The house is the place where we come to rest from a busy day. A healthy microclimate allows us to fully restore mental and physical strength by the next morning. But what to do when the rooms feel high humidity, and mold appears on the walls and ceiling ? How to get rid of dampness in the house? Let's take a closer look.
Sources of moisture
It should be understood that increased humidity appears for a reason.
"How to get rid of the smell of dampness in the house?" - one of the most common questions. First of all, you should find the cause and place of occurrence of this problem.
If you imagine the house as a structure, then several possible sources are highlighted:
- foundation;
- walls;
- roof;
- plumbing;
- ventilation.
Let us consider in more detail each type of structure, communication, reasons that can lead to moisture, as well as how to get rid of dampness in the house.
Foundation
The main problem of private housing is a violation of construction technology:
- Lack of geodetic research. Result - the type of construction of the base is incorrectly selected.
- Poor waterproofing of the base leads to moisture penetration. A distinctive feature of concrete is its good ability to absorb water. Therefore, it is recommended to pay special attention to the waterproofing of the foundation during construction work.
- Lack of perfumes. Such devices must be present in the house. They are sources of natural ventilation of the underground space.
- Destruction of the base, the appearance of cracks, violation of waterproofing.
- Underground. The ventilation must be arranged. Its absence can lead to increased humidity of this room, which will subsequently be transferred to the entire structure. Also provide waterproofing and ceiling insulation of the floor.
- Close occurrence of groundwater.
- Plumbing may cause moisture. Excessive condensation, leaking system.
As you can see, there can be many reasons, we will figure out how to get rid of the damp in the basement of the house.
Removing moisture due to foundation problems
The integrity of the foundation is supported by its waterproofing, its violation leads to the destruction of the base.
Therefore, his examination allows you to determine the cause of moisture. Research to be done:
- The presence of vents on each side of the structure. Their absence will lead to the formation of dampness. If this is the reason, then you will have to open the floor in stages and make vents on each wall. This will provide the required natural ventilation of the underfloor space.
- Underground. The first is the presence of supply and exhaust ventilation. If it is absent, it must be done. Two holes are made on opposite walls. One pipe falls to the floor at a distance of 200-300 mm from it, the second is mounted under the ceiling space. The second is the close occurrence of groundwater. Only high-quality waterproofing can save such a foundation from destruction and the appearance of moisture. Moreover, it must be done both inside and out. So that moisture does not penetrate from the subfloor into the house, the ceiling is waterproofed and insulated. In this case, maximum sealing should be achieved. It is carried out by means of polyurethane foam.
- If the subfloor is not provided for in the building, then it will be necessary to make pits to examine the foundation. This will allow a qualitative assessment. If cracks are found, lack of waterproofing, it will be necessary to carry out a major restoration. Only high-quality crack sealing and waterproofing will help to cope with the problem of how to get rid of dampness in the house.
- Plumbing wiring. Another cause of moisture. They make a complete audit of the communications and, if necessary, insulate, seal, change.
- Lack of ebbs, storm system. It leads to the accumulation of moisture near the foundation, which provokes its early destruction. This protection should be provided for the foundation.
Walls
There are not many causes of dampness associated with this type of construction:
- Depressurization of heating. Leakage with hidden wiring is not always detected.
- Lack of hoods. It is especially critical in rooms with an aggressive environment: bath, toilet, kitchen.
- Insufficient thickness of partitions, including capital ones. It causes condensation on their surfaces, windows in the cold season.
- Destruction, cracks.
As a rule, the integrity of the walls depends primarily on the quality of the foundation and roof. But we will consider how to get rid of dampness in the house, if the main place of its appearance is the walls.
Removing moisture due to wall problems
First of all, they revise the existing ventilation systems, their performance. Check with a lit match or candle. Fluctuation or attenuation of the flame indicates that the system is working. If the fire does not fluctuate, then the hood has malfunctioned. Accordingly, it must be cleaned. Especially important is the performance of forced ventilation of the bathroom, kitchen.
If the main condensate accumulates on the walls, they are insulated using waterproofing. They make insulation of either the facade or internal surfaces. For an additional waterproofing effect,
latex putties are used. As for cracks, fractures, they are covered with plaster.
If a heating leak is detected, it is eliminated, wet surfaces are dried using heating,
natural ventilation. It all depends on the scale of the disaster. Note that moisture also accumulates from human activities. For such cases,
air dryers can be used to reduce the humidity level in the room.
Roof
Very often problems with the appearance of moisture are associated with the roof. This can be determined by the location of the spot. If it appears on the ceiling, at the top of the wall, this suggests that it is time to examine the roof.
To begin with, it is determined whether there is a gutter on the roof and whether it is intact. View the roof. Find out if there is destruction, whether waterproofing, insulation is done. Below we will look at how to get rid of dampness in a private house, if it is connected with the roof.
Removing moisture due to roof problems
Two main reasons can be distinguished:
- Gutter - a properly mounted system is used to remove rainfall from the roof. This protects the walls and foundation from their effects. You should know that the drain is made with a slope, and all parts are hermetically connected. Water should be discharged into the storm system.
- Roof. According to the technology, the roof should have double waterproofing, insulation, a gap for natural ventilation of the under-roof space (this is the place where condensate most often forms). To assess the condition of the roof, it is better to contact a specialist who will determine the quality of the materials and whether they are installed correctly. It will help to correctly eliminate the shortcomings.
We examined how you can get rid of the dampness in the house, depending on the walls, foundation, roof, communications. But there are features of the fight against high humidity, depending on the material from which the building was erected.
How to get rid of dampness in a wooden house
Such structures may collapse due to increased humidity. Wood under the influence of water begins to rot, a fungus, mold is formed. Therefore, it is worthwhile, at the slightest manifestation of moisture, to look for the cause and eliminate it urgently.
To the previously mentioned features of the fight against dampness, we can add a number of characteristics characteristic of wooden housing:
- Foundation. The laying between the base and the walls is made of two components: larch and waterproofing material. If the technology is broken, dampness will appear. This problem is solved by using an additional ventilation device, which must be mounted so that moisture is not transmitted to neighboring rooms.
- Interventional seams. If during the construction of this stage poorly produced, then moisture may also appear. In such cases, places are treated with antiseptics and caulked, reaching maximum sealing.
- Humidity in the short period after construction. One of the factors is unprocessed lumber. Such structures are subject to greater shrinkage than structures made of quality wood. This can trigger cracks and gaps that lead to drafts and dampness. Overhaul of the entire structure should be carried out.
If, however, the wood began to darken, this is an occasion to produce high-quality drying of the building. This is done in the summer, as it is desirable that the temperature inside the building and outside be the same. Then blackened areas are cleaned and processed with special compounds.
The smell of dampness in a wooden house, which is quite difficult to get rid of, can also appear with improper use. It is impossible to dry wet clothes in such buildings. It is better to provide for this a place on the street. It is necessary to make high-quality sealing of the bathroom and toilet.
How to get rid of damp in a brick house
All the measures listed above will help to cope with dampness in a brick building. But if the masonry has been exposed to water for at least once, then it must be dried. Sometimes this requires joint stitching and repair with a new mortar. If the brick walls are not dried in a timely manner, then in winter they will freeze, which will significantly reduce the heat in the building. In advanced cases, frost may appear, peeling wallpaper.
Reviews
According to numerous reviews, the main reason for the appearance of moisture in old private housing is the lack of ventilation of the underground space, the violation of the waterproofing of the foundation.
The main problem is related to low-quality construction work. Each stage of the construction of private housing should be performed according to technology. Otherwise, the appearance of humidity will lead not only to a violation of the healthy microclimate of the housing, but also to an early destruction of the entire structure.