DAMPNESS IN FACILITIES

DAMPNESS IN FACILITIES

Dampness is a condition of excessive moisture occurrence, abnormal in building parts, unanticipated, and apparent to users therefore detrimental to the facilities in which it occurs. No material on earth is completely free of moisture.

The point in consideration is what dampness means, literally, dampness means a state of having some moisture or and moisture means all amount of water present in air and on or in every construction materials and component but not always referred to as dampness even though actually dam, it therefore implies that dampness as building term is when the moisture presence is noticeable to the user of the facility.

Dampness is significance only if it is apparent to the user of the facility and may be dangerous to the facility. Construction materials have moisture content in them, which are not harmful to them at particular percentage content. When the moisture content is still within the harmless limit, it is not significant and not termed dampness. At this limit, it is not apparent to the users. Naturally, air has moisture content of about 5 to 10gl kg. Likewise, all construction materials have percentage moisture content even when they are termed dry.

For instance, wood cpntains12-20% moisture, which do not cause any harm to it. 23% moisture now puts wood under the risk of decay as it becomes habitable to bacteria’s and wood borers. Plaster work, block work concrete work e.t.c.

All contains allowable percentage moisture, which this limit is exceeded; the moisture becomes detrimental and therefore termed as damped defects. It is important to know that as materials and facility parts can never be dried than air, and therefore air humility is important in the study of dampness in buildings. Dampness occurs on floors, walls, roofs, ceiling ground gutters, basement tanks, etceteras, with peculiar characteristics depending on the cause or sources.

There are conditions of wetness or actual dampness that are not termed technically as dampness in stutters. For instance, water spillage on building floors and walls caused by user activities are not dampness.

This is because; the water present at the time is superficial and will soon be gone. Rain wetness of readers, balconies, roofs, etc is also not dampness.

Foundations, which were constructed with the fore knowledge that they will last as long as the facility exist, remains in wet soil and be actually damp, are not termed damp also. The presence of green algae, wetness in lines on walls, rot in wood, small of decay, etc are all indications of dampness. More than these, dampness might not be noticed by users of the facility, but it takes skill to detect dampness before it harms the facilities.

It therefore holds that moisture or wetness in structure will be there dampness only if they occur where they not anticipated be supposing to be and resulting in disadvantage.

References

Olubanjo, A, (2005): Maintenance of Public Infrastructure Facilities,

A case study of Tertiary institution facility: A research Project, Building Tech. Department   Yabatech, Lagos.

Wai-Kiong and P. L. Sui, Assessment of defects at construction and occupancy stages,    Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, Vol 19(4), 2005, 283-289.