DIY Home Damp Inspection: What You’ll Need and How to Start

Every responsible homeowner should take damp seriously. From structural damage to endangering health, you’d be surprised at the harm a little water can do. While hiring a surveyor to check for damp and install long-term solutions is the best way of managing this problem, it is also sensible to perform your own regular checks in case the solutions aren’t working. This short guide explains the essential tools you’ll need and how you can get started.

A Moisture Meter

A moisture meter is a simple electronic device you can use to detect damp in different surfaces around your house. They come in two main varieties, one with pins and one without. Moisture meters with pins insert small rods into surfaces and infer moisture levels from the amount of electrical resistance, while pinless meters use electromagnetic signals to detect moisture without damaging surfaces. Moisture levels of over 20% in walls and 16% in wood indicate a potential problem.

A Flashlight

There are many visible symptoms of damp, including damaged wall finishes, water stains, salt deposits, and mould patches. To make sure you can see these no matter where they are, it is important to bring a flashlight with you during your inspection to illuminate dark corners and hidden spaces. Basements, garages, inside cupboards, and spaces under the stairs often have areas with poor visibility, but it is still important to check them thoroughly.

An Optional Thermal Imaging Camera

This piece of kit is widely used by damp specialists in London and nationwide, but it is optional for home inspections. Similar to how a moisture meter uses electrical resistance to infer the presence of moisture, a thermal imaging camera does so using temperature differences. An area that is significantly cooler than its surroundings may be cooled by moisture inside. Sometimes, the difference is large enough to be noticed by touch.

See also
Warning Signs of Damp: When to Call a Damp Specialist

A Screwdriver

Damp doesn’t only affect walls and ceilings. It is also terrible for timber inside your home, as it can lead to woodworm, wet rot, and other issues. That is why it’s important to check any exposed wooden structures, and a screwdriver is a handy tool for doing so. What you want to do is check their firmness. If they have become very soft or are crumbling, this is a sign that you have a damp issue.

A Camera and Notebook

As you conduct your inspection, make a note of the moisture readings and any smells or other non-visible symptoms you notice. For the visible signs, take photos and make a note of useful information like their surface area. That way, you will have a record that you can refer back to in future, letting you know how things have progressed. This information will be useful if you later get a specialist to conduct a damp or mould survey.

Inspecting your home regularly helps ensure that damp never goes unchecked for too long, and all you need are a few simple pieces of equipment. If you do suspect that there is a damp problem in your home, call London Damp Proofing Ltd on 0208 226 6330 to start treating it today.

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