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With our trusty Thermal imaging camera, we are able to find issues long before they become issues. In this particular case, the wall insulation, didn't quite reach the top of the wall. This can lead to a strip of mould growth along the area that you see as dark purple. This area will be colder than the rest of the wall as there is nothing stopping conduction of cold from the external and nothing to stop heat escaping from the internal. his is known as a cold bridge and in our experience, it is the single biggest cause of mould growth in our properties. I would be really interested in your experience.

Some properties have what is called "suspended floors". These can be concrete or timber and have a large void underneath them. This system is tried and tested, but it does have a major flaw, when there is a leak, there doesn't tend to be a lot of manifestation of damage above ground, as the water lies within the void. The first you know about a problem is when there is a smell of decaying wood or mould, but as it is under the floor, you have no idea what the problem is. Thats... were we come in. A couple with these very problems contacted us and we visited with our trusty camera, and BINGO, leak in the floor void. Look at the first photo, no sign of any damage whatsoever, but thermal imagery, reveal a large leak. Insurance company has now been contacted and we are managing the entire claim for them. They don't even have to pay our bill, as we can recoup it from the insurance provider.
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Just a little video about leaks through ceiling and how it works with your insurance compant

Take a look at the first photo, notice anything? NO? thats because there is nothing apparent, so don't feel bad. However, underneath that very area, is a leaking heating pipe. It is a bit of a strange place for a heating pipe to be honest and that was the problem. The supply line ran partly under a timber stud wall that was nailed into the concrete floor (nothing strange in that). However, the pipe was directly under the line of the nail and one stray one had actually punctur...ed it, but the point of the nail had prevented much water escaping as it plugged the hole. Over the years, the nail rusted away until, we get the damage on the other-side of the wall. This would not have easy to locate, without our thermal imaging camera or our acoustic leak finding equipment, which saves so much time, damage and money digging holes, thinking and scratching our bi bums.
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Penetrating dampness, not to be confused with rising damp or condensation, is one of the biggest causes of dampness in our homes.
Most of the time, the issue is obvious and relating to lack of maintenance in our properties. Have a look at the images below and then have a look at your property and see how many of these issues you have.
REMEMBER PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN THE CURE

🔥🔥🔥🔥😎😎😎😎Check out this turnaround. Mould growth at numerous cold spots on ceiling. First encapsulate the mould (prevents mould spores spreading), normally we use warm soapy water. Once it's sealed to the wall, we spray it with mould killer, let it dry and repeat. Then we finish off with Thermalite paint times 2 coats.🔥🔥🔥🔥😎😎😎😎
☠️☠️☠️☠️We have a licence to Kill☠️☠️☠️☠️ Mould that is!!!!!!!

Despite what some builders might tell you, this damage is not related to a leaking roof. The mould might be difficult to clean up, but the cause is relatively simple. Access your attic, if you can’t please make contact with us, and make sure the insulation runs across the roof with no missing sections. If there is, simply refit it and then get the mould treated. And before anyone comes on and says "open the windows more", this is not the only reason why condensation occurs. T...here are numerous reasons for condensation, which is a result not a cause. High humidity, low levels of controlled ventilation and building defects all play a part. In fact, and this is our research and findings only, we find most mould growths are down to building defects rather than tenant and home owner issues. Anyone telling you keep a window open on a cold wet windy day is basically telling you to bring that weather in side your home. Plus, you are letting out all the heat that you have paid a fortune to make.
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☠️ ☠️ ☠️ ☠️ Licence to Kill☠️ ☠️ ☠️ ☠️ Mould That isWhat a turn around. Easy when you know how. Massive cold bridging below window, causing moisture to form on the surface. Mould Growth inevitable.

Have a look at this survey, we did for a housing association. The tenant was yet again being accused in the wrong of not heating and ventilating the property and this was causing the mould build up on the wall. We installed data loggers for a 2 week period and found that the relative humidity was average 55-65%, which was good, also the heat in the property was well managed at around 18-21 deg c. These readings were taken in the centre of the room. As we got closer to the wal...ls, we found a dramatic decrease in temperature and increase in relative Humidity. On these results we decided to inspect the cavity with our camera and HEY PRESTO, no insulation in the walls. This then created a cold spot (some of the property was insulated, but as bad luck would have it, the north facing elevation was poor), which allowed condensation to form. Result, walls need insulation pumped. But wait, this is not always the answer, some areas of the country should not have cavities pumped with insulation, as wind driven rain can in fact be pushed through, saturating the material and causing more problems. Always check with a qualified Building Surveyor
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There is a lot of discussion in the building trade as to whether rising damp is actually a thing, personally i say there most definitely is and we survey and find it regularly. However, a lot of times, the problem is misdiagnosed through poor surveying techniques and a complete misunderstanding of how it manifests. This leads to a misrepresentation of the scale of the problem and then every bit of damp is somehow "RISING DAMP". Below is a photo of an issue that could easily be misconstrued as Rising damp, but is in fact, blocked air vents in the floor void. In this particular case, we understand how the manifestation of damp could be misdiagnosed as it has all the hall marks of rising damp.

You may constantly hear me using the term cold bridging and wondered what the hell i am on about. Well, just for you i have done a wee drawing and hopefully no further explanation is required. A picture paints a thousand words as they say. Any questions? just leave a comment below or even private message me.

There was a sign of rising damp in this property, internally that was actually easily confused with a leak. The property was subsequently stripped out and the damp returned shortly after. If only someone had bothered to look externally and fully understand the construction method (full fill cavity), all the hassle would have been easily remedied. Look at the dampness on the mortar, which is soaking wet. Cause of damage, dripping gutter, soaking through a full full cavity wall.

Another house survey, were there was huge damp problems. The problem had been ongoing for approx 4 years, and yet no surveyor had thought about having a look in the cavity wall. Not only was there no insulation, the cavity wall ties, were covered in mortar. This can allow water to pass from the outside in via the wall ties. In this case, hundreds of £ wasted, treating mould when no one bother to source the cause. A simple cavity wall inspection taking no longer than 10 minutes and problem sourced. Mould and condensation are a result not a cause, treating the result, will not solve the problem. If you have tried treating mould 3 or more times, maybe you should think about going deeper and trying to source the problem.

Every so often, we come across a leak that is extremely difficult to find. If the leak is no the hot line (radiator or hot water) then the thermal imager will mostly pick it up. However, what if it is on the cold line and the water is leaking out into a cold screed floor? Well the same thing occurs, the leaking water will always be at a different temperature to the surrounding area, although it wont be as exaggerated. Have a look at these photos and see if you can pick out were the leak is.

When making an insurance claim on your home, the burden of proof lies with you to prove to the insurance company both the scale of damage and the cause. It is not their job. That is why people like ourselves offer the service we do. We can use the latest technology to find damage that the naked eye can’t see. Have a look at the photo and see the carpet which looks perfect, but under the thermal imager, there is a different story.

Let me introduce a little friend who causes so much heart ache its untrue. We know him as Wood Worm and he leaves a trail that allows us to find and destroy him. In the second photo, you will see what looks like saw dust at the bottom of the door frame. this is called Frass and it is the debris of the beetle and a sure sign that you have a problem. If you see this, take action immediately, the damage can be limited.

☠️ ☠️ ☠️ A Tale of WOE☠️ ☠️ ☠️
This particular project started with a mould survey as the customer was having her lounge painted. Before painting, she wanted to have the mould assessed and treated. The date was set for our arrival and the room had been stripped of all its furniture in readiness for the decorator. The customers' face when we arrived was something that will live with me until i retire.... She had removed all the furniture and found a water stain, just above skirting board level, throughout the ground floor. The problem was, her furniture was covering it and so she was unaware of the problem. She immediately thought there was a leaking pipe. To make matters worse, she had only just bought the property the year previous and said she was suspicious that every time she came to the property for "a final look" before completion, it was obvious that something had just been painted. This issue was then surveyed by ourselves and it was found to be rising damp and that the previous owner had been covering it over by paint to get the sale through and they had done an amazing job. If only she had contacted us before completing on the property, we could have went through the house and found anything underly9ing issue and given her the chance to walk away or renegotiate the purchase price.
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This is very interesting and is evidence of how a small piece of evidence can help you diagnose a problem. This house was suffering from condensation and it was for no obvious reason, until we noticed rust marks around the nails in the floor boards. Now this could easily have been due to mopping floors, but every bit of evidence should be investigated fully. The nails could also be rusting because of moisture trapped below the suspended timber floor so we followed this throug...h to the external and found that half the floor vent was covered over by the footpath. This meant there was little to no air flow getting under the floor to keep it dry. In this void there is dampness, and as long as it stays there, there is no problem. However, the ground is constantly giving up its moisture by evaporation, and if there isn't enough ventilation, the air down there will become saturated. The saturated air has no option but to rise up through the sub floor into the rooms above, raising the relative humidity, causing condensation. When we measured how much moisture was trapped below the floor, our fears were confirmed. It was over 80% RH, which is too high So if you see little rust stains around nails in the floor, follow the evidence, it might just be giving you the heads up on a problem.
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