912.5K
SCThis client was told by a damp proofing company they had rising damp and was quoted thousands to fix it. But there were not even any visible signs of damp. The company used a damp meter to diagnose the ‘rising damp’.
The client was unconvinced of this diagnosis so I came along and did a calcium carbide test. This involves taking a drilled sample of the wall and putting it into a sealed vessel and mixing it with calcium carbide powder. A chemical reaction occurs inside the vessel after giving it a shake. Any moisture in the sample reacts with the powder and produces a gas. The more moisture, the more gas, the more gas, the more pressure on the pressure gauge. As you can see it was less than 1% on the gauge and the dial - this is a dry reading. A quick and simple test.
So if there is no damp then why is the damp meter reacting and beeping away then? Because the wall is full of salts and these salts cause the damp meter to go all funny and give false readings.
The device I am using here is called a calcium carbide meter.
Have you heard of this test? Have you been told you need damp proofing on your old building? Let me know in the comments below ⬇️
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