Home is the place where we come to rest from a busy day. A he althy microclimate allows us to fully restore mental and physical strength by the next morning. But what to do when high humidity is felt in the rooms, and mold has appeared 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 high humidity appears for a reason.
"How to get rid of the smell of dampness in the house?" is one of the most common questions. The first step is to find the cause and location of this problem.
If we imagine a house as a structure, then several possible sources stand out:
- foundation;
- walls;
- roof;
- plumbing wiring;
- ventilation.
Let's take a closer look at each type of construction, communication, reasons that can lead to moisture, andalso how to get rid of dampness in the house.
Foundation
The main problem of private housing is the violation of construction technology:
- Lack of geodetic survey. The result is an incorrectly selected type of base design.
- Poor-quality 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.
- No vents. 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 Supply and exhaust ventilation must be provided. Its absence can lead to increased humidity in this room, which will later be transferred to the entire structure. They also provide waterproofing and insulation of the subfloor ceiling.
- Closed occurrence of groundwater.
- Plumbing wiring can cause high humidity. Excessive condensation, system leakage.
As you can see, there can be many reasons, let's figure out how to get rid of dampness in the basement of the house.
Eliminating moisture due to foundation problems
The integrity of the foundation is supported by its waterproofing, its violation leads to the destruction of the foundation.
Therefore, his examination allows you to determine the causeoccurrence of moisture. Research to be done:
- The presence of vents on each side of the building. 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 underground space.
- Underground The first is the presence of supply and exhaust ventilation. If it's missing, it needs to be done. Two holes are punched on opposite walls. One pipe is lowered 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 outside. To prevent moisture from penetrating from the underground into the house, the ceiling is waterproofed and insulated. In this case, maximum sealing should be achieved. It is carried out using mounting foam.
- If the building does not have a subfloor, then you will have to make pits to inspect the foundation. This will allow you to make a qualitative assessment. If cracks are found, the lack of waterproofing, it will be necessary to carry out a major restoration. Only high-quality sealing of cracks and waterproofing will help to cope with the problem of how to get rid of dampness in the house.
- Plumbing wiring. Another reason for the appearance of moisture. They make a complete revision of communications and, if necessary, insulate, seal, change.
- Lack of ebbs, storm system. Leads to the accumulation of moisture near the foundation, whichprovokes its early destruction. This protection should be provided for the base.
Walls
There are not many causes of dampness associated with this type of construction:
- Depressurization of heating. A leak with hidden wiring is not always detected.
- No hood. It is especially critical in rooms with an aggressive environment: bath, toilet, kitchen.
- Insufficient thickness of partitions, including capital ones. Causes condensation on their surfaces, windows during the cold season.
- Destruction, cracks.
As a rule, the integrity of the walls depends primarily on the quality of the foundation and roof. But consider how to get rid of dampness in the house, if the walls are the main place of its appearance.
Eliminating 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 failed. 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, destruction, they are covered with plaster.
When 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 activity. For such cases, you can use dehumidifiers that will reduce the level of humidity 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, it indicates that it is time to examine the roof.
First, determine if there is a gutter on the roof and whether it is intact. Looking at the roof. They 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 related to the roof.
Remove moisture due to roof problems
There are two main reasons:
- Gutter - a properly installed system serves to drain precipitation from the roof. This protects the walls and foundation from their impact. You should know that the drain is made with a slope, and all parts are hermetically connected. Water must be diverted to a 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 condensation 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. He will helpcompetently eliminate shortcomings.
We looked at how to get rid of dampness in the house, depending on the walls, foundation, roof, communications. But there are features of dealing with high humidity, depending on the material from which the building was built.
How to get rid of dampness in a wooden house
Such buildings can collapse due to high humidity. Wood under the influence of water begins to rot, a fungus and mold form. Therefore, at the slightest manifestation of moisture, it is worth looking for the cause and eliminating it urgently.
To the previously listed features of the fight against dampness, you can add a number of typical for wooden housing:
- Foundation. The gasket 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 with the help of an additional ventilation device, which must be mounted so that moisture is not transferred to neighboring rooms.
- Middle seams. If during construction this stage is poorly produced, then moisture may also appear. In such cases, the places are treated with antiseptics and caulked, achieving maximum sealing.
- Humidity in the short period after construction. One of the factors is uncured lumber. Such structures are subject to greater shrinkage than structures made of quality wood. This can cause cracks and gaps that lead to drafts and dampness. Shouldmake a major drying of the entire structure.
If, nevertheless, the wood began to darken, this is an occasion to make a quality drying of the building. This is done in the summer, as it is desirable that the temperature inside the building and outside is the same. Next, blackened areas are cleaned and treated with special compounds.
The smell of dampness in a wooden house, which is quite difficult to get rid of, can also appear if used improperly. It is impossible to dry wet clothes in such buildings. It is better to provide for this place on the street. High-quality sealing of the bathroom and toilet should be made.
How to get rid of dampness in a brick house
All of the above measures will help to cope with dampness in a brick building. But if the masonry has ever been exposed to a lot of water, then it must be dried. Sometimes this requires jointing and sealing with a new solution. 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, wallpaper peeling off.
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 poor-quality construction work. Each stage of the construction of private housing must be completed according totechnology. Otherwise, the appearance of moisture will lead not only to a violation of the he althy microclimate of housing, but also to the early destruction of the entire structure.