Procure Group Ltd · Northampton & surrounding areas
Penetrating Damp in Northampton
Penetrating damp is water making its way through the building fabric from outside to inside. It often appears or worsens after rainfall, and the visible damp patch is frequently some distance from the actual point of entry. Tracing the water to its source is the whole job.
Symptom, investigation, cause, repair
Our approach follows a simple discipline: start from the symptom, investigate the likely paths water could take, identify the most probable defect, and recommend a proportionate repair. The damp patch you can see is the symptom — the cause is usually a defect somewhere in the building envelope.
The defects we look for
External defects that commonly allow water ingress include:
- Cracked or hollow render
- Failed or eroded pointing
- Leaking, blocked or overflowing gutters
- Defective or disconnected downpipes
- Damaged or slipped roof coverings
- Chimney defects — failed flashings, damaged flaunching, disused flues
- Failed flashings around roofs, abutments and openings
- Porous or damaged masonry
- Failed seals and junctions around windows and doors
- Raised external ground levels above the damp-proof course
- Plumbing leaks, including overflow pipes and concealed pipework
Damp chimney breasts
Chimney breasts are a classic penetrating damp location. Water can enter through the stack, the flashings or a disused flue, and hygroscopic salts from historic soot contamination can keep the breast looking damp even after the source is fixed. A chimney breast that stays damp deserves proper investigation rather than repeated redecoration.
Proportionate repair, not blanket treatment
Many penetrating damp problems are resolved by repairing the defect — repointing, render repair, gutter and downpipe work, flashing renewal — rather than by applying internal coatings or injection systems. Where internal making-good is needed afterwards, we specify that too. The principle is always the same: stop the water at its source, then put right what it damaged.
Damp after rain? Tell us about it
Describe when the damp appears and where, and upload photographs of the affected areas inside and out. We will advise on the right next step.