Nice example of salt contamination on a chimney recently.

Have you ever noticed discoloured patches which often appear damp on the face of your chimney? If so, this could be caused by salt contamination.

Salt contamination within a chimney occurs due to the long term effects burning of fossil fuels (coal and wood etc) in an open fire. When fossil fuels are burnt, contaminates are … read more

So, you want to know the truth about moisture meters?……………………………. They don’t work, they don’t actually measure moisture, they’re designed for wood, they’re a waste of time, you can make them go red by putting your finger over them! Yes, during my 20 years in the industry and 14 years as a professional surveyor I’ve heard all the claims, even the suggestion that “rising damp … read more

Although I dislike the thought, there is the perception that our industry is full of con artists; surveyors running around sticking inaccurate moisture meters in walls of buildings diagnosing rising damp in every property with the only appropriate solution being the inevitable retro-fit damp proof course and expensive re-plastering. It is an image which has tainted the industry for the past thirty years. Like many … read more

Dampness in buildings explained

Buildings and the materials used within their construction are complex. Many buildings will be constructed with a wide variety of different materials ranging from concrete, brick and plaster with a further variety of each such as cement, lime and gypsum.

When buildings become affected by dampness either through rising damp, penetrating damp or water leaks these materials can become contaminated by … read more

Thinking of buying a house?……………… If you read nothing else today, just read this!

We’re often asked by clients  do they really need a survey? and if so, should they have a survey before or after they buy?

The simple answer is “Yes and before” I’ll explain why.

The purpose of a survey is to establish the value and condition of a building/property prior to … read more

As a professional Property Care Association Approved Company we are able to offer our clients insured guarantees for all of our specialist work. This ensures that if our company were to regrettably cease trading your guarantee would continue to provide protection for the work undertaken by ourselves.

For decades our industry has been at the forefront of consumer protection and the provision of long term … read more

Why Choose a member of the Property Care Association?……

If you’re looking for a gas inspection you’ll be checking you’re contractors registered with Gas Safe, likewise if you’re looking for an electrician you’ll be checking they’re registered with the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting), so when looking for a damp or timber survey why would you not be looking for a … read more

The Property Care Association

Who and what is the Property Care Association and what does it stand for?

Historically the preservation of timber and installation of retrofit damp proof courses were represented by two separate associations known as; the British Wood Preserving Association (BWPA) and the British Chemical Dampcourse Association (BCDA). In 1989 these two associations united to form the British Wood Preserving and Damp-proofing … read more

Kings of Crock!

Recently the PCA (Property Care Association) which is the leading industry body damp and timber preservation professionals wrote an article in their weekly publication warning of an increased number in the reported cases of Logo abuse. This is basically the use of the associations logo by none accredited companies passing themselves of as PCA members. For some reason there has been an … read more

Condensation Explained

Upstanding the basics between Relative Humidity, Specific humidity, Vapour pressure, Thirst, Boundary layers and Dew point.

Before we begin explaining the above where does water vapour come from?

Simple daily life produces water vapour through cooking, washing, ironing, drying clothes and even breathing, therefore it is extremely unlikely that an empty property will suffer with issues of high humidity, condensation and mould unless … read more