Wall injection to combat rising damp: The permanent damp-proofing solution for your home

Rising damp is a persistent damp problem in which groundwater rises through the foundations and walls of your home. This is caused by capillary action: the porous bricks and mortar act like a sponge, drawing ground moisture up into the walls of your home. The damp problem always starts on the ground floor and can rise to between 1 and 1.5 metres above the floor.

The main causes of rising damp

• A missing or damaged damp-proof course: many Flemish homes built before the 1980s do not have a modern, physical damp-proof course. In older homes, an existing damp-proof course may also have been compromised due to wear and tear or subsidence.
• High groundwater level: high groundwater or soil pressure around your home’s foundations increases the upward suction force exerted on the brickwork.
• Contact between the wall and the ground: a raised terrace, landscaped gardens or soil lying above the original water barrier create a direct route for damp to enter your home.

How do you recognise rising damp?

Because rising damp When it comes from deep within, the signs are very recognisable.

• Damage at the bottom of the walls: damp patches, discolouration or mould which start only at the bottom of the internal or external wall.
• Damage to the walls: peeling paint, blisters in the wallpaper, crumbling plaster and loose skirting boards.
• White salt efflorescence: powdery, white salt stains on the wall, also known as saltpetre should be mentioned. Groundwater naturally contains mineral salts which, after evaporation, remain in the brickwork and plaster of your wall, where they continue to expand.
• Poor indoor air quality: the presence of a persistent musty odour, muggy air and condensation on the windows.

The impact on your home and health

Ignoring rising damp entails risks.

• Structural damage: the brickwork and the joints in your walls become weakened. This can also cause wooden floor joists, load-bearing structures and skirting boards to rot.
• Health risks: damp walls provide the ideal breeding ground for black moulds and house dust mites, which can lead to respiratory conditions, allergies and asthma.
• Higher energy bill: Damp walls lose their insulating properties. To maintain the same temperature in your home, you have to turn the heating up much higher and therefore use more energy.

Injecting walls is an effective solution for moisture control During which one of our experts drills holes at regular intervals at the base of the internal or external wall, just above the floor. A high-quality, water-repellent gel is injected into these drill holes. The injection gel then penetrates deep into the pores of the bricks and mortar, where it hardens, forming a continuous, elastic and permanent horizontal water barrier that permanently blocks rising groundwater.

• No major demolition work: unlike when cutting into walls, where the walls have to be partially sawn through, the building structure remains intact with wall injection Completely intact. No major cutting or breaking is required.
• Most cost-effective method: as implementation is quick and does not require any major building work, labour and material costs are lower than with alternative methods for to treat rising damp.
• Permanent, lifelong protection: The damp-proof injection gel does not degrade and remains active within the masonry of your walls at all times. Injecting the walls is an effective damp-proofing treatment that will protect your home for decades.
• Carried out quickly and effectively: most injection works are completed by our experts within one working day. This means your home remains fully habitable throughout the works.
• Suitable for any wall: whether solid brick walls, hollow blocks, natural stone or cavity walls – with the right injection technique and preparation, almost any wall can be successfully treated treated to prevent rising damp.
• Immediate prevention of structural damage: once the damp barrier has been installed using wall injection, no further ground moisture can penetrate your home. Injecting your walls stops further deterioration of the brickwork, the wooden floor joists and plastering from your walls straight away.Restoring the insulation performance: dry walls insulate your home better than damp walls. By stopping rising damp, heat loss is reduced and you’ll see immediate savings on your energy bill.
• Safe and environmentally friendly: modern injection gels are odourless, solvent-free and do not release any harmful substances into your home. They offer a safe solution to damp problems for people, your pets and the environment.

A high-quality wall injection requires precision and expertise. At AquaConsult, we follow a step-by-step plan for a damp-free home without problems caused by rising damp.

1. Free damp assessment: our experts carry out an on-site inspection a thorough and free damp survey They will assess the type of wall in your home and only draw up a treatment plan once 100% has established that it is a case of rising damp goes.
2. Professional and dust-free drilling: just above floor level, our experts drill holes every 10 to 12 centimetres at the exact depth determined to resolve the damp problem once and for all. Our experts then thoroughly vacuum up all the drilling dust so that the injection grout can bond effectively with the pores of the wall.
3. Choosing a premium injection gel: we work exclusively with a high-quality, hydrophobic injection gel. This injection gel differs from other liquid treatment products in that it does not seep out through the cracks in your walls and spreads in a controlled manner within the pores of the brickwork.
4. Controlled injection: the injection hose is inserted right to the back of the borehole and is slowly withdrawn once the hydrophobic gel has been injected. This ensures perfect dosing and creates an unbroken, horizontal water barrier along the entire wall.
5. Controlled drying: the moisture barrier that has been installed immediately prevents any new groundwater from rising. The existing ground moisture evaporates gradually, at a rate of one month’s drying time for every two centimetres of wall thickness.
6. Salt-resistant after-treatment: we also advise and assist with the finishing of your walls after they have been injected, by removing damaged plaster and replace and to use salt-resistant dimpled membranes to achieve a durable and breathable end result.

The professional injecting your walls at rising damp delivers an immediate and, above all, permanent result for both your home, your health as well as your wallet.

• A permanent solution to damp damage: the treated walls dry out gradually, meaning that peeling paint, blisters under your wallpaper, loose skirting boards and crumbling plaster are a thing of the past.
• A healthier living environment: by completely sealing off the source of damp, any potential fungi with their mould spores and dust mites. Treating your walls against rising damp improves indoor air quality and reduces the risk of allergies, asthma and respiratory infections.
• Lower energy bill: damp walls conduct cold more effectively than dry walls and therefore lose their insulating properties. Dry walls retain heat much more effectively, which reduces heat loss and leads to immediate savings on your energy bills.
• Protection of the building structure: stopping rising damp prevents the wooden beams, floors and skirting boards in your home from rotting. It also ensures that the brickwork and pointing remain intact in the long term.
• Elimination of musty odours: the characteristic, damp and musty odour that has been present in the home for quite some time disappears completely, giving way to fresh and healthy indoor air.
• Improved living comfort: dry walls no longer radiate cold into your home, meaning that living spaces warm up more quickly and feel more comfortable.
• Retention of value and appreciation of the property: a property that is completely free of moisture problems, retains the market value, performs better in MOT tests and is much more attractive should it ever be sold.
• Long-term financial peace of mind: thanks to our quality guarantee you’ll be protected against recurring damp problems and avoid repeated and costly damp-proofing works.