How to Damp Proof a Cellar: Complete Guide
If you have a cellar in your home, you might be concerned that it could be a cause for damp in your home. If you notice there is a lot of moisture, mould, or coldness on your ground floor internal walls, then it might be that you’ve got a problem in your cellar. Therefore, you will need to damp-proof the area to prevent further damage to your property. In this article, we’ll look at how to damp-proof your cellar and why it is so important.
Establish the Source of the Damp
The first step in any damp proofing project is to ensure that you can identify the source of the damp. There are many places where damage from poor damp proofing can be seen. A complete look at your building surveying your bedrooms, floors, and walls is highly effective at determining where the source of the damp is coming from.
When dealing with cellars, the problem is caused by water entering your building, but it could be caused by a range of problems including the earth surrounding the structure or a neighbouring cellar. Small cracks in the stone walls can sometimes go unnoticed but are causing significant damage to your property and being the source of poor health in the home.
The best start is to consider hiring a professional damp-proof expert who can correctly identify what is causing the issue. They’ll be able to identify the cause and what it will take to rectify the issue. The expert will look at all the floors, walls, and patches of damp in the home and cellar to correctly ascertain what the true cause is. And they’ll be able to answer any questions you might have at the time of the survey.
Stop Moisture Build-up
To start the damp-proof process you need to stop condensation from building up inside the home. If the survey has found that there is a condensation build-up in the home, then you will take action quickly. This will likely be the case if you notice the colours on your walls fading or you notice large patches of black mould in the home.
Ventilation is often the best form of protection, allowing for warm, humid air to be taken out of the cellar. Most causes of high moisture in the cellar are because they’re heated and the warm air is then meeting the cold outside air. But your surveyor should be able to help you here and it should be on the report page you receive from the surveyor’s team.
Install Proper Cellar Damp Proof
Once you’ve stopped the cellar from getting too wet, you can look at a range of options to protect it from future damage. Installing proper cellar damp proofing is easy and highly effective.
You can ask your damp proof expert about this when they come to inspect your home. They should be able to give you a cost and tell you how long installation will take on your home.
If you’re thinking that you might change the function of the cellar, it is best to talk to your damp-proofing expert at this time. Therefore, they can consider the ramifications and whether further action would be needed for the cellar.
There are three cellar damp-proof options. The first is Type A Waterproofing, where a waterproof slurry is applied to your cellar walls. It is quick and easy, but regulations state that two forms of waterproofing may be needed for a below-ground structure. Type B Waterproofing is when the structure is built out of materials that prevent flooding. However, an older home with a cellar isn’t designed to be adjusted to use this type of waterproofing.
Finally, there is Type C Waterproofing, which is a drainage system, which to pass regulations might need to be used in your cellar.
Maintenance
Once you’ve got your place damp-proofed, you need to maintain the damp-proof options. A regular inspection by a damp-proof expert is the best option here. They’ll check for signs of damage to the damp proofing as well as any signs of mould or damp in the home.
Final Word
If you’ve got a cellar, it is best to ensure that you get it checked to ensure that it is damp-proofed. Leaving it too late can cause significant damage to your home and perhaps cause illness. Getting a professional damp surveyor can be a good first step to ensuring your cellar is damp-proof.
Sam Fitzgerald is the founder of Advanced Damp and a working damp and structural waterproofing surveyor with over 12 years of experience diagnosing and treating moisture problems in residential and commercial properties across London and the South East. He is FODCS certified (a Federation of Damp Certified Surveyor) and a member of the Federation of Damp. His hands-on work covers rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation, basement waterproofing to BS 8102, and thermal imaging surveys, and he has personally completed over 400 damp surveys across properties of every type and age. Everything he writes draws directly from jobs he has carried out. He does not write about treatments, products or causes he has not dealt with first-hand in the field.
