Protect Your Home from Winter Damp with These Tips

Cold and flu viruses aren’t the only unwelcome house guests that crop up during winter. When temperatures drop, instances of damp rise in UK homes. Left untreated, damp can cause health problems and result in eye-wateringly expensive repairs. And although it can be fairly simple to treat in mild cases, it’s better avoided altogether. Here’s how you can defend your home against damp this winter.

Boost Ventilation

Viruses spread easily during winter because people spend more time confined indoors with others. Staying inside with windows and doors shut is also one of the reasons damp is more prevalent in winter too. All the time we are inside and doing things like breathing, sweating, cooking, and bathing, we are creating humid air that cannot escape. When this air hits a cold surface like a wall or window, condensation forms, making the surface damp.

The easiest way to avoid this is to let that humid air escape. Opening your windows for a few minutes each day can help, as can using extractor fans and dehumidifiers.

Keep the Temperature Constant

Condensation forms when humid air touches a surface that has a lower temperature than the air itself. The condensation solutions above work by removing the air before it can do that, but you can also make sure the surfaces in your home are not cold. That means maintaining a steady moderate temperature all day instead of letting your heating switch off and on. Good insulation also helps, as does keeping furniture away from radiators so their heat disperses more evenly.

Check Your Roof and Gutters

Damp can also be caused by water getting inside your house from outside. This is known as penetrating damp, and it caused by rain or melting snow and ice during winter. The best way to prevent it is to ensure any possible entry points, like broken or missing roof tiles, are repaired, and that gutters and pipes are unclogged so they can deposit water a sufficient distance from your home.

Brick-wall penetrating damp can also be an issue. This often enters through cracks on the exterior walls, so make sure these are properly sealed, along with the edges of your windows and doors.

Inspect Internal Plumbing

Water expands when it freezes, and cold weather can cause pipes to contract. That’s not a good mix, and it could lead to leaks which let moisture into your home. Regularly inspect any visible piping throughout the winter, in areas such as under the sink and behind the washing machine and toilet. Also pay attention to your water bill. An unexpected rise could be a sign of a hidden leak.

Ensure Your Basement is Waterproof

Waterproofing for basements is essential because being underground puts them at a high risk of damp and flooding, and they are often poorly ventilated too. If your basement has not undergone tanking or Sika rendering, it is wise to get it done before winter.

By taking the steps suggested here, you can help minimise the chance of damp disrupting your festive season. But for guaranteed solutions, it is better to go to the experts. Call London Damp Proofing Ltd on 0208 226 6330 today to learn more about protecting your home.