Damp Problems
Penetrating Damp
Penetrating damp is water entering a building horizontally through the walls, roof or openings: usually because something in the external fabric has failed.
What lets penetrating damp in
Unlike rising damp, penetrating damp can appear at any height on a wall and tends to correlate with wet weather. Common causes include failed or missing pointing, cracked render, defective gutters and downpipes, damaged roof coverings, and window or door openings with failed seals or flashings. In Yorkshire's older stone and solid-wall properties, repointing condition is a particularly common factor.
Common signs to look out for
Damp patches that appear or worsen after heavy rain
Staining at any height on a wall, not just near the floor
Damp directly below a section of damaged roof, gutter or flashing
Cracked, loose or missing external render or pointing
Damp around window or door reveals
A localised patch rather than damp spread evenly across a wall
Because the cause is usually external, tracing penetrating damp means inspecting the building's exterior fabric: not just the affected room inside.
How We Help
How DAMPCORE traces and fixes penetrating damp
Tracing the actual entry point is the key step: treating the internal symptom without fixing the external cause means the damp simply returns.
- An external inspection of render, pointing, gutters, downpipes and roof detailing
- Internal moisture readings to map where the damp is concentrated
- Repair or renewal of the failed detail: repointing, render repair, guttering, or flashing as needed
- Internal drying and, where necessary, re-plastering once the source has been resolved
What our customers say
“Very methodical. Outside of the house was checked as thoroughly as inside, which sounds obvious but the previous person we'd had round hadn't done that. They found defective pointing and an issue around the rainwater pipe that lined up almost exactly with the damp internally.”
Ian · Knaresborough
“We contacted DAMPCORE regarding damp affecting the rear of our Victorian terrace. The diagnosis was clear, the quotation matched the work subsequently undertaken and communication throughout was excellent. Very pleased with the result.”
Richard · Fulford, York
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Frequently asked questions
Is penetrating damp the same as rising damp?
Why does the damp patch only appear after rain?
Will repointing alone fix it?
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