GB2240577A

GB2240577A - System for combating rising damp

Info

Publication number: GB2240577A
Application number: GB9102250A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tony F Newell; Tony Frederick Newell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-02-02
Filing date: 1991-02-01
Publication date: 1991-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2011-02-01
Also published as: GB9102250D0; GB2240577B; GB9002357D0

Abstract

An arrangement for eliminating rising damp in walls includes known ceramic damp-migration plugs (20, 22) located in the walls. A skirting board (26) is positioned on an interior wall (10) and is so formed as to define a cavity between itself and the wall. The skirting board has a first array of holes (38) adjacent its topmost portion and a second array of holes (40) adjacent its lowermost portion. Warm air from the room passes through the first array of holes into the damp-migration plugs in order to assist in drying them and the warm air soon becomes laden with the moisture from within the tube after which it passes downwardly to the lowermost holes and back into the room area. <IMAGE>

Description

A SYSTEM FOR COMBATING RISING DAMP This invention relates to systems for combating rising damp in walls.

It is known to use tubular ceramic plugs inserted into the walls of buildings in order to prevent rising damp in those walls. These plugs induce the migration of any damp in a wall to the plugs and the damp evaporates therein.

It is also known to attach a skirting board to a wall, the skirting board being so formed as to provide a hollow cavity between itself and the wall. Such a skirting board is available in the building trade under the trade mark "Swish Celuform Oggee Cappit" and is formed by a plastics material in suitable lengths, depths and designs.

British patent specification No. 338717 shows and describes a box-shaped skirting board made of sheet metal and having fixed within the cavity formed therein an elecric heating element. Ventilation apertures are formed in the lower part of the skirting board to suck cold air into the cavity, and other apertures are formed in the upper portion to let the heated air out into the room.

It is an object of this invention to provide, in combination with ceramic damp-migration plugs, a skirting board having ventilation holes formed therein to allow air to enter the hollow plugs from an interior room and so expedite the drying out of plugs.

In accordance with the invention there is provided an arrangement for eliminating rising damp in the walls of a building comprising, in combination, one or more hollow ceramic damp-migration plugs located in a wall, a skirting board so formed as to define a cavity between itself and the wall, and having a first array of holes so arranged as to allow air from an interior room to enter the interior of the damp-migration plugs in order to assist in drying them, and having a further array of holes from which moisture laden air may egress.

The first array of holes may be located towards the upper portion of the skirting board and the further array of holes may be located towards the lower portion of the skirting board.

The skirting board may be located at its lower end closely adjacent a floor surface and the holes within the skirting board may be provided with a close mesh screens in order to restrict the movement of insects and the like.

The invention further includes a method of eliminating rising damp in the walls of a building by providing one or more damp-migration plugs located in a wall, further providing a skirting board to define a cavity between itself and the wall, the skirting board having an array of holes therein and causing air from an internal room of the building to enter the interior of the damp-migration plugs and so absorb the moisture there within, the moisture laden air being caused by its natural circulation to egress from one or more further holes within the skirting board.

The above and other aspects of the invention will become clear from the following description of various embodiments of the invention given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a section view through a wall of a building incorporating the combination of hollow ceramic tubes with a skirting board in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a section view to a larger scale than that of Figure 1 illustrating the flow of air into and out of the skirting board and tube.

Figure 3 is a section view similar to that of Figure 2, illustrating further embodiments of the invention.

As seen in the drawings, a wall 10 has an exterior surface 12 and an interior surface 14. The wall is bored at 16, 18 and fitted with ceramic tubes 20, 22. To ensure close contact by the tube with the wall, the holes 116 are coated with a mortar at 17 before the tubes are inserted.

Any damp within the walls migrates to these tubes and evaporates from the hollow interior in known manner.

The damp which has migrated to the tube 20 adjacent the outer surface 12 of the wall evaporates into the outer air. In past arrangements any damp migrating to the tube 22 tended to evaporate through the interior plaster coating 24, causing damp patches adjacent these tubes to show through the plaster and the wallpaper.

In the arrangement according to this invention a skirting board 26 having a vertical wall 28 and an upper horizontal wall 30 is positioned, as shown, on the floor 32 and adjacent the lower portion of the wall surface 14. A batten 34 is provided to space the lower portion of the skirting board from the wall, and the skirting board is secured in place by a paste adhesive 36.

The vertical wall 28 of the skirting board is provided with holes 38 towards its upper end, and further holes 40 are formed towards the lower ends. The holes may be round or, preferably, are elongated in the lengthwise direction of the skirting board. On the interior surface of the skirting board are provided small sections of fine plastics or wire mesh 42 in order to restrict the movement of unwanted insects such as cockroaches, silver fish and the like.

The internal plaster coating 24 is layered only on the wall surface area above the skirting board, thus obviating any migration of damp from the tubes to the plaster, or from a concrete floor to the plaster.

In use any damp in the wall migrates to the ceramic tubes as usual, the damp evaporating within the hollow interior. The outer tube 20 being open to the outside air dries out by the action of the atmosphere. The drying of the inner tube 22 is assisted by the flow of warm air from the interior of the room of the building which enters through the holes 38, and flows into the interior of the tube 22. The warm air soon becomes laden with the moisture within the tube and being then heavier than before passes downwardly to the holes 40 and back into the room area.

This circulation of moist air induces more warm air to enter the tube via holes 38 and so greatly assists the drying out of the tubes.

In Figure 3 there is provided a circular ventilator 50 formed with ventilating channels 52 and having a fine mesh screen 54 to restrict the movements of insects and the like. Ventilators are located securely in holes 56 formed in the vertical wall 28 of the skirting board, preferably although not necessarily adjacent the ceramic plugs 22 in the wall. In such embodiments there may be provided additional battens 34 mid-way of the height of the skirting board. The warm air within the room enters the hollow interior of the ceramic plug and after becoming laden with moisture as previously explained, exits therefrom via the same ventilators 50, as indicated by the arrows A. The additional batten 34A restricts the movement of the moisture laden air to the vicinity of the ventilators.

In a further embodiment, also illustrated for convenience in Figure 3, a plastics member 58 is fitted by means of a channel 60 along the lower edge of the skirting board. A horizontal web 62 of the member 58 locates on the surface of the floor 32 and ventilation holes 64 are provided along the length of a short vertical wall 66 of the member 58.

In this arrangement the warm air passes from the room through the ventilator 50 into and out of the ceramic plug 22, and the moisture laden air follows the path of the chain line arrows C to exit through the ventilation holes 64. The additional batten 34A would not then be needed.

Claims

1. An arrangement for eliminating rising damp in walls of a building comprising, in combination, one or more hollow ceramic damp-migration plugs located in a wall, and a skirting board so formed as to define a cavity between itself and the wall, and having a first array of holes so arranged as to allow air from an interior room to enter the interior of the damp-migration plugs in order to assist in drying, and having a further array of holes from which moisture laden air may egress.

2. An arrangement according to Claim 1 wherein the first array of holes is located towards the upper portion of the skirting board and the further array of holes is located towards the lower portion of the skirting board.

3. An arrangement according to Claims 1 or 2 above wherein the skirting board is located at its lower end closely adjacent a floor surface.

4. An arrangement according to any of the above Claims wherein the holes are provided with close mesh screens.

5. A method of eliminating rising damp in walls of a building providing one or more damp-migration plugs located in a wall, providing a skirting board to define a cavity between itself and the wall, the skirting board having an array of holes therein and causing air from an interior wall of the building to enter the interior of the damp-migration plugs and so absorb moisture therein, the moisture laden air being caused by its natural circulation to egress from one or more further holes within the skirting board.