If the mark on your wall is orange and strongest where a sprinkler hits it, you probably have a reticulation problem, not a damp problem.
Talk it throughRising Damp Perth arranges damp assessments across Perth metropolitan area.
Much of Perth waters gardens from a bore. That groundwater is rich in dissolved iron, and when it lands on a wall and dries, the iron oxidises and stains the surface orange-brown. It is the same chemistry that stains footpaths and fences along a whole street.
| Bore water staining | Rising damp | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Orange or rust brown | White or grey salt bloom |
| Where | Outside face, in the spray pattern | Inside and out, an even band low on the wall |
| Shape | Fans and streaks | A level horizontal tide-mark |
| Season | Worst in summer when reticulation runs | Worst in winter when the water table rises |
Staining is cosmetic. It does not damage the wall structurally and it does not need a damp course. Adjusting the sprinkler and cleaning the surface is the fix. Being sold an injected damp course for a bore stain is one of the more expensive mistakes available in this city.
They do coexist, particularly on older walls with a garden bed against them — the bed both raises the ground level and gets watered. An assessment separates the two so you only pay for the one you have.
We arrange assessments across the Perth metropolitan area, including:
Rising Damp Perth