PCA Live Webinars - Hidden Dampness – How unsuspecting surveyors can be caught out! Reviews

4.9 Rating 41 Reviews

About Property Care Association:

The Property Care Association is the trade association representing building specialists to promote high standards of professionalism and expertise within the sectors represented through training, exams, qualifications and other support services.

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Posted 1 year ago

“Engaging and informative”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Very useful and well presented by a knowledgable presenter.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“A timely reminder of the need to look at dampness in the round, rather than simply dealing with the obvious problem. Diagnosis of dampness is no longer a quick prod around the base of a building with an electrical meter leading to a diagnosis of rising damp. Rising damp exists, though it is not as common as used to be claimed. A holistic approach to diagnosis, as has long been adopted by thorough surveyors, needs to be used as a routine (it has been in BS/BRE/PCA documents since at least the early 1980s). Diagnosis should firstly consider the building being inspected, its age, construction, orientation, environment, alterations, and anything else relevant. Inspection tools are first and foremost a surveyor's eyes and brain, supplemented by instruments (moisture meters, hygrometer, surface and infra-red thermometers, possibly a thermal imaging camera, and general housebreaking kit to open up as necessary). The limitations of equipment should be appreciated by surveyors/users. Following the trail is a well-known phrase, but what does it mean? A damp patch behind the headboard of a bed and mould growth at skirting board level suggests a condensation problem in a bungalow, but a wider inspection identified swelling of damp board material in the area, damp carpet and rusty gripper rod. A wet solid floor edge, and notable tail-off of dampness away from the wall, confirmed by thermal imaging, coupled with external efflorescence below dpc level, suggested an additional moisture source, possibly an internal plumbing leak. A subsequent inspection by a heating engineer confirmed a leak, rectified at low cost. The mould was a by-product of the leak, not the major cause of dampness. Condensation still needed to be controlled, however. In a new block of flats, with a block and beam floor, dry lined on tracking, ground floor flats showed dampness at perimeter wall/floor junctions, with mould growth. Extractor fans were found to generate poor air flow rates, and internal doors were not adequately undercut. Thermal imaging showed cold spots at the base of walls, and an additional endoscope inspection of the wall cavity found gaps due to poor fitting of Cavity Wall Insulation (CWI). Referring back to the builder resulted in the CWI installer revisiting and improving the installation. The recent Joint Position Statement (JPS) is a welcome addition to existing guidance, showing a common approach which should be present in a competent inspection.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“I found the webinar to be very informative. It highlighted some very important issues that need to be considered before jumping to a conclusion.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Neil Marsden as usual excellent presenting skills. Well done very informative. Shane Bond, Regional Building Surveyor @ Livewest”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Neil gave an excellent presentation which looks deeper into the ways that sometimes, everything is not as clear cut and straight forward as it first appears. It was good to see the use of the thermal imaging camera during the diagnosis, we have had a Flir 1 for about 3 years now and wouldn't be without it. Well done Neil and the PCA team.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“Very clear and practical advice to avoid mis-diagnosis and overreacting to damp issues.”

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Posted 1 year ago