Long term damp issue

By: admin | Posted on: May 22, 2020

Easy damp survey today. After having previous damp repairs carried out to their property that have subsequently failed, they decided to try and find a damp specialist surveyor that actually wants to eliminate issues before coming to a conclusion of why there is a damp problem.

In this instance the previous surveys, and works were more of a quote to repair a visual damp issue. Unfortunately no drains were tested or leak detection tests were carried out, so the same conclusion was given, and that was to install a dpc (damp proof course).

I tend to find there can also be at least a couple of things that always need to be rectified, but in this instance there was one issue. Because the cupboard was full to the brim the previous damp specialists failed to inspect inside the cupboard where the rising water main was. There was a small leak on this, but it wasn’t visible in the cupboard because of the vinyl floor covering. I also did drill a full gravimetric profile just to prove if there were no hygroscopic salts present, which would be indicative of long term genuine rising damp issues.

Top tip

Expect to pay for a damp survey, and expect to have an invasive survey where plaster samples are removed from the wall, and tested following the methodology in BRE DIGEST 245. It’s always prudent to have a drain CCTV survey to check for any defective drain issues, and even possibly a leaking mains water pipe.

If you need a damp survey where you want to be sure all issues are eliminated, to offer a long term solution give us a shout 🙂


Tracing leaks

By: admin | Posted on: January 7, 2020

It doesn’t matter how clever you think you are, or how much building experience you have, you need specialist kit to help you get fast and correct diagnosis when it comes to leaks. This property had been recently renovated and waterproofed by a developer. The waterproofing should have been a Type C system really rather than a Type A, and had failed because damp issues were visible. On opening up the building we noted the works were not carried out by an averagely competent specialist, and it appeared that there were issues with drainage etc. On checking with our drain cameras we noted the connections were leaking, when the new pipe met the old, and there was a leaking old galvanised water pipe. These pipes were replaced with new, as in the longterm we needed to be sure this property would be free from issues like this again.

Drain survey


Flood restoration

By: admin | Posted on: January 7, 2020

As you can imagine when there has been an escape of water, or a flood at your property it can be very upsetting for the whole family. Sometimes people have forgot to pay the insurance premium, or for some reason the insurance won’t pay out. Sometimes the insurers will just pay flat rate for drying equipment to a specialist drying company, which means they will put the cheapest kit into dry the property, which i’ve known to take months.

Where does Complete Preservations service differ?

Well we use the Corroventa ESX range which is well known to be the leading Company when it comes to drying equipment. The days of huge refrigerant dehumidifiers, and air blowers trying to evaporate and capture moisture for weeks on end are over. The system we use is a tented desiccant system, which basically means we tent the area off with plastic sheeting as tight to the floor or wall as possible to reduce the actual area in size. So instead of drying the whole room, were just drying the wall, or floor that is wet. The system we use also comes with real time data loggers where we can control the dehumidifiers remotely from our office etc, or even our mobile phone. The insurance company can also be a guest on the system so they can see how the area in question is drying down, which is a completely transparent service. The below picture shows the Corroventa desiccant with a 50mm pipe blowing warm dry air into the plastic sheeting covering the kitchen floor where a leak occurred because of a defective cold feed.

The below pictures shows the plastic sheeting that is essentially reducing the size of the area thats being dried. This is the tenting off, over the concrete floor.

We normally dry buildings down on a fixed price. This means we want to get it dry as fast as we can to get you back into your property ASAP.

Have you been told you need to move out of the property whilst the drying is being carried out? Can you not put up with the constant noise of the fans and dehumidifiers? With our systems in place you can still live in the property most of the time. Even if the floor needs to be dried we can lay ply floor boards over the floor, and as long as there is a small gap we can use this to dry your floor. Perhaps this doesn’t seem ideal, but many people choose this over moving into a hotel or temporary accommodation. Our drying equipment is very quiet, we also have quiet modes that slow the desiccant down, and we can even set it be quiet at certain times like night time when you need some sleep.

If you need help with getting your house dried down fast give us a shout.


Leak detection

By: admin | Posted on: January 7, 2020

Have you got a damp problem that you can’t figure out? I find many people don’t even consider a leaking pipe buried within a solid floor. Most people are under the assumption that the alleged damp is just simply rising damp. I have also found that home owners have had a number of free surveys and are convinced they actually need a new chemical damp proof course. It’s not until naive people have spent several thousands of pounds on damp proofing that they they contact us to help them out, as they still have a problem.

Locating Water Leaks using advanced electroacoustic ground mics

When a pressurised water pipe leaks the water flows out which causes the pipe and surrounding material (mud, concrete tarmac) to vibrate. This sound, or vibration, is transmitted along the pipe (structure borne water leak noise) and through the surrounding material (ground borne water leak noise). 

With the Aquaphon A200 ground mic set listening for these water leak noises is now easier than ever before.

If you have a possible leak and need some help give us a shout…..