Basic facts about building materials / building defects
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Mar 01, 2013
Efflock to prevent rising damp
Photograph showing rising damp and subsequent salt attack below DPC level. Rising damp is a destructive phenomenon in buildings. It is common knowledge that damp very quickly will create rot in structural timbers such as bearers and joists, and therefore a DPC (damp proof course) is provided to prevent such damage. A modern DPC is typically a black embossed polythene roll that is laid out directly beneath ant-capping, or just below finished ground floor level. In the past, DPCs have been made of lead, slate, malthoid, and sometimes special bricks. What is not usually considered, is that rising damp can...