Damp cures

News

22 February 1986

In a determined effort to reduce the miseries that condensation and damp conditions cause, the Building Research Establishment has recently produced a comprehensive audio-visual package.(*) This comprises a 60-minute presentation in either video or tape/slide format with a supporting literature package of nine summary leaflets and four BRE publications.

BRE research and field trials of some available remedies for condensation and mould, carried out in England and Scotland on estates which had a history of complaints of dampness, has led to a new understanding of the factors involved in the occurance of condensation and the ways in which they interact. In the new package BRE primarily provides building owners and their professional advisers with information on how the available remedies work in practice and guidance in selecting the most effective remedy or combination of measures for different situations. The package also indicates how to distinguish condensation from other forms of dampness (rising damp and rain penetration) and why it occurs, and reports on how the available remedies work in practice.

Because the building occupant has control of some of the major factors in the control of condensation — moisture generation, heating and ventilation — BRE has also produced a separate short video for householders. Called Condensation in the home, the video gives house-holders a simple explanation of why condensation occurs and what they can do to reduce it. It covers ways of reducing the amount of moisture produced, how and when to ventilate, the importance of heating and insulation and other actions the householder might take, such as fungicidal treatments.

(*) Remedies for condensation and mould in traditional housing. BRE, Garston, Watford, Herts WD2 7JR. £75.

Some 3m homes in the United Kingdom have condensation and mould problems. In many cases the remedies are simple and straightforward — a little more room heating or increased ventilation will often cure the problem — but there is such widespread ignorance on this matter that householders suffer needlessly. In a determined effort to reduce the miseries that condensation and damp conditions cause, the Building Research Establishment has recently produced a comprehensive audio-visual package.(*) This comprises a 60-minute presentation in either video or tape/slide format with a supporting literature package of nine summary leaflets and four BRE publications. BRE research and field trials of some available remedies for condensation and mould, carried out in England and Scotland on estates which had a history of complaints of dampness, has led to a new understanding of the factors involved in the occurance of condensation and the ways in which they interact. In the new package BRE primarily provides building owners and their professional advisers with information on how the available remedies work in practice and guidance in selecting the most effective remedy or combination of measures for different situations. The package also indicates how to distinguish condensation from other forms of dampness (rising damp and rain penetration) and why it occurs, and reports on how the available remedies work in practice. Because the building occupant has control of some of the major factors in the control of condensation — moisture generation, heating and ventilation — BRE has also produced a separate short video for householders. Called Condensation in the home, the video gives house-holders a simple explanation of why condensation occurs and what they can do to reduce it. It covers ways of reducing the amount of moisture produced, how and when to ventilate, the importance of heating and insulation and other actions the householder might take, such as fungicidal treatments. (*) Remedies for condensation and mould in traditional housing. BRE, Garston, Watford, Herts WD2 7JR. £75.