What is Penetrating Damp in a nutshell?

Properties require regular maintenance otherwise the weather will start to get the upperhand.

A blocked gutter or a broken down pipe soon allows moisture into the building, which permeates the structure, resulting in timber decay to built in timbers and damp plasterwork.

Over time pointing becomes defective and this allows ingress of the elements, perhaps resulting in a spalling effect. Instead of repointing people often to decide to paint over their brickwork. This is fine for a few years but soon the paint cracks and allows the rain to penetrate. Due to the paint any moisture within cannot dry out quickly and will start to build up. This moisture during the winter months freezes and expands somewhat resulting in the paint lifting/flaking. cracking up more, thereby allowing more ingress. This effect also happens if one has rendered over the brickwork.

During rain any moisture bricks may absorb evaporates soon after its stopped, problems only arise if one covers them up and/or does not keep up with any repairs to pointing and such.

Penetrating damp i.e. ingress of the elements can in time cause severe dampness of plasterwork wet rot, dry rot, a gradual deterioration of a building. Plants, such as buddleia start to grow, their roots splitting the brickwork. Ivy may start to cover the building thereby restricting moisture evaporation.

To save possible great expense in the future it pays to make good your pointing, sills, brickwork, down pipes, guttering, window frames, lower high exterior ground levels and any faults to the roof of course.