damage to the walls and paintwork and, consequently, contribute to the development of mold, mildew, and bacteria that are harmful to health.
Therefore, before making any choice, it is essential to understand the origin of this humidity and get as much information as possible about the products and solutions to be used.
First of all, the presence of rising damp should always be identified by a specialist before any repair work. Only then can he identify the key factors for solving the problem, correctly recognize the characteristics of the walls and the type of damage in order to define the most effective method of treatment. In the case of rising dampness, the repair has to take into account the salt content and the humidity of the building material, which is why it is advisable to analyze it.
One of the major risks lies in the uninformed choice of generally ineffective solutions presented by the market. On the other hand, Prudencio offers a solution that guarantees total efficiency and effectiveness: the Koster Crisin 76 System.
How rising damp destroys masonry
In a masonry affected by rising damp, water is transported upward through capillary networks and evaporates at the surface, continually renewing this cycle.This process leads to a high concentration of salts, which can have different sources.
Most of the evaporation occurs between the dry top and the wetter bottom, the area where the greatest damage to the walls occurs. When the salt-containing water evaporates in the wall, the salt crystallizes on the surface or in the pores of the material the wall or coating is made of. After a period of time of accumulation of salt crystals the pressure of crystallization increases leading to pore destruction, weakening the materials, which begin to fall.
Ice and frost have a similar effect: when water freezes in the pores, the ice crystals that are formed have a larger volume than the same amount of liquid water, which causes high pressure that can lead to the destruction of building materials.
The rising dampness causes considerable damage every year.
How to stop rising damp
There are two ways to stop rising damp:
- Block the active capillaries, that is, fill the pores completely or partially with the goal of stopping water transport (narrow or block the capillary, forming an elastic film inside)
- Hydrophilize its surfaces to make a material repellent to water so that the capillary action of the pores is stopped.
KÖSTER Crisin 76 Concentrate stops rising damp by lining the capillaries with a water repellent film. Afterwards, it narrows the pore to such an extent that capillary action becomes impossible and finally, it cures by forming a membrane along the entire diameter of the capillary tube.
Because it is a non-water-soluble system with low density, Koster Crisin 76 can enter all capillaries, even the smallest ones. Additionally, due to its hydrophobic effect, the drying process is immediately noticed on the wall, creating an active horizontal barrier right after the material is installed.
Advantages of KÖSTER Crisin 76 Concentrate
KÖSTER Crisin 76 Concentrate stops rising dampness regardless of pore structure, salt or moisture. It is a very thin liquid synthetic resin which penetrates deep into even the smallest capillaries and pores in building materials.
It is a pressure-free application system due to the nature of the resin, which was developed to surgically penetrate only the active capillaries with moisture and seal them permanently from the inside. Because it is a slow system, as it stays 7 days to absorb the resin, this solution follows the path of the water through all active capillaries, ensuring that they are filled and sealed completely and definitively. Therefore, the calculation of this system is done according to the characteristics and thicknesses of the walls.
The majority of solutions on the market are injected with high-pressure pumps. This method allows a very fast application, but it is a “blind” injection, that means that it fills large voids unnecessarily, causing waste of material, and, furthermore, it does not ensure the filling of the finest capillaries, calling into question the effectiveness of this system. In addition, it is also likely to cause major damage to the walls.
The KÖSTER System is resistant to most of the aggressive substances usually present in masonry, such as acids, alkalis, and salts, not only during application but also after full cure.
In addition to this advantage, Crisin 76 Concentrate is largely effective in parameters where competing systems usually suffer limitations, such as:
- suitable at any moisture content;
- the substrate to be treated does not need to be alkaline for the material to react.
On the other hand, competing systems are usually presented with little technical accuracy and neglect to provide information about their application and the products that compose them.
Trust us to solve rising damp of your construction site
We are exclusive representatives and applicators in Portugal of the KÖSTER brand for TPO products and systems, and we are recommended certified applicators for Crisin and negative waterproofing systems.
At Prudêncio we privilege transparency and technical superiority and, therefore, we always present accurate information about products and application techniques. In partnership with Koster, we develop unique solutions that meet the high demands of our clients.
For more information about this system please take a look at the technical sheet in the link below and contact us to clarify any doubts and request a diagnosis.
