Your health can be badly harmed by building moisture in the home, which can lead to a variety of issues like skin disease, asthma, & bronchitis.
We refer to dampness as a state of atmospheric or water-based moisture.
A building or other structure must be dry to the touch as one of the fundamental standards of good construction.
The building’s walls, roofs, and floors shouldn’t allow moisture to enter.
The damage that occurs in the building and its parts is caused by moisture getting inside through the cracks in the walls, roofs and floors, which creates unsanitary conditions.
Prevention of moisture from getting into the structure is therefore necessary.
Every building needs to be moisture-resistant.
In order to design a successful building, it’s crucial to take damp proofing into account both during the planning phase and throughout building.
Causes of building moisture
Poor-quality materials for construction
- Most building materials, including cement, brick, and plaster, have interrelated holes inside them.
- Water finds a way to enter these holes when these substances are in contact with water.
- Also, capillary forces help this water flow in another direction, which results in dampness.
Poor craftsmanship or Poor design
- Let’s say a designer required a damp-proof course that was 15 mm thick.
- However, due to insufficient inspection, the finished damp-proof course’s thickness increased to 10 mm.
- Consequently, this won’t fulfill the objective for which it was created and will cause dampness in the building.
Leaks in the pipe
- Old bathroom plumbing with broken seals around bathtubs and showers can cause this.
- Water pipes inside the building walls that have deteriorated.
- Corroded drainpipes.
- Holes in the drains.
- Water is leaking from the pipeline connections.
Subsurface water via capillary action
- Increasing dampness through the basement walling.
- Due to capillary action, moisture from damp ground may rise far above the ground.
- Dampness can be caused by rainwater that is splashed and then bounces off a wall’s surface.
- Rainwater infiltration from exposed wall tops, parapets, compound walls, etc.
- If there is a gutter close to the structure, rainwater will be stored there and eventually cause the external walls to get moist.
- Dampness can also come from moist regions of buildings (such as bathrooms and kitchens) that have low-quality plumbing installations.
Impacts of building moisture in health
The majority of people spend their days in their homes.
Either a house or an office could be the location.
This may involve spending just a maximum of sixteen hours (eight at home and eight at work) for individuals who may be working and have eight-hour employment.
The amount of time could be significantly greater for others, such as children in preschool, stay-at-home moms, and expectant women.
A contaminant emitted indoors has a 1000 times higher likelihood of entering people’s lungs than one released outdoors, as per the ratio of 1000.
Therefore, it is crucial to keep the house free of all toxins.
Here, 3 main impacts on health issues due to building moisture
When touched or inhaled, the contaminants, allergens, and occasionally poisonous chemicals produced by moisture can all trigger allergic reactions.
A skin irritation, red or teary eyes, a runny nose, and excessive sneezing are the typical symptoms of an allergic reaction.
People who have asthma are particularly impacted by the effects of mould because it can also trigger an asthma attack in those who have the condition.
Prevention of building moisture
If you notice moisture forming in the house, you must remove the moisture and deal with the problem at hand.
Here’s how you should go about it.
Keep the house’s moisture content low. This can be done with the help of a dehumidifier or air conditioner.
Remember that humidity levels fluctuate during the day, so this needs to be monitored.
Make sure there is enough ventilation in your home. In the cooking area and bathroom, use exhaust fans that vent outdoors.
When the outside temperature is warm, ventilate the space.
Don’t dry clothing inside the house, please. This will exacerbate the mould problem.
Go over your terrace in detail. Check for any obstructed rain pipes.
Rain that collects on the terrace will eventually seep into the building’s structure.
Use a quality waterproofing compound to seal any small cracks.
Any bathroom leaks should be repaired. Bathroom tile gaps can occasionally let water in, which results in dampness.
Tiles should be treated with a suitable solution to seal any cracks and stop leaks.
Use moisture-killing chemicals in bathrooms and add moisture blockers to paint before painting.
In damp rooms, get rid of or replace your carpets and furniture to prevent the moisture from spreading.
Conclusion
Due to a lack of capacity to understand the hazards to people’s health, moisture issues had been put on the back burner in the manufacturing and industrial sectors for a number of years.
However, thorough investigation and study have clarified the facts and reasons for its harmful impacts on living things, including humans.
Now, it is suggested and requested that buyers as well as sellers of real estate pay close attention to water seepage and take proactive measures to minimize moisture buildup.
This would guarantee a secure environment for the inhabitants and tenants with a higher standard of health and hygiene.
For the construction of buildings, the most important material is bricks which prevents the moisture to enter inside the walls. Consult with Dolfix Construction Expert Team to supply and construct buildings with widely used Interlock bricks which are better than all other bricks in the market for your project.
