Keep Your House Free from Dampness & Condensation in Monsoon

Monsoon, Gulzar and Dampness

I was sitting by my french balcony, enjoying the fresh splash of rain with a cup of cardamom-ginger tea and Gulzar's poetry "Baarish Hoti hai jab" [when it rains]

It was a sight of perfect harmony with mystic rain, hot Indian beverage and soulful poetry that I was floating in a trance, like those mellifluous breaths on a flute. My perfect romance was broken by quick droplet sound coming from my teacup. It was a thin layer of wall plaster that betrayed the ceiling, only to find solace in my tea and spoil my perfect romance with rains. 

I threw a glance above to examine the source and was shocked to find one big patch at the ceiling above in moist and damp state awaiting their moment to come off. The monsoon condensation [moisture and humidity] left my balcony wall with dampness.

What is Dampness

dampness ˈdampnəs/

noun

the state or condition of being slightly wet.

"the dampness in the air"

synonyms: moisture, damp, humidity, wetness, wet, water, liquid, condensation, steam, vapour, clamminess, mugginess, dankness, wateriness; 

Dampness is the unwanted moisture in the structure of a building that results from either an intrusion from outside or condensation [larger cause] from within the structure. Other causes are-

Rain Penetration

climatic condition

Some Quick Facts on Dampness

• Four to Six pints of water can raise humidity level inside 1000 sq feet from a mere 15% to 60%

• One person breaking produces about 1/4 cup of water within an hour's time. 

Dampness and water seepage is a common problem in India caused mainly due to heavy rainfall and use of single layer brick. The problem gets further compounded by Mumbai’s high humidity and rainfalls. 

Problem caused by Dampness

Dampness is not like a wet cloth that will get sorted in next sunshine. The problem is far more serious and cannot be ignored.

If left unattended, dampness can cause a serious crack to your walls, roof and badly damage your house and weaken the structure’s health. Unattended dampness also leads to serious health issues like the respiratory problem, nausea and more. While there are many precautionary steps that may help you prevent dampness, there are some quite tried and tested solutions that help you combat dampness at your home.

How to Cure dampness Using Dr. Fixit

When it comes to building infrastructure and issues as such, I trust no one but the professional only. I prefer to opt for “tried, tested and delivered” formula and brands. One such brand is Dr. Fixit which provides a wide range of waterproofing system and technology that will help to tackle the dampness issue.  

The balcony patch really worried me a lot and it was my neighbor who recommended me Dr. Fixit given their superlative experience with the brand last season. I googled my way for the solution online and stumbled upon this brilliant video featuring legendary Amitabh Bachchan. 

Notwithstanding the heavy rains, I decided to get rid of the dampness before it spreads further, seeping its way inside my house, and off course, the life. Since this issue is more of seepage from exterior walls, there was little I could do without professional help. I hurried myself to Pidilite website and navigated my way through Dr. Fixit Raincoat, an elastomeric exterior waterproofing coating that can be applied to all kinds exterior masonry surfaces, cement and renderings as well as on asbestos sheets. It is a long term solution and promises to protect the external walls. 

I hummed way to store and got the solution enabled with help from their team while singing Mr Bachchan’s “idhar bhi-udhar bhi” lines in my head.

So what started with a poetic curse, ended with poetic relief. 

If you too are looking for “freedom from dampness”, do try it out.

Haute Kutir

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source: Quora

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